I began playing the tin whistle about ten years ago. I have a set of 12 Sustato Kildare whistles…from a high D down to a Low C…and enjoy the Low Whistles more than the high. I play them on my church Worship Team on Wednesdays and Sundays. They’re loads of fun and amazingly expressive.
Unfortunately, my Low D and Low C have keys on them and, please correct me if I’m wrong, it feels to me that the keys get in the way of the “feel”…or the “flow”…or something. It’s hard to put into words, I guess.
I’ve been wanting to branch out and try other Low Whistles. My research has brought me to the Burke Pro Viper and the MK…both Low Ds. I’ve read reviews and it’s beginning to get all blurry on me.
Being that I like the sound of my Sustato whistles, which of these (or any other by another maker) might I like?
Any and all suggestions would be welcomed and appreciated.
You might also look into Ryan McNeil’s low D. Ryan is part of the Cape Breton band, Beolach and is making some great sounding whistles. http://www.macneilwoodwinds.com/
I’ve played a lot of makes of Low D’s (but certainly not all) and I ended up with the Burke because to me it’s the closest thing to playing the Irish flute.
However… I got to try an MK once and it was simply fantastic. Strong low notes but sweet high notes (very rare on a Low D). Perfect voicing. And the tone was more complex than the Burke. It was simply the best Low D I’ve ever played, my Burke being the 2nd best. But that MK was not for sale, not even.
I am really interested/excited to try out the MK whistles (a D and an F) I have had on order now for about 8 months. I am expecting them around Aug/Sept time so waiting list seems to be about a year for now… Misha mentioned to me that the recession seemed to strangely increase his orders - I had hoped I might creep up the list owing to cancellations!
With regards to the MK Whistles…it seems I find the same responses…“They’re fantastic intruments.” It’s hard to argue with that.
Yet, I think I might be leaning towards the Burke. I read a post that much of the sound quality on the Burke page recording is enhanced…but, it still seems like an awesome choice.
Now, one more question: Aluminum or Brass…What’s the difference? Any thoughts? If I’m going to spend the money, I want to make sure I know better what I’m getting myself into. I owned lower end whistles and didn’t really care for the quality of either…I hope the high end whistles will prove better.
I also have a few made of nickle…and none of them seem to work very well for me.
Does anyone else have…and like…the PVC Sustato Kildares? How do they compare with other whistles on the market?
EDIT: Not to change my own subject…but, might anyone know where I can find any CDs similar to the jazzy flaire I’ve found of Cormac Breatnach on YouTube? I love the samples of him playing with Deiseal and Steve Cooney and Donal Lunny. Talk about goose bumps. Great stuff.
I tried finding recordings of him and Deiseal…but, so far, no luck.
IMHO, when you switch from a Susato Low D to an MK, a Burke aluminum Viper, or a Burke Brass viper…you will be thrilled at the difference.
For a cheapo, the Susato is fine. But if you’re looking for more general Ooomph, tonal complexity, and a better overall sound quality, any of the other three will suffice.
The MK, DLAPV, and DLBPV (hope those initials are right…) all have endearing characteristics, and are all quite distinct from one another.
I’ve given my take on these, in the past. Too tired to say more, at the moment…
Good luck. A good Low D, in a nice resonant environment, is a thing of beauty.
Let me put one more consideration, out there… I play Goldie Overton and Burke brass Viper low D whistles. They are both excellent instruments, as is the MK. I use each, as I see fit, for different tunes, and to back up different songs. Please note that the Overton has a sonic characteristic often referred to as the ‘cosmic drainpipe.’ The MK I played a few years ago, had a quality approaching that sound, in the low end. That, in itself, is good… However, please note that one cannot ‘turn off’ that quality. It is always there. There is no off button…
I play two low D whistles for that very reason. Mike Burke’s brass Viper has a round, full sound, that has some complexity to it, but it can in no way be said to have the cosmic drainpipe quality of the thick walled Overton or MK. Both instruments are useful - ne’, necessary, for me. Both have truly solid low ends - with the Burke possibly getting the nod, for sheer volume of bell note. A band mate of mine plays Mike’s aluminum Viper. She absolutely loves it. The instrument is significantly lighter than its brass counterpart, has an open, warm sound with just slightly less complexity of texture than its brass cousin, and always looks like it is brand new. No patina is gonna happen…
It seems I play my Low G whistle (and even my F) quite a bit. Maybe I’ll also look into picking up an Overton in either G or F. I’m beginning to think I’ve been sheltering myself too much behind my Sustato collection and should branch out a bit.
In other news:
I’m still looking for neat CDs…doesn’t seem anyone is carrying Deiseal - The Long Long Note. I think I’m a few years too late.
After receiving a very friendly email from Mr. Burke, I am most definitely going with one of his whistles. The sound bit offered on the Burke site is taken directly from a live performance (which I plan to purchase as well).
In a world of big business and money, money, money, it is incredibly refreshing to see warm, personalized service like this. I am very impressed with him and his company so far (and this, even before I’m formally doing business with them); I can’t wait to see his products first hand.
After viewing Doc Jones’ YouTube reviews of the Burke whistles, I’m once again undecided between the aluminum and brass Pro Viper.
Doc, might you have a comparison of the aluminum and brass Low Ds?
Colin and Bridget of Overton whistles also gives great customer service. You can call them or email them and they will respond immediately. And Bridget is very knowledgeable about whistles. When I was buying my whistles Colin had a few in the keys I was interested in and he played them over the phone. And I picked the ones I liked best. I don’t think many makers would have taken the time to do that.
I guess I have to play around with the site some more…I’m not too familiar with how to search for things. I really need to do that so I don’t rehash old stuff.
I LOVE Byll’s playing on the sound clip provided. THAT is the sound I like…warm and melodic. I can lose myself in that sound. Thank you, Byll.
Reading further on that post, however, it sounds like there might not be as much difference between the more recent brass and aluminum Vipers as I had thought and expected.
The brass material intimidates me a bit since I know how much love and care need to go into upkeeping the beautiful brassy shine/look (not speaking from experience with instruments, but from my old hotel days and the hours of polishing and buffing all the brass in the lobby areas).
I’ll have to do some searching on this site to see about care of brass instruments…especially the insides. I would think the outside would be easy enough to keep polished (and even fun to do so), but keeping the insides free of “stuff” and polished might be a bit more problematic.
Still, if the latest aluminum and brass designs are so similar, the aluminum might be easier to upkeep…???
Hm, great topic, because I’ve been thinking about what high end whistle I want to jump to… also branching out from a full susato lineup. I keep looking at Overton and then ruling it out again for some reason. Keep coming back to Burke and MK and thinking it is probably the right thing for me. I might get an Overton someday… but short term I see myself going for the Burke or MK, if I ever get the money. They both seem a little more flexible when it comes to playing with different kinds of program material, fast, slow, differences in genre and instrumentation, etc. I just think that in a recording situation, engineers and and producers might be a bit more inclined to the sound of the Burke or MK, a touch less complex than the Overtons. I mean, I love the sound of an Overton, absolutely, but I also love the sound of most every whistle I hear, so I’m stuck in indecision for now.
This makes no sense to me, the music played on Overtons is totally diverse from our experience, of course we can only go by the musicians that we know, going through our myspace and visit the friends who play the instruments, you can see and hear what I mean. From our experience in working with the players, the flexibility is what they are looking for and in a recording situation Colin’s instruments are well received by the sound engineers, they are especially happy that they do not need to use auto-tune. Of course wind-instruments are different from electric guitars and standard rock-pop instruments that most engineers are used to but if you know how to mic up and eq then it should be no problem for whatever whistle you use.
I make a considerable part of my living as a recording engineer/producer. In the production of acoustic, traditional recorded music, it is the engineer’s charge, to faithfully record and store an instrument’s sound quality, as it exists. It is not our job to subjectively alter that sound, or to approve or disapprove of the sound quality of a performer’s instrument.
Overtons are a joy to record. It is a challenge, well met, to capture the beauty and complexity of either an Overton or a Burke - or that of a host of other fine instruments. We are blessed in the whistle world with dedicated whistle smiths, who have differing ideas of what an ideal whistle quality should be. All are ‘right.’ None are ‘wrong.’
In addition, the finest whistles - including, but not limited to Burke, MK, and Overton - are in no way limited by their makers’ desired sound and playing characteristics, to certain types of program material. A blanket statement to the contrary is simply incorrect.
Hm, I see. I didn’t mean to make a blanket statement per se, but I was just saying–in many uncertain terms, as I am prone to do–that the Overton might not be the best for me. I’ve LISTENED to a lot of sound clips of the various whistles. The thing is, I need to PLAY them. That’s the tough part. There aren’t just Overtons, MKs, and Burkes floating around for me to test. That’s what makes it difficult. Who knows which whistle I would like more in person? I just need to make the decision that I think will be best for me. I don’t have the money right now to go for all the different sounds. (Plus, I especially love the sound and responsiveness of brass, especially in the high end.)
I also want to clarify that I do LOVE the sound of the Overton, some of my favorite whistle players use them. It is a great sound, no doubt. All I’m doing here is splitting hairs (a symptom of WhOA, I’m sure) and making sure I’m going with what’s best for me.
…more flexible when it comes to playing with different kinds of program material, fast, slow…
I think I know what you might be getting at here, that some Low D’s have what might be called a sluggish action, that is, don’t seem to have a quick-enough response time to handle highly ornamented reels up to speed. This is certainly NOT the case in the MK, Burke, or Overton Low D’s I’ve played. All can handle airs and reels with equal success.
…differences in genre and instrumentation, etc.
This is a different proposition…
Now for playing at an Irish session my main concern is LOUD. It’s quite easy for some Low D’s to get overmatched in a noisy session. That’s perhaps the biggest reason I went with the Burke. Another thing I like about the Burke for session use is its flutelike (as opposed to Cosmic Drainpipe) timbre. IMHO the Burke’s more open, flutelike tone blends wonderfully with uilleann pipes, fiddles, etc at a session. No doubt though that the more complex tone of the Overton and MK might be favoured by many for solo use.
As far as recording goes… when volume doesn’t count for much… Well, I recorded myself playing a half-dozen different makes of Low D and (surprise surprise) when I listened to them back I really liked the Susato. It’s the only whistle that maintained character, retained an interesting timbre, in the 2nd octave. All the other whistles, no matter how complex and musty the tone in the low octave, became rather plain and undistinguished in the 2nd octave. (This was not apparent when I myself was playing the whistles, only when I heard them back.)
That’s a really helpful post. Interesting point about the Susato. I own Susato Low D, E, and F whistles, and I do love how they record! Interesting and informative post. Try some different mics with the different whistles and see what happens; I would be interested to know. The Susato does have a very intense second octave, and I get a lot of favorable comments in the studio and live.
I play my Susato Kildare Low D on a tune called Stayer on my music site. myspace.com/brendanmoran
I use the whistle in combination with a susato A for padding/chording, and the Low D takes a short solo fill in the middle of the song, using a bit of both octaves.
Both Byll and Brigitte (as in Colin and Brigitte) sent me helpful emails concerning my Burke/MK/Overton stalemate. Thanks you two. I now have as much information as I would need to make a truly informed decision. The only way I could get more information at this point is by playing them all! So, that puts me in a pretty good spot.
UPDATE: I went with the Burke Aluminum Pro Viper…Low D.
It was a lot lighter than I had originally expected it might be. AND…it plays beautifully; making me more than a bit embarassed at how happy I have been with my Sustato Kildares. The Burke whistle feels really nice in my hands and the sound is fantastic. I am extremely happy with my choice.
I’ve also made the decision to start replacing some of my more used Sustatos with some more Burkes.
I’ll look for an Overton at some point as well. I wish there was a place nearby where I mght “test drive” other whistles by different makers.
I also ordered “Don’t Burn the Water” by the Kells. This is a great CD. I like the version of the song (track 10 - Fermoy Lasses) on the Burke site better than that on the CD…but it’s still pretty awesome.
