Hi,
I’m considering to buy Burke whistles in C and Bb and am wondering which material to choose. I know that Burke whistles are generally on the pure side, tone-wise, but I wonder what your experiences on differences between the materials are, if there are any. Also, if you’ve got a Burke in C or Bb for sale, I’m interested. 
Cheers,
Gabriel
This question comes up often. You can do a search of older threads on the forum for lots of opinions on this topic.
I own/play a couple dozen Burke whistles. I do own Burke C and Bb whistles in both aluminum and brass materials.
You can’t make a bad choice. Mike Burke is one of the most consistent whistle makers out there. Both of the metal materials make a good whistle. The aluminum is lighter in weight. The brass feels more substantial. But both are very durable whistles. You may be better off by deciding whether you prefer a golden color or a silvery color. Whistles in either material will have the same playing characteristics - as will Burkes in all the other keys. Design and the dimensions of whistles in both metals are very similar. The tonal differences are subtle too. In fact they sound almost identical from 5 feet away. They sound quite the same when recorded too. You have to play them to hear/feel a difference. Many say the brass is a bit more bell like or ringing. And many would say the aluminum is more crisp sounding. The composite models do sound more mellow and woody - not that you asked. I don’t favor one material over the other. But I do own more of the aluminum than the brass models. The weight becomes more of a differentiator as the whistles get larger.
My usual counsel is to buy one whistle in each material and decide from there. You can always buy more Burkes (at the moment). You can always trade the whistle you don’t prefer for a whistle in your preferred material. Both materials are always in demand.
Not a chance! Actually, I would suggest that you buy new whistles directly from Burke. Mike Burke is one of those makers that believes in the continuous improvement of his products. There have been real changes over the years. Some of the older whistles do have endearing characteristics but the newest offerings will be the better whistles. In order to get the best whistle that Burke makes buy a new one.
Hope that helps.
Feadoggie
Best wishes.
Steve
No idea if it will help in your decision - Feadoggie’s advice all sounds spot on since he owns and plays the whistles - but I found this not long ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_P9GYVKNqQ