I am wanting to buy a new whistle and am considering an Abell or a Rose. The Abell will be $450 delivered. The Rose will be about $338 delivered. I don’t have the opportunity to play these so I would like some opinions on these two whistles. One of the things I consider is value. In other words is the higher priced one worth the extra money? More importantly is sound, playability, and craftsmanship. If someone has both whistles and could post the same tune played by the same person on each whistle that would be great. My favorite whistle that I own is a Burke. This might say something about the “sound” I like in a whistle. I plan on also getting another Burke in a key other than D which is what I have already. I recently sold some of the other instruments I owned and decided to use it to buy more whistles. WHOAD!!! 
I know nothing about Rose but have owned an Abell D from the early years of his production (#52). I did upgrade the head-joint a few year later when I visited Chris’s shop when he was in Concord, MA. While it is a marvelous whistle, it is not for the faint of heart. Nice tone & loud. Good for a large session where you need to be able to hear yourself. In a quieter setting it is not forgiving in the 2nd octave if you try & hold back. The higher notes will crash & burn if you don’t play them full force.
Hey Feadan,
I never played a Rose but like you I owned a Burke (and still do) before I got my Abell - i did a lot of research before I decided on the Abell and I’m 100% happy that I went with Abell. if you like your Burke, you will love the Abell. Love the D whistle so much I even got his G whistle. Extremely happy with both.
ciao, andy
Hey Feadan,
I never played a Rose but like you I owned a Burke (and still do) before I got my Abell - i did a lot of research before I decided on the Abell and I’m 100% happy that I went with Abell. if you like your Burke, you will love the Abell. Love the D whistle so much I even got his G whistle. Extremely happy with both.
ciao, andy
Sorry my comment was to Whistling Pops
I ordered the Abell today 
Let us know how you like it?
Sorry to hop in after you’ve already ordered your whistle, but nobody seemed to give you the link to Tony Hinnigan’s website where he plays a number of whistles and gives his review of them. Here it is, for fun:
http://www.tonyhinnigan.com/whistles.php#
I used his videos, and opinions on this forum, to choose my first wooden whistle, which ended up being an Oz whistle by maker Mitch Smith. I almost got the Abell, but I guess Mitch’s whistle finally got me in the end. It’s wonderful to play, and I’ve ordered a second one in C, which is due around April of this year. I believe Abell and Oz whistles are similar in nature, but watch and listen to Tony’s comparison of them with the same song played on each, and you’ll hear subtle differences.
http://tonyhinnigan.com/moviedl.php?group=29#
(look for the movie name "Blackwood whistles’ in the list.)
These whistles are all wonderful to play, though, I’m sure!
Kristen
I received my Abell whistle today. I am absolutely floating on air. The workmanship is pure artistry!! I find this whistle absolutely perfect for me in every way. It has a light delicate feel. It has the strongest bell note of any whistle I own. Every tune I play glides from this whistle effortlessly. It is strong but not so overly loud as I feared it might be. Volume for me is perfect. I ordered a C body today to go with it and if I like it as well as the D I will probably add others.
From what I’ve heard and seen, I suspect the Abell and Ormiston whistles are very similar. If I’m right, then they’ll be very different instruments, not really comparable. The Rose is quieter, a little harder to control, with a voicing reminiscent of baroque recorders, and the most in tune accidentals of any whistle I’ve played.
Pops, I knew you would love the Abell. Let me know how you like the Abell C -thinking of getting one too! Good luck with your new whistle
Congratulations. Enjoy. I predict that you will love the C body.
Feadoggie
I actually ordered an Abell D/C set the day after you did Pops. Should be receiving it any day now, but if it arrives on the weekend that means I have to wait till Monday to pick it up 
I’ll let you know how the C body plays
A note to add that the Abell tends to come into its own after you play it for awhile.
So it gets better and better.
Abell C is probably the best whistle I have ever played.
My Abell D/C set arrived yesterday, gotta tell you, I was having trouble putting it down. I played the D side for about a half an hour and wondered whether the C could compete, and it held its own if not surpassed the D. I can’t wait for class to end today so that I can go play again. Definitely a beast of a whistle and one that I will probably have to grow into, but it will be a lot easier than doing it on the old Susato that I had.
There’s a reason why these whistles are so talked about.
I take it you’ve been referring to the blackwood Abell? I have a Bflat/A set in blackwood and a D/C set in delrin, which I really like.
Philo
If you’re talking to me then yes, I am referring to the blackwood Abell. Fantastic instruments. I really like the blackwood, though I’m interested-what tonal qualities if any are different between the two?
Sorry; yes, that was addressed to you. Chris most notably makes blackwood instruments, but I’m hard pressed to note any difference between those and his delrin. I can’t really compare the Bflat to the D and I’d like to say that the delrin may be a bit cleaner or purer or less warm or something, but I really am not too sure. I must say though for anyone concerned with maintenance, blackwood in the instruments I’ve gotten has performed over many years with admittedly (my bad) no care; this includes several sets from Chris (not directly) and an old Sweet C as well.
Philo