you boys know the routine--------------lets here your thoughts-please throw some close up pics---------------------------i am looking for some new whistles any help would be appreciated
I love Burke composites.
No whistle has ever topped an Abell for my taste in tone, range of expressiveness, and playing feel.
My playing improved several-fold the day my first set of Abells arrived.
Abells are only a dream to me, alas.
But the excellent Burke whistles, that’s another story!
I have and have played some Abell blackwoods as well as delrins. I’ve had real good luck with Chris’s delrins and think they’re great - I traded a delrin D for a Copeland C and both parties were happy; I have a D/C delrin set that is terrific to my tastes; fun to play. I also have a Bflat/A blackwood set - also great, perhaps a bit quieter and warmer than the delrins. I asked Chris and he himself prefers blackwood; I prefer the delrins. He makes beautiful quality whistles. From what I’ve seen so far, the blackwoods may be a bit more variable whistle to whistle than the delrins, at least in my limited experience with them.
Philo
I have a certain ambivalence. These are great
whistles, no question, but it sometimes seems
to me they lack a (metallic) edge that helps
out with jigs and reels. I think they are like
classical instruments, in a way, and perhaps
something less refined is better for the
more celebratory side of ITM.
I sometimes feel that the best instruments for ITM
are the ones I’d feel least ‘out of place’ playing
in a pub.
They are a bit variable, somewhat more than some other makes. A really good blackwood Abell is a very special whistle and I don’t think I’ve ever come across a bad one. But, you really can’t tell till you play one whether it will be sweet or raspy.
I have what used to be a complete set: (going down) F, Eb, D, C, Bb, A. I like them all and the high F is amongst my favourites. In other keys I have other whistles I prefer to the Abells, but it is often a close run thing. As Jim said, other makes like Sindt and Humphrey have more edge and responsiveness for ITM than a ‘sweet’ Abell. OTOH, Overton and (to a lesser extent Copeland) deliver a classic low whistle, overtone-rich, sound more reliably. But, if you get a great Abell you get a great whistle.
I’ve owned two Ds (blackwood and boxwood), one 9-holed D/C hybrid (pink ivorywood), one low G, one A, one Bb, one C, one Eb, one F, and one high G.
All are simply wonderful instruments, without qualification.
An Abell blackwood D is the only whistle I regret selling when I needed some extra money. It’s sound (to me) was almost magical – even with my mediocre playing.
For comparison purposes, I’ve also sold a Thin Weasel, Water Weasel, Overton & Burke without a moment’s regret …
I have a blackwood D Abell. I’m torn whether to leave it as an heirloom, or be buried with it when I die.
My delrin will last longer underground… 
Philo
Aw, man! I’d just about managed to come to grips with the wait (a Delrin D on order since December) when this thread comes along. Chris said that it could be as short as three months, so I’m hoping to hear that it’s ready at any moment.