Heikes Whistles

Lloyd Heikes makes his whistles by hand in a small home workshop in Greeley, Colorado. The woodworking comes from decades of building violins, which he still builds. Irish music came later, when he took it up as a player, and his curiosity as a maker did the rest.

He spent several years developing these whistles before he was satisfied, bringing prototypes to the sessions around Greeley and listening closely to what players told him. That instinct runs through everything he does. Lloyd has restored a number of vintage cars, and the lathe he turns his whistles on is a vintage machine he rebuilt piece by piece.

The whistles

These are classic wooden whistles, sweet and woodsy, with just enough chiff to give them character. Volume sits in a good place, moderate to strong, carrying well in a session yet never too much for playing alone at home. Each is turned from a tonewood of Lloyd's choosing, so no two are quite alike.