I’ve had my Burke Pro Very Small-Bore whistle for about three months now, and have fallen in love with it. Just wondered if anyone else had tried one and what your thoughts were …
Thanks!
cat.
P.S. I should probably mention that prior to this my weapon of choice was a Susato, so you can imagine the changes there!
I’ve never seen any whsitle by M Burke that wasn’t wonderful. I played a Brass SessionPro for a couple of years.
I’ve had the brass model for a couple of weeks now. I picked it up off of ebay from a board member with “Buy It Now.” It’s a little jewel. I’ve contacted Mike about getting the Cnatural hole added since that’s the only weakness I can find in it. I’m wanting to try the narrow bore in Composite to see what it’s like. Does anyone have both to offer a comparison, especially as to volume.
Of all my whistles, it seems like I’m reaching for the little brass wonder more often than any other. The lower octave is so full for such a small bored whistle and then the second octave is just so sweet. The volume is just right for playing in my living room and the smoothness between octaves is outstanding to my way of thinking. My “being in love” may change over time but that’s where I’m at most of the time these days. No, I’m not willing to get rid of some my more expensive whistles but they are louder than what I like to play in my living room.
Looking for a comparison of volume between the brass narrow bore and the new Lon Duh (sp?) that Jessie reviewed recently.
take care
jim d
after trying out several different makes, the burke brass pro session was my first high ender i bought.
ever since, i never felt the need for another high D 
I really don’t want to rain on Mike Burke’s parade, but I don’t quite get it about the Burkes. I’ve tried about a dozen of his Hi D’s, from friends and session buddies, I bought one (old-style WBB, I think). So I maybe they would grow on me if I played them more.
But the thing about the Burkes for me is that I find them unexciting. Glauber calls them “wonderful,” and I don’t see it. To my mind, the Burkes are well-made, reliable, (now) consistenly good, in-tune… but there is no wonder in them. They don’t excite me, want me to make them play more. I can’t find anything wrong with the Burkes I’ve played, but there is also no special wonder about them that makes me want to play one regularly. Benevolent indifference, if you see what I mean.
This is probably entirely ideosyncratic and certainly a defect of my taste in whistles. That is to say, I don’t mean to be knocking Mike Burke’s whistles. Different strokes for different folks, eh? Some of my best friends don’t care for Overtons, fancy that. 
I have brass and aluminum narrow bore Burke Ds. I don’t know which I like better. They are just too perfect to excite our tin-eared friend.
I own a number of Burkes and I love them, but I think I know what you’re talking about Bloomfield. I think we sort of expect tin whistles to have this kind of edgy, chiffy, borderline sounds-almost-like-a-toy charm and the Burke whistles are instead incredibly crystaline “bird-like” musical instruments.
There are times I’ll leave the Burkes, and even my beloved Copeland, in the drawer and pull out a Clark original or a Feadog just because it sounds more like a tin whistle. That’s especially true since I was able to tweak a Mark III Feadog so it’s got just a hint of chiff but not too much.
I think if I were playing in sessions I’d probably use the Feadog just for that reason, it sounds like a tinwhistle. My Burkes are great but they sound like birds warbling and my Copeland is just a raging bull of savage tone
Well, it’s just barely possible that Bloomfield and I have different tastes and different ideals about music. 
I have a Burke AlPro D, and it is the single best whistle I’ve ever played so far. Smooth, pure…and yet you can play it aggressively and put some bite into it when you want to. There are a lot of whistles tied for second place…but so far the Burke is the one that outshines them all.
I will say it takes some time to get used to a Burke, but it’s time well spent. Fact is, I don’t know of any whistle that won’t play better for you if you’ll spend some time “getting aquainted” with it.
All in my Humble Opinion, of course.
–James
It comes as a shock, let me tell you. Perhaps I should have seen it coming after our Susato VSB discussions.
I will say it takes some time to get used to a Burke…
That’s interesting, and it’s the first time I hear anyone say it about the Burkes. I am as eager as the next guy to find a “too perfect” perfect whistle.
Have to agree with you on this one Bloom. Mine was the WBB and while the machine head part of me loved the precision of it and the ex-choir singer part of me loved its purity, my overall gutter blues pesonality could not live with it. I always felt like I had to have clean underware on when I played it. Give me a tweaked Shaw or Gen anyday. (still play my Parkhurst and Syn a lot too) So the Burke is now in the hands of someone who should have it.
Tom
Well, when I first got the Burke I was almost disappointed–the low end seemed weak and seemed to flip octaves too easily, the high notes were pure enough but the whistle seemed to lack “bite” or “character” in its sound. Fact is, I seem to remember posting on a thread with a “has anyone else with a Burke…” message right after I got it.
I freely admit: the problem was not the whistle. 
Every percieved “problem” turned out to be my own fault.
And as I’ve also found with flutes, having gotten closely aquainted with this whistle has improved my playing on my other whistles, in particular the good Generations.
I wouldn’t want to have just the Burke, though, or “just” anything. I like having a bunch of whistles that all sound and play a bit differently from each other.
So I don’t guess I believe in the “perfect” whistle, or the perfect flute either for that matter, although in flutes you’d have to go a long long way to find out that plays better and with more flexibility than the Hamilton.
–James
Of course it’s good to have different opinions and tastes, or else everybody would sound the same. It’s also interesting that i’ve gravitated towards the Water Weasel and Silkstone these days, and in fact i gave away my Burke because i thought it was way too good of a whistle to stay on my shelf unplayed.
g
I love Michael Burke’s low whistles, especially G and below. Now those are hard to put down. My low D is the best sounding low whistle I have ever played. It sounds great when pushed right to the edge of the octave break and has that haunting “hooty” sound.
However, his high D that I have (brass session pro), is too loud, sweet and pure for my taste. I only play it at unamplified gigs where the rest of the band has trouble hearing my Clarke original.
Umm, errr, just exactly which orifice are you playing it with?!
I’ve heard the expression, “talking out his, er, backside,” but I didn’t know you could actually play a whistle that way! 
I think you got that wrong, OoB. Wouldn’t he have to have his clean underwear off rather than on to play that way?
Dangit, I can’t figure out how work this quote feature. Oh well, I’d probably be quoting a number of yewz guys, because indeed, I’ve been through a goodly portion of everything you talked about re: Burkes. When I first tried one, I thought … “how boring!” (again, I’m an Oak/Susato/Generation girl) But then, I got hired for, of all things, a classical tinwhistle piece with a local mandolin orchestra, and I just didn’t think the Susato would cut it (well, it would cut something, but probably not anything socially acceptible in a concert setting 
. Doing a little research (bless this site! bless this site!) basically landed me back in Burke land because if nothing else, they were the only high-end whistles I could buy quickly. After reading Michael’s description, I settled on the Al Pro VSB because it seemed safest for classical-type stuff. I paid my money, haunted the mailbox, got the thing, put it to my lips … and HATED it! It was so soft! And sweet! And … sort of New-Agey pure or something. Made me want to yark.
OR SO I THOUGHT. Like peeplj said, I had to learn to play it. Yes, it is especially suited to the pretty stuff. It couldn’t be easier in the high register – it’s really got a lovely bright sound that actually cuts through in an entirely different way (even through 15 people playing mandolins, mandolas, etc.) without being shrill. But you can also dirty it up a bit – and the little thing just loooooves to slide. It also seems to play well with others and the sonority works nicely, even when amplified. I suspect the normal or wide-bore would give you more, but after hearing both my Burke and my Susato on recorded stuff, the Burke’s become Whistle #1, Grasshopper.
It is an interesting question, what a person’s tonal preferences are for these little guys … and what sounds more “tin-whistley” to each of us.
Thank you so much for your thoughts! I think I’m going to take the plunge and get the Pro regular or wide next time I can get my hands on some money. Now. Brass, aluminum, or composite?
Anyway, thanks again! I’m really grateful for you all!
Yeah, and if you take 'em off at a session chances are you’ve got to leave 'em somewhere in public view, right?
I have owned several Burke’s over the years, and the Narrow Bore Brass D is my favorite-- nay I say-- tied with my “Oakenstein” (slightly tweaked Oak head with Generation Brass body) for my favorite whistle ever.
Tres