Shearwater Whistles
Handmade Polymer and Aluminium/polymer Low whistles in a variety of keys
Warm, clear sound, offset tone holes, easy to play
MADE IN NORTHUMBERLAND, UK
You can now pay by
STOP PRESS: All Alloy with PVC mouthpiece blocks G, A, Bb high D and C etc now available but no tuning slide. Soundclips Up . SEE PHOTOS
Alloy alto A with bottom G! Ideal for pipe tunes. Same price as standard alto.
All whistles come with 'plastic' mouthpiece blocks. These look and feel nicer although wood
available on request
Welcome to our site
You will probably be thinking that are there not enough Low Whistles out there in music land?
The quick answer is probably yes. But.........
As a player of whistles for many years and other instruments including various bagpipes, I have never been entirely happy with the many different low whistles I have tried. Many are expensive and often do not play all that well.
What I am aiming for is an instrument that not only plays well but is a reasonable price for the player who is just getting into low whistles or even more advanced players.
Whatever anyone says a straight bored wind instrument is always a compromise tuning wise. It is just the nature of the beast. There are so many variables and it all depends somewhat on the player; how hard they blow etc. It is amazing how much you can alter the pitch of a wind instrument just by changing the breath pressure. Air temperature is hugely important too!
I would never claim that my whistles are better or worse than anyone elses because each maker has a different sound etc. What I will say is that for the price and playability I'm sure you will be happy.
The whistles are made form Black PVC tubing and if requested a contrasting mouthpiece, tunable and have a 'plastic' mouthpiece block with curved wind way to minimise condensation. Aluminium with Polymer mouth piece is also available on request.
Being handmade in my small workshop there will sometimes be slight differences in the external shape of the mouthpiece as each one is individually shaped. This makes no difference to the sound or tone. I am happy to custom make* an all white whistle with black mouthpiece if requested.
PLEASE READ THIS: Due to health and safety issues (mouth blown instruments) we CANNOT accept returns of whistles unless they are faulty and/or do not play( not very likely!) or damaged in transit. If this is so we will be only too happy to replace or repair for you. Small marks or signs of hand working do not constitute a fault if they do not affect the playability of the whistle.
Here's a bit more explaination. If a woodwind instrument has been blown ( metal flutes aren't as bad as they are more easily disinfected being metal and germs don't live as long on metal) then they cannot be returned to be resold as new, once blown they become secondhand. Maybe it's not the same here in the UK. can somebody enlighten me please? This doesn't apply if they are faulty or damaged in transit though.
READ ON...........
Why Shearwater? The Shearwater is a small migratory seabird and it is found on the Bass Strait islands off the north east tip of Tasmania, Australia. I migrated from Tasmania to the UK in 2005 so there you have it.....
****NEW UPDATE: We are now making whistles with Aluminium bodies and Polymer mouthpieces. These will be a bit more expensive as the tubing is naturally more expensive.
I have decided to make all black whistles as I am getting more orders for those but will still make white mouthpieces if required.
SOME QUOTES FROM HAPPY CUSTOMERS:
Too many good quotes from cusomers so please see our comments page!
* Please note to avoid confusion: Custom made means whistles made to order ie. White bodied whistles or other combinations of colours and or keys. My normal PVC whistles are black or aluminium/black PVC mouthpiece. Any other combination is custom made.
