Hi, I own a Burke aluminum narrow bore, and have found it not quite loud enough for sessions most of the time, and I can’t afford another Burke right now. I’m thinking about getting a Freeman Bluebird after reading all the praise for them on here. It sounds like they have a similar tone to Burkes. Anyway, has anyone here played both of these (Burke narrow bore and the Bluebird) and and have something say anything about the volume? Or have any recommendations for a whistle that sounds similar to a Burke but is cheaper and a little louder than the narrow bore?
I do not have a narrow bore burke D.
I do have a sesssion bore burke D, a narrow bore burke C, and a freeman bluebird, all of which are fantastic. I really don’t see a lot of similarities between the bluebird and those two burkes at all . Perhaps there is with the narrow bore D, but burkes and freemans are a completely different thing, in my opinion.
I like the bluebird almost as much as the burkes. If you want a great whistle, and can’t buy another burke, I’d definitely recommend a bluebird. They play very nicely. I wouldn’t classify it as a loud whistle, though.
A whistle that sounds similar to a burke, and is louder than the narrow bore, would be a session bore burke D .
How about a Susato or Freeman Mellowdog?
I have a Bluebird and a Burke narrow bore in brass.
The Bluebird is quieter to my ears than the Burke. The Mellow Dog would be better for volume, but I don’t have one anymore so can’t compare it directly to my Burke.
Susato might be a better option if more volume is all you’re after.
EDIT:
Er… What maki said. 
Another word up for the Mellow dog. The Bluebird, fine as it is won’t cut it at a session.
Thanks for the input, guys. I actually do have a Freeman Mellowdog which I’m slowly becoming more fond of. It’s certainly loud enough for sessions, but I didn’t like its tone at first, especially in the second octave - thought it was too shrill. But now I think the Mellowdog actually sounds pretty nice in the mix of other instruments.
New question: Can anyone say anything about the volume difference between a regular freeman tweaked generation and the Mellowdog?
Tweaked Generations sounds me quieter (and more windy in sound) than Mellowdog.
But I don’t play often on D Generations because it has “G” a bit sharp and I can’t learn to blow less on this note. Also Cnat requires OXXXOX rather than OXXOOO which is a bit difficult for me. (both I take as property of this whistle and my fault)
But I’m beginner, so don’t take it as carved in stone.
You can easily lower the note by putting a bit of cellophane tape over a small portion of the top of the tonehole.
However, I believe you may be encountering the difference between traditional tuning and equal temperament. It is more likely that the F# is flat to your ear and you’ve sharpened the whole whistle to bring it closer to where you want it, blowing the other notes in the scale a little up or down to keep the notes more or less in tune with each other. In the key of D, a just intonation F# will be 14 cents flat to an equal tempered F#.
Best wishes,
Jerry
Oh, I didn’t realize that it could be this kind of “problem”. In fact, I don’t recognize what is or isn’t in tune by ear (absolute pitch?). I just found that there is something … strange close to “G” when I play on this whistle.
Thank you for explanation.
Another vote for the mellowdog. The bluebird is a fantastic whistle, but a bit more quiet than the Narrow bore D Burke. The bluebird sounds like what a Generation wished it sounded like. The mellowdog is a great session whistle, being larger in bore than the bluebird. I prefer the tone of it to the Burke, which is more pure.