I just got a really big check in the mail from the IRS…And I am treating myself to an undeserved whistle…So I am thinking a Burke brass pro narrowbore or an Overton…I know I am not that good of a player and probably shouldnt buy such an expensive whistle but who knows when the IRS will be this generous again..I know nothing about the Overton high d but I keep seeing this name over and over here and my dh says if its from Germany it must be good;-) I do like the fact that the Burke narrowbore brass is supposed to be quiet..Any help here might make my selection easier…This will probably be the last whistle I buy for a looonnnnnggg time..
It would help if you told us what characteristics you’d want the whistle to have. I will say that If you want quiet, you don’t want an Overton.
Loren
ARe the Overtons really loud? I will be playing mostly at home so I have been leaning towards the Burke. I am not really sure about characteristics. A good sounding whistle thats easy to play? Right now my favorite is a Dixon and I havent found one I like better,but I really like the look of the brass whistles…But I let looks suck me in to buying a not so great whistle before, I want to be sure the Burke is what I want…
based on what you’ve said in your two postings, I’d say go with the Burke.
OR
Contact Mr. Goldie (Overton maker) and ask him to make you an “easy blowing” Overton.
-Brett
Not all Overtons are “Loud” but I’ve yet to hear one that’s quiet, so if quiet is what you’re looking for, then the Burke or something else may be just right.
Loren
The Burke sounds exactly like what you’re looking for. Easy to play, spot-on tuning, not at all loud. Most high-end whistles are loud; I’m not sure why. I also don’t know why most of the whistles whose sound I like are loud. Burke and Hoover are two who come immediately to mind who make really nice, reasonably quiet whistles.
I have an Overton Low D. I really like it so far. I would not consider it loud until you get up in the second octive a bit. I don’t have a ton of experience to compare it with though.
Darn session players!
Burke, i agree. A joy to play, never clogs, ever. You’re probably looking for an aluminum one. Unfortunately, since Chas converted me to the Brotherhood of the Water Weasel, i rarely play my Burke anymore. 
I have a guess about the second sentence, and it has a lot to do with the first. . .
Most laws of physics are unbreakable; I’m not sure why. I also don’t know why most of the laws of physics that I like are unbreakable.
Chas, Chas, Chas: too much time in the lab, m’boy. . .
From what you’ve said so far, a Burke is what you want. Since I’ve only played AlPros in various keys, I can’t say whether or not you’d prefer brass but I suspect the differences would be rather subtle. What I didn’t notice was any expressed preference for pure as opposed to overtone rich whistles. A Burke AlPro would be very pure, an Overton very overtone rich. If you were leaning towards the Burke until you heard that, get in touch with Colin Goldie who will build you a whistle with the Overton sound to fit your needs.
The last whistle I bought (over six months ago) was a Burke brass pro narrow bore. It’s my favorite whistle for playing at home. I think you would like it.
If in fact it will be a long time before you buy another whistle you might want to think about the possability that your preference may, in time, change. The Burke is truely a nice whistle and when I first got one I played it all the time. But my taste changed and the Burke was played less and less. Parkhurst and Syn rule my house of whistles now. David the guy that bought my guitar brought with him a suitcase full of Overtons and I have to say holy cow those are killer whistles. If I were trying to make up my mind between the two the Overton would win hands down. Just my humble opinion-)
Tom
Is there such a thing as too much time in the lab?? That’s the first I’ve heard of it.
Re the first line, one of my profs once came into an 8 o’clock class looking terribly hung over and with a big stain down his pants. He started the class telling us about how the laws of physics aren’t like laws that the cops enforce; they just can’t be broken. Then he proceeds to say, that, for example, if you have a cup of coffee on the dash and you step on the accelerator to hard, it will fall (this was in the era before cupholders, kids). Wonder how he came up with that real-world example?
I’d also suggest considering a Sindt, very fine whistles with a traditional sound and not too loud. (Sketchy cross fingered C-Nat though)
Loren
Thanks for all the comments. It seems most opinions lean toward the Burke so I am going with that…Let you know what I think when it gets here..
I love both Burkes and Overtons. However, Burkes tend to be softer, as mentioned. They are “easy blowing”, and tuneable. Overtons, while they have a beautiful tone and are always in tune with themselves, tend to run a bit flat, especially if they are cold.
To me that means they are tuned properly then. If they were in tune when cold then they would be sharp when warmed up. All one needs to do is make sure they are properly warmed and it should be just fine. Certainly a tuning slide would help get through that, but just adds one more thing.
I have a Burke AlPro that I’d be willing to part with. It’s been a good whistle for me, but I kind of want to move on from it. I’d let it go for around $100, email me and we can talk.
However, I’ve seen sessions which are so “trad” that they would never use an electronic tuner. Everyone tunes to one of the instrumentalists, usually the session leader. It would be presumptuous and a breach of etiquette to walk into such a session and expect eveyone to tune to you just because you have a non-tunable whistle, even if it’s pitch is perfect relative to A 440.