Yes, finally…after nearly 50 days, I’m ready to review my Busman! I’ve deliberately waited this long to post a review, because I knew going in that this whistle…so very different from the other whistles in my “stable”…was going to challenge me, and I wanted to get to know it very well before I put more than simple impressions in print. So, without further adieu, here is my “official” Busman review:
Whistle key: Soprano D
Maker: Paul Busman, New York state, USA
Website: http://www.busmanwhistles.com/
Material: Kingwood, with Delrin fipple and brass fittings
Price: $200
THE ORDERING PROCESS: In March of this year, I finally decided that I was ready for a fine, handmade wooden whistle. After looking long and hard at the options out there (and after taking a look at my budget), I decided that a Busman was the best choice for me. I had already fallen in love with the look of Paul’s whistles via his website, and I knew from posts here at Chiff & Fipple that he is a reputable maker who stands behind his work. While there are relatively few Busman clips out there, I liked the sound of the ones I found, and the price was definitely right, so I sent Paul an email inquiring about the ordering process. It turned out to be fairly simple…all I needed to do was let him know what I wanted, and he would let me know where to send the check when the whistle was past the “dangerous” stage (wood being what it is, he doesn’t like to sit on someone’s money until a whistle is past the stage where it might split or shatter in the working). The only hard part, really, was deciding exactly what I wanted. As a carpenter’s daughter, I know a little bit about wood, and I had some idea of what the various hardwoods Paul works in look like, but it was still a tough decision. I waffled for a bit between kingwood, pau rosa and bocote before settling on kingwood (for the simple reason that its reddish-brown coloration and distinctive, long, dark figuring reminds me of the beautiful redwood trees among which I live). Everything else was easy…Paul kept in touch with me via email throughout the entire process, letting me know when he’d received the check, when the whistle was shipped, etc.
APPEARANCE AND FIRST IMPRESSIONS: If you can imagine it, this whistle actually exceeded expectations regarding appearance. They look pretty on the website, but “in person” my whistle is absolutely stunning. Kingwood is a rich, reddish-brown wood with strong, dark-brown-to-black figuring, and Paul had used the figuring on this bit of wood to its best advantage. The darker grains form an inverted “V” on the body of the whistle, coming to a point right where the head joint joins the body. The head joint sports a right-side-up “V”, which comes to a point at the exact same place, creating a dramatic “hour glass” on the front of the whistle. The wood was oiled and rubbed to a beautiful glow. The brass fittings and mouthpiece were smoothly worked and nicely fitted. I actually spent a few moments just looking at it and thinking “gosh, that’s pretty!” before playing it!
I wish I were a better photographer, and could get a good shot of the fipple, because I actually think it’s one of the prettiest parts of the whistle. Looking at it from the top or back, you have the wood neatly sandwiched between the golden tone of the brass and the black delrin of the fipple plug, and it looks like fine wooden inlay.
I was surprised (though I shouldn’t have been) at how light the whistle is. I don’t have a scale to weigh it on, but I’d guess it weighs no more than my Walton’s Guinness. The only other wooden instruments I have are recorders, which are relatively thick-walled and correspondingly heavier. It doesn’t feel at all flimsy or fragile but, being used to my Elfsong (a relatively heavy whistle), I handled my Busman with kid gloves for a while before it dawned on me that just because it doesn’t weigh a lot doesn’t mean that it’s going to break if I pick it up the wrong way! 
Granted, you don’t want to be tossing it around or throwing it casually into a backpack (it is WOOD after all), but normal, reasonable handling isn’t going to hurt it.
The whistle came with a nice little two-compartment fleece bag with a ribbon tie that allows me to store it disassembled without worrying about it getting scratched…a nice touch, as I had been a bit worried about storing it in my canvas gig bag. If I were going to do a lot of traveling with it, I might want to buy some kind of padded, hard-shell case, just for my own peace of mind, but the bag does quite nicely for keeping it safe around the house.
PLAYING CHARACTERISTICS: This is where I knew going in that I would be presented with a bit of a challenge…I’m used to very pure-toned whistles with little back pressure and very low breath requirements. I knew that this whistle was going to be different, and I WANTED something different, but there was definitely a learning curve. There is quite a bit of back pressure and, while I wouldn’t characterize the breath requirements as “high,” I did find myself looking for different breathing points in familiar tunes. What was most frustrating was the “break in” period…I’d just find myself getting a feel for the whistle when it was time to dry it off and put it away. I could just hear the enticing sound I knew this whistle was capable of, but for the first couple of weeks, it was an intermittent thing…something I was chasing, rather than achieving consistently. The more I played it, the easier it got to adjust quickly to its requirements. One thing I realized fairly early on was that I was going to have to alter my embouchure…I’ve always tended to play with a fairly delicate embouchure (my lips rather close to the top of the mouthpiece, and very relaxed), and this whistle does better if I slide my lips a bit further down and tighten them slightly to get a good seal. The other issue I had to overcome was the unreasonable fear that I’d damage the whistle by blowing too hard (probably brought on by all the recent discussions here about cracking wooden whistles!). It took me a while to stop seeing the back pressure as an “obstruction” and start seeing it as something to lean against. When that finally clicked, I started getting some really enchanting music out of this whistle. I knew that we had “bonded” when I picked it up one evening and didn’t have to remind myself “Now, this is the Busman. Adjust your mouth and breath accordingly.” The whistle didn’t truly show me its voice however, until last week. It was the first really warm night of summer…my husband and daughter had gone down to the park for a while, and I was just sitting out on the front deck kind of noodling around. I don’t know if it was the night, or the stars, or what, but I found myself sequeing into “The Ash Grove” (a tune with a lot of personal significance to me) and playing it as though I really meant it…with complete abandon…and the whistle responded as though it was an extension of my thoughts. As the last note died away among the tree tops, I just sat there, stunned, thinking “that was f*cking GORGEOUS!!!” So there’s a bit of work involved in learning how to get the best out of this whistle, but it’s well worth the effort. BTW, that’s also when the whistle finally told me her name (what else but “Nightengale”?).
As far as basics go, this whistle likes the OXX OOO fingering for C natural, and respond beautifully to my tendency to throw in lots of slurs, double-cuts and finger trills. It also seems to like my tendency to use a bit of chest vibrato on long notes (comes of being a singer, I think). It really does best when you learn to lean into that back pressure…it doesn’t want delicate playing (it will still play, if you blow lightly, but it will give you a more breathy sound than you might want. If you want to hear it at its best, you want to lean into it a bit).
TONE AND TIMBRE: This is the hardest thing to describe about any whistle (and, quite naturally, the one thing everybody wants to know!). If I had to come up with a single-word description of the tone, I’d have to choose “rich.” I’m guessing it’s the overtones that give it its distinctive, almost voice-like, quality…they’re not as strong as you might expect to hear in, say, a baroque recorder, but they’re there, and they give the whistle quite a bit of character. There’s no breathiness to it at all, unless you make the mistake of playing it tentatively. The bottom octave is solid and strong and the second octave, once you get used to its handling characteristics, is assertive without being shrill. I find it tends to get better and “richer” after about 25 minutes or so of playing, but whether that’s a characteristic or just my adapting to the whistle’s requirements, I can’t say. When you take the time to learn what it likes, it rewards you with a beautiful, almost haunting, tone that is incredibly seductive. It also has pretty good volume…I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m guessing it would hold its own pretty well in a session, without being overpowering.
IN SUMMATION: I’m very happy with my purchase of a Busman whistle. It’s an outstanding instrument that just gets better as you play it (and the price, compared to other wooden whistles, is extremely affordable). It’s not a beginner’s instrument (but then, any rank beginner who would plunk down $200 for a handmade instrument when there are very good cheapos out there would have to be a little daft, I think)…it is a musician’s instrument. And that’s exactly what I wanted
Redwolf