I’m just trying to broden my whistle collection a bit, and I was wondering what sort of whistles an intermediate whistle player should get. All suggestions much appreciated.
Burke DASBT.
I say the DASBT cause it’s the only Burke i have or have ever tried. I’m sure the rest of his whistles are just as wonderful in their own way.
It is a big world out there. You can get a full set of Generations just to have one in each key. You can get one in each of the popular materials: aluminum, brass, plastic, tin, (copper?), wood. The wood ones tend to be pricey, the others exist in all price ranges. You could buy a few cheap ones and attempt to tweak them yourself, or you can buy tweaked whistles from Jerry to see the difference. You can buy some low whistles to broaden the sound. If you are tempted by the darkside you can try a flute, but bring your wallet if you start collecting flutes.
As far as whistle brands, there is a lot of info in the archvies. Wanderer and others have a database of their reviews.
If you don’t know what you want, but want to try different things, look for used whistles offered here, they are often at significant discount to retail.
When people do recommend whistles to you, keep in mind that everybody has their own preferences. Just because they like it doesn’t mean you’ll like it.
I would recommend pretty much any of Mack Hoover’s whistles. I have a D whitecap of his and I love it.
If you are tempted by the darkside you can try a flute, but bring your wallet if you start collecting flutes.
Tryed it. It didn’t take to well.
Something else - after a while, you begin to realize that preference has no particular relationship to cost.
I own a few high-end whistles, and more in the middle price range. I also own quite a few cheap whistles. Depending on my mood, and the tunes I’m working on, there are some days that the “good” whistles go unused while I play one of the mass-market cheapies.
The high-end whistles are usually sturdier, more consistant, and show the effects of better craftmanship - but a couple of my low-enders play as well as any whistle I’ve ever encountered.
And, as Band Nerd said, a lot of it is individual preference. If you hate breathiness, or an untraditionally pure sound, or too much complexity, or ??? - there are some makes that you won’t like, no matter how responsive, accurately intoned, or well-crafted they are.
Try a few different makes - buy if you must, borrow when you can. You may find out that only Copelands will do for you - or may decide that nothing betters a Feadog or Generation. And no matter what you settle on, you can count on at least one or two other whistlers doubting your sanity. 
My personal favorites (high whistles only)? In no particular order - Humphrey Narrow Bore D, Humphrey Wide Bore C, Feadog D, Oak C & D, Syn C & D, Serpent Sweet Polly D, Walton’s C, Walton’s Mello D, Generation Eb, D, Bb. Dixon D.
Whistles belonging to others? I’ve liked all of the Freeman-tweaked whistles I’ve had a chance to borrow. Ditto Burkes, Copeland, Abell.
And there are many other makes that I haven’t tried, or never really warmed to - one of them might be your “perfect” whistle. But it’s probably a good idea to try a couple of each of the cheapies before splurging on the more expensive models.
I love the sound of trad wood.
Yes the Humphrey narrow bore D and get an Eb tube to go with it. One that I like a lot is the Alba Q1. It is a quieter whistle with a little more back pressure but with a nice sound. If you want to look at other keys I like my Dixon low G tunable. Listen to what people say and step out there and buy a few. If you don’t like them trade or sell them.
Ron
Have any of you had any experience with one of Jerry’s tweaked shaws?
I have both a D and a C. They are among my favorite whistles. They definitely take some practice to control but they sound great and are easy to play once you’re accustomed to them.
How is your mother doing, by the way? Better, I hope.
She is still hurting alot (well duh :roll: ). We are going to rent one of those electric hospital beds for her so it will help moving her sum. She starts physical therepy in a couple weeks (she’s definately not going to be happy about that, and it seems kind of odd to be starting PT that soon after something like that, Dosen’t it?), And we have one of those home nurses staying with her. Unfortunately, because of her age, the docter says she might not be able to bounce back, and be confined to a wheelchair 
. So were hoping and praying that she will be able to recoop fully, and get back up on her horse like she usually does. Thanks for asking!
No. That’s when you have to start if you’re going to get better. If you just lay there, your health deteriorates further. Pneumonia and what-not.
I’m glad she’s feeling better and is doing well enough to be home.
Fine mid-priced whistles are made by Mack Hoover. He has a number of different styles, and will create a whistle to suit your budget and volume requirements.
Best to you.
Byll
I have a Jerry Tweaked Eb Shaw.
It plays nicely in the first octave, in-tune, full toned, and pretty chiffy. the air volume demand is moderate.
The trouble for me begins in the second octave. There seems to be no back pressure whatsoever; it’s like blowing out an open window. After two measures I am often out-of-breath, and need another big gulp of air. The tone is now very chiffy. Sort of rough and raspy. Good breath control is needed both to avoid wasting valuable lung power and to stay on-pitch. You need good lung power for this whistle. More than what I have. I’ve been told, and I believe it, that the untweaked Shaws are much worse.
Still, this is a fascinating instrument. I use it for a Show-and-Tell at gigs and gatherings to demonstrate how and why the tin whistle got its name.
It really sounds nice in the more playable (for me) lower ranges. Its a good practice whistle to develop breath capacity.
If you’re serious about wanting one, talk to the Tweakmeister himself, Jerry Freeman, about what you want specifically. If you’ve got real good lung power, you might like this; if not, I’d warn you to hold off untill you can try-before-you-buy.
Hope this is helpful.
RamblDoc
I’ve definately got alot of lung power, because I play other instruments as well, and have been playing them for years.