Hi,
I have some questions that I bet can be answered here.
First off, I have a Burke DASBT with a thumb hole that would sound amazing… except it has a constant spitty/grainy tone to it, and is nearly unplayable because of this sound. I’ve tried everything – dental floss (which I later found out wasn’t a good idea), rubbing alcohol, and the soap solution thing that Mike Burke himself advises. Nothing’s worked. Is there anything else I can do, short of sending the whistle back? I’ve had the whistle for over a year, so I’d have to pay shipping and other costs, and I’m a college student, so I don’t exactly have a lot of money to spare. I’ve seen a couple of other posts by people who’ve had some problems with Burkes, but I’ve also heard some really great things about them (especially from Joanie Madden, who is my whistle-playing idol )
Also, I have a brass Bb generation (red mouthpiece) that WILL NOT play a 2nd octave G at all. I can get it up to the note, and it’ll subsequently drop back down to my lower octave G. Is there anything I can tweak to make it work (once again, something I can do for a low cost, or for nothing)? It’s a great whistle otherwise, and it’s my only Bb.
Sounds like “gunk in the airway syndrome”. I’ve played hundreds of Burkes and never met one I didn’t like. I have however had a few that needed to be cleaned out before they’d perform. Could also be possible that someone else trid to clean it and damaged it.
Postage would only cost about $5 each way to have Mike take a look at it.
It’s really almost impossible to diagnose your problems without hearing them. If you could post a clip of your playing both the Burke and Gen Bb, that would be a big help.
Honestly, it’s hard to imagine either problem unless the whistles have been damaged, modified, or somehow clogged. Michael Burke’s whistles are very consistent, and he wouldn’t send out an unplayable one. The Generation head may have some extra plastic flashing inside that can be removed with an X-Acto knife. But that would likely affect the entire range of the whistle, not just one note.
How long have you been playing, and what is your winds background? If you’re a beginner, it’s possible that the problem lies with your breath control or your fingering. Again, hearing a clip would help.
If you really think the whistles are faulty, then by all means send the Burke back to Michael for inspection. Priority Mail is less than $5, and First Class less than that. And the Gen is cheap enough to simply replace.
I got the whistle new. It’s not gunk in the windway syndrome (cleaned it out a lot, the way Mike recommends), and it’s probably not breath control, since I’ve been playing whistle seriously for about four years, after having already played other wind instruments. I think I’ll just pay the postage and have Mike check it out. He’s been very helpful so far, and I’ve heard a lot of really good things about his whistles. Does anyone know how much he charges for inspection (if anything)?
As for the generation, I’ll probably just buy another one anyway.
I can’t speak for Michael, of course, but I would imagine that if the problem is inherent in the whistle, he’ll revoice it or replace it at no charge. Makers of his caliber stand behind their instruments, and Mike Burke is one of the best.
)