Dale Hears From Davy About the Davy Spillane Low Whistle

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Wed Oct 06, 2004 10:58 am

Byll...your comment was the most valid of all!
thanks!

TomB · Post by **TomB** » Wed Oct 06, 2004 11:02 am

emmline wrote:Byll...your comment was the most valid of all!
thanks!

....Ah, and Byll is the latest recipient of the emmline valdiation. Good going Byll.

Seriously though, I agree with emmlinne, it was a good post.

All the Best, Tom

tuaz · Post by **tuaz** » Wed Oct 06, 2004 11:05 am

Trying to play devil's advocate here, so I have a few points to make:

1. everyone is assuming that because the mouthpc is plastic, that means the whistle is mass produced. But do we know for sure? DS is charging a very high price for his whistles. He must know at that price level, not many people are going to place orders. Which should suit him just fine, since it is probably safe to assume that he's really busy as a musician (and has UPs to make as well, apparently). One cannot discount the possibility that he may hand-voice and finish the mouthpc, even barrel, of whatever small orders he has. I suppose from an economic standpoint, his precious time is money, and he is entitled to put a price on his whistle that he thinks is commensurate to the time he has to spend making or finishing it.

2. this being a free market, those of us who think the price is too steep for a plastic top whistle are going to refuse to buy the same. And that's fine, except that it's no longer open for us to continue saying that DS-made whistles are non-existent, just hot air, etc etc. Unless and until someone places a genuine order and we are able to observe what happens next, we are at an impasse.

3. this doesn't mean that the 20+ yr mystery over what whistles he plays or used to play, or supposedly made at various points in the past, disappears. We all know he played a fully metal whistle, to the detriment of his teeth or health, according to him. The plastic top whistle is a new product, by his own admission, newly developed. So this is an entirely different issue. He may or may not have fudged the truth in the past, but that doesn't mean these new whistles don't exist.

IDAwHOa · Post by **IDAwHOa** » Wed Oct 06, 2004 11:37 am

Peter Laban wrote:Is that any differrent from what Burke Copeland O'Riordan and the others are doing? they ask me to pay a ridiculous amount of money for whistles and based on what? is that your problem? A bit thin as a reason to foulmouth someone at any opportunity isn't it?

The big, no, the HUGE difference is that these whistles are in the hands of players and have reviewer feedback. With that we have a basis of reason on which to validate their perceived value. I do not pretend to have been around when these whistle makers first started releasing their product, but they did something to gain the trust and admiration of their customers, communication probably being the chief one among them.

The DS whistle is still just a concept at this point. No pictures, no reviews, no nothing. Some people are blessed with infinate trust and faith, many are not. Considering the length of time and number of false releases, doesn't a degree of skepticism make sense?

I have no reason to believe that Talbert is Davy's spokesperson, other than Talbert has said so. :roll:

toughknot · Post by **toughknot** » Wed Oct 06, 2004 12:28 pm

Anyone have the link or Davy Spillanes website address handy?Just want to have a look from time to time to see if any info or pics will be posted there,Thanks

Just went there.The only whistle pic is the old one that has always been there of an all metal ,skin and oral orifice destroying Overton Chieftan type looking whistle that apparently washed up on the beach arriving from an unknown origin.Still no updated info.
I can be a smart aleck as few know my true identity

( though not a dog I have been referred to one by my nemesis on one occassion)
I would also like to thank Dale for taking the time from his busy life and family to post this recent break and his sharing of the correspondence between himself and Mr. Spillane(with permmision of Davy Spillane) . That is responsible whistle journalism of great caliber.Dale is still the Undisputed!

Azalin · Post by **Azalin** » Wed Oct 06, 2004 8:18 pm

NorCalMusician wrote:
Peter Laban wrote:Is that any differrent from what Burke Copeland O'Riordan and the others are doing? they ask me to pay a ridiculous amount of money for whistles and based on what? is that your problem? A bit thin as a reason to foulmouth someone at any opportunity isn't it?
The big, no, the HUGE difference is that these whistles are in the hands of players and have reviewer feedback.

Well, I'd like to point out something I always said. What reviewers are you talking about? 90% of whistle players on this board don't have a clue what a tuned whistle is or isnt, what is the right amount of volume for sessions should be or not, and what playing whistle at speed and nicely really is. There's a few very good whistle players out there who endorsed those whistles. The great and awesome Joannie Madden (and I mean it) plays O'Riordans, but what does that mean really? It means that for someone who's used to record CDs and play in concerts, she needs a whistle like this one. Then you've got 2000 whistle players who bought an O'Riordan because she plays them, only 6 of them can play it well, and you get feedback from the others saying how great the whistle is, not having a clue really. I don't buy that stuff about "Copelands, O'Riordan's and Burke" having awesome feedback. The best whistle players in the world, those who don't have CDs and live in Clare or New York or whatever, play cheapies, or Sindt, and some others, but the whistling world is a different reality that what is shown on this board.

Here's one of your "great feedback".

http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php ... fie+review

Someone was asking about McHaffie whistles, how they were, and someone answered that they were lovely whistles, almost perfect whistles. It took a few months to find out all of his whistles were out of tune and almost unplayable when you know your stuff.

Post by **Dale** » Wed Oct 06, 2004 8:26 pm

Azalin wrote:
NorCalMusician wrote:
Peter Laban wrote:Is that any differrent from what Burke Copeland O'Riordan and the others are doing? they ask me to pay a ridiculous amount of money for whistles and based on what? is that your problem? A bit thin as a reason to foulmouth someone at any opportunity isn't it?
The big, no, the HUGE difference is that these whistles are in the hands of players and have reviewer feedback.
Well, I'd like to point out something I always said. What reviewers are you talking about? 90% of whistle players on this board don't have a clue what a tuned whistle is or isnt, what is the right amount of volume for sessions should be or not, and what playing whistle at speed and nicely really is.

90%. Really. Who are the 10% who DO have a clue? Besides you, I mean.

Dale

Azalin · Post by **Azalin** » Wed Oct 06, 2004 8:29 pm

DaleWisely wrote: 90%. Really. Who are the 10% who DO have a clue? Besides you, I mean.

Actually, I'm not really thinking of myself! My ear doesnt have great tuning yet, so I often need a tuner to tune. I could name 6-7 flute/whistle players who HAVE a clue, but, like John Kerry, I don't name people

Post by **Dale** » Wed Oct 06, 2004 8:32 pm

Davy Spillane has emailed again and asked me to post information about his whistle. The text he included was roughly identical the the email that I quoted in the first message of this thread. I proposed an edited version of the original text which I think is more in keeping with the policies regarding commercial posting. I'm posting this as a courtesy. Here it is.

October 7 2004.

Davy is making a new tunable Low whistle that he is now playing
exclusively for all his recording and live work.

This latest low whistle replaces previous models and incorporates what
Davy finds are the best attributes of the "all metal type" low whistle
and the stability of Davy's tunable plastic mouthpiece / hand made and
tuned metal body combination.

In our opinion, the new mouthpiece helps to resolve the problem of
condensation and clogging that occurs in some whistles, including some
metal whistle designs. We find that this new whistle design enables a
high level of consistency in tone and Performance.

The careful and considered blend of alloys for the low whistle body
ensures for Davy the best yet in terms of pure tone and balance of
sweetness and power.

The low whistle is easy to blow, and plays evenly through both octaves
with good backpressure. The second octave in particular can deliver a
lot of power and is capable of a wide range of tonal nuances and
accurate high harmonics.

We are taking orders for the Davy Spillane new low whistle now.

The price for the low D - €200 euro+ €10 euro for postage +p,
Delivery 2- 3 weeks

Other keys of low whistle A, B, C, E flat , are available by
special order. G and F will be available in 2005.

We are in the process of making a Davy Spillane low whistle
Tutor dvd / cd / book, for 2005 all going well !

Thank you.
Best wishes,

John Mc Nicholas,
(Workshop manager)

instruments@davyspillane.com

(payment details if required)

bank draft, payable to :
d spillane.

burrenstone studio
liscannor,
co clare,
ireland

IDAwHOa · Post by **IDAwHOa** » Wed Oct 06, 2004 8:42 pm

Azalin wrote:
NorCalMusician wrote:
Peter Laban wrote:Is that any differrent from what Burke Copeland O'Riordan and the others are doing? they ask me to pay a ridiculous amount of money for whistles and based on what? is that your problem? A bit thin as a reason to foulmouth someone at any opportunity isn't it?
The big, no, the HUGE difference is that these whistles are in the hands of players and have reviewer feedback.
Well, I'd like to point out something I always said. What reviewers are you talking about?

You totally missed my point Azalin.

I don't give a rats patootie WHAT reviewer, good, bad or indifferent. What I and several others are trying to say is that in order for there to be a review, of ANY quality is there has to be SOMETHING TO REVIEW. Take the review for what it is worth and consider the source, for sure, but you can't review a Davy Spilane special because there, apparently, have not been any shipped as of yet. Oh, except for a prototype to Talbert. pft.

The reason there ARE reviews, good, bad or indifferent, of Overtons, O'Riordans, Waltons and countless other whistles is that THEY EXIST AND ARE AVAILABLE.

I believe the other point that has been pushed is that, considering the history of this endeavor of his, start, stop, promise, renig, what the heck would it cost him to send ONE whistle to ONE person that is trusted and respected by the whistling community here to use and review. Ain't too terribly much to ask now is it? That one act would go tons of distance to smoothing out all the rough spots that have apparently been created.

Now, back to writing my review of my O'Riordan D/C set I got recently. Gonna be a doozy....... :roll:

Post by **Dale** » Wed Oct 06, 2004 8:55 pm

NorCalMusician wrote: The reason there ARE reviews, good, bad or indifferent, of Overtons, O'Riordans, Waltons and countless other whistles is that THEY EXIST AND ARE AVAILABLE.

I think your demand that a whistle exists before it gets reviewed is unreasonable. It is easy for me to contemplate the sound of a nonwhistle whistling. Be there now.

Zen Master Dale

Post by **Dale** » Wed Oct 06, 2004 8:56 pm

Azalin wrote:
DaleWisely wrote: 90%. Really. Who are the 10% who DO have a clue? Besides you, I mean.
Actually, I'm not really thinking of myself! My ear doesnt have great tuning yet, so I often need a tuner to tune. I could name 6-7 flute/whistle players who HAVE a clue, but, like John Kerry, I don't name people

Fair enough. Just so you don't put ME on that list of 10% who have a clue.

Dale

Azalin · Post by **Azalin** » Wed Oct 06, 2004 8:57 pm

Yep, I don't understand why he didnt send a whistle for Dale to try, I don't think that's a good marketing strategy, but I guess that's for him to decide.

s1m0n · Post by **s1m0n** » Wed Oct 06, 2004 9:04 pm

All in all, I belive that this board is doing Mr. Spillane a considerable favour. His whistle has to be the best-publicised vapourware since Windows 94.

I wonder if it's possible to play the riff from "Start Me Up" on low whistle?

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Thu Oct 07, 2004 1:08 am

Azalin wrote:
DaleWisely wrote: 90%. Really. Who are the 10% who DO have a clue? Besides you, I mean.
Actually, I'm not really thinking of myself! My ear doesnt have great tuning yet, so I often need a tuner to tune. I could name 6-7 flute/whistle players who HAVE a clue, but, like John Kerry, I don't name people

I'm only guessing but they'd be the kwela players wouldn't they?