Erle Bartlett is a whistle maker based out of Australia. He started making Syns, and has now become fairly popular with a new batch of whistles he calls Black Diamonds. I had long debated getting a complete set, and finally, I silenced that little voice in my head (the one that controls finances) and bought one.
The Logistics of the Purchase:
It is a complete Syn whistle set: 1 whistle head; 8 bodies (keys E, Eb, D, C#, C, B, Bb, A)
They are made out of thick aluminum (not like the Walton LBWs) with a acetal (Delrin) fipple, and a brass tuning slide. In terms of price: the whistle head: $40; bodies supplied at $10 each; shipping : $15; Total: $135 AUD. Currency conversion at the time came to around $102.75 USD. I contacted Erle Bartlett directly to get my set.
Appearance
As far as I know, this set came to me new. It has some scratches, probably made during the construction process. I don’t mind. They give the set that “well-played” look. They came in a nice dark blue fabric roll case. As with most Syns, the tone holes do show SLIGHT signs of being fine-tuned after all the machining. And there is the etching of the whistle key and the word Syn on the back. I believed it was done by a chemical means, I think I read copper sulfate displacement somewhere. I sure do love chemistry!
All my new whistles go through a rigorous cleaning process. I’d say that it is an OCD impulse, but I’m not OC. The brass slide was filthy, and so was the little bit of brass on the inside of the whistle, where the two overlap. Nothing a good brass cleaner couldn’t take care of. Also, in the tone holes was some odd black residue, in all the whistles. Probably a result of the machining. It came out easily with cotton swabs.
The slide is fairly tight. It is easily moveable in all the whistles except for the Eb, which is stubborn for some reason. The slide doesn’t slip, so no worries about a sudden slippage during a session. That is everyone’s nightmare! Ahhh!
Playing characteristics:
I’m so glad that I decided to buy this Syn set. Now I haven’t played a huge variety of whistles, but comparing them to the ones that I have played, the Syns have a sound all to there own. It is a pure, clear sound, with an odd buzz to it. Very cool! They play nice in both octaves. The Syns are louder than most whistles that I’ve played. I’d love to play them outside (especially living in the country (or boonies, as some may call it), were it not for the fact that the Syns are not wind resistant. Bummer! I guess I could practice my dancing skills, and do a little wind dance while I play.
So far, I don’t have to pull out the tuning slide on the whistles. They are is tune. As for air requirements, well, there is some back pressure issues that new players may have a problem with. I love the back pressure. The set requires a fairly decent breath control. Nothing that any whistle player couldn’t provide. I have had problems with the set clogging on me. Just a little blow into the fipple, and the problem is fixed. Being that I tend to explore musical styles, I tend to use a lot on intonation. You can do much with the Syns.
Key Differences
All the keys are spectacular. I’ve heard mentioned that the A key was just too much for the bore size of the Syns. On the contrary, I think that the A key is unimaginably superb. I may even go so far as to say that it was the best whistle in the set, only for the fact that I absolutely love C’s. On some of the whistles, there is some unevenness in hole placement. I don’t mind. They still play good.
Summary:
WOW! The Syn set are really some of the best whistles I have ever played. It has some odd air requirements, but overall, a fine whistle. I suggest those who want Syns start thinking about getting them soon, as I have heard from a few people that Mr. Bartlett may soon discontinue making the Syns in favor of the Black Diamonds and other reasons pertaining to health concerns (Aluminum may be linked to Alzheimers) Don't let this discourage you from the Syns. In the simplest of terms, I sometimes wish I had more than two thumbs…(or…I could just…
).And if I can get a good microphone or a decent voice recorder, I’d provide some sound clips. In the meantime, I’m playing as loud as I can. Hope you can hear me!!!
