I have to say I get somewhat perplexed when the subject of provenance comes up and people get worked up about it. A good instrument is a good instrument, bad is bad, etc. Generations are what they are, often maligned more than they should be but not without some significant quality control issues. What difference does it make if they're made in Ireland, Britain, Pakistan, or Hoboken, New Jersey? Actually, having spent a lot of time in NJ I'd have some concerns about that last one...
To bring it back into the realm of the original purpose of this thread, I do wonder if any of the people selling the OEM Sindt-esque whistles do much to them in any way. McNeela talks on his site about "hand-finished" instruments of various stripes; I'd love to line his up next to Mullan, Sióg, etc. to see if there's an appreciable difference. I've been happy with the 2 Killarney whistles I have, happy enough that I've pondered getting a couple more in various keys. My sense is that there's at least some amount of QC involved in their manufacture; I wonder what that process is like for the others. Killarney definitely had some hiccups, especially early on, with some duds leaving the premises (seemingly not many, but some). Have we seen the same with Wild Irish, Mullan, Sióg, etc.? Will people start tweaking them like they do Generations, or would that defeat the purpose of spending 5-10x the Generation price?
Mr.Gumby wrote: ↑Sun Sep 03, 2023 4:48 am
Some of us remember fondly (well, sort of..) the flutes one man was selling in fair quantities that were basically broomsticks finished with black gloss paint. People bought them, they were in Irish shops, weren't they?
I was just a few days ago trying to remember the name of that "maker!" I believe I've since mixed it up with the name of a current mass-marketer. No worries if you would rather not name here, just wanted to say that yes, they are indeed not forgotten (well, the "flutes" anyway, since I've apparently forgotten the name)!