JSCWhistler wrote: ↑Thu Mar 18, 2010 10:33 pm
Recently while at a festival, I played multiple Chieftain whistles at the Hobgoblin booth for something like around an hour straight...
I'm envious, I've never had a chance to play a goodly number of Chieftains for an extended period like that.
I did try several Chieftains at a shop in Glasgow (by St George's Cross, I don't remember the name) and at Hobgoblin in London, but only briefly.
JSCWhistler wrote: ↑Thu Mar 18, 2010 10:33 pm
My question...which do most of you prefer: The Chieftain/Kerry, or Colin Goldie?
For me it was never a binary thing like that.
Around 2006 I decided to end 30 years of Irish flute playing and switch to Low D Whistle.
Selling off four or five flutes raised enough money to fund a massive Low D Whistle buying spree, and I borrowed, traded, or bought 30 or so Low D's to evaluate.
I was struck initially by all the things Low D whistles couldn't do (compared to flute) but soon concentrated on all the things they
could do.
Fact is, there's no perfect Low D Whistle! All manifest a series of compromises made by the makers.
For a time I was preferring the Burke, then for a time the MK, but eventually settled on the
Colin Goldie as being the best bundle of compromises.
There are a few different Low D's that each do one specific thing a tad better than the Goldie; but in each case this benefit is cancelled out by some flaw, that whistle's Achilles' Heel. On the other hand the Goldie has no such flaw, and is excellent at everything.
Currently I have two Goldie heads I can switch on my Goldie Low D body, one "medium blower" and one "soft/easy blower", and both are superb.
If I had only ever played one or the other I would be prefectly happy. Switching back and forth is actually a joy due to being able to experience subtle differences.
Currently I have Goldies in
Low C, Low D, and Mezzo F and all are great. I've owned several F's over the years and the Goldie is by far the best.