Abell Grenadilla Wood Handmade High D Whistle

Manufacturer's Description

The Abell Whistle is based on the traditional Celtic tin whistle and is manufactured from tropical hardwoods and precious metals. Our whistle is designed in two parts (mouthpiece and body) allowing for both fine tuning and for interchangeable bodies to be used on the same mouthpiece in certain key combinations. The Abell Whistle is offered in many different keys with the Standard D being the most popular.

Almost all cultures in the world have an instrument related to the whistle; i.e., an end blown "flute" with a simple fingering system. Our whistle is descended from the Celtic and Gaelic musical traditions and is used primarily to play the dance tunes and airs from Ireland, Scotland, and Brittany. Although some beautiful music can be produced on the popular, inexpensive metal whistles, these instruments are somewhat limited in their musical attributes; therefore, we have designed some important changes into Abell Whistle to address the qualities we felt the metal whistle lacks. One, our whistle must be able to produce a strong, centered, rich tone easily through two octaves; two, it must be tunable in either direction from concert pitch without compromising intonation or tone quality; and three, it must be manufactured simply and with an elegance worthy of the music for which it is intended. It is the combination of African Blackwood and Sterling silver that fulfills our requirements of beauty, durability, and tonal quality.

The Blackwood is a very stable wood providing a warm, reedy tone while maintaining structural durability; and the sterling silver, while elegant in its own right, offers the ability to build the whistle with a tuning slide without sacrificing simplicity or beauty. The silver tuning slide not only satisfied our requirement for the tunability of each whistle, it also allowed us to design interchangeable bodies onto one mouthpiece in different keys.

All Wood used in the construction of the Abell Whistles is well seasoned, instrument-grade hardwood from the equatorial regions of Africa, the Caribbean, and occasionally from Australia. The individual pieces are carefully inspected and handpicked from the stock received from the suppliers and stacked to air dry for a minimum of one year from the time they arrive at the shop. At each stage of the manufacturing process, each piece of wood is allowed to rest for a period of time, insuring that the integrity of the wood is stable before moving on to the next stage of production. The wood is treated at each stage with a light coating of almond oil acquired at a local health food store. The care taken to handle and inspect each piece of wood throughout the various stages of production helps to insure that the finished whistle will play for many years with relatively low maintenance.

About Abell Flutes

Although many fine wooden flutes have been produced in the past, the recent changes in scale, headjoint design, and technology in manufacturing that have occurred in metal flute making have left these earlier wooden instruments practically obsolete. With Chris Abell’s association with Brannen , he has been able to apply those changes to the wooden instrument and can now offer a flute which includes the current standards of pitch, keywork action, intonation, and fluid tone production with the added attribute of the dark, pungent timbre found in wood. Chris Abell’s flutes and headjoints command a great respect from the flute community for their large range of tonal qualities and handcrafted design.

Specifications

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