Trying to find some more information about him. I know he made (makes?) an Improved Feadog, and from the scraps of information that I can pick up he also made other whistles(?). I haven’t been able to find a website, and I couldn’t turn up any threads here that were much help. The only store I can find that stocks his whistles is Big Whistle, and they only sell his Improved Feadog in D.
What I would like to know is:
What all whistles does he make/improve/sell?
Is there any way one could order from him directly? Or does he only sell through other stores like Big Whistle?
Does anyone have any reviews of his whistles? I couldn’t find any at the Wandering Whistler Music Archives, or anywhere else.
I’ve seen his name attached to low whistles (assuming it is the same O’Briain) but do not have any experience with is hand-made products. He is a pipe maker but I don’t now if he has a website as I’ve never gone looking for it. There are also “O’Brien” whistles out there which are not by the same individual.
I have been playing on one of Cillian’s improved Feadogs now for about two years and haven’t yet met a whistle that I liked better. As far as I know he has only done these tweaks to D Feadog heads (for mass retail, anyways) but they have also been sold on Generation Eb bodies. The only modification I made was to replace the brass body with a nickel body as I found it brightens up the sound and makes the ornaments and responsiveness a bit crisper. I was put off by the price at first when compared to other tweaks on the market at half the price but now I’d say it’s well worth it, and you do get what you pay for. I have tried famous tweaks by other well-known and touted individuals that have not done a thing for me–in fact, I preferred the stock whistles with my own (very basic) tweaks to their invasive mods. O’Briain’s whistles suit my taste and playing style wonderfully.
There is one for sale on Doc’s site at irishflutestore.com
(perhaps a kind soul could fill in the link).
It is a Tunable low D and also comes with a high D as well.
All the more reason to cut out the middlemen and buy directly from the people doing the work.
We had an interesting situation on the forum years ago, a running gag almost, when a shopkeeper with a fairly aggressive commercial posting policy sold them at a ridiculous mark-up. But you got a ‘free’ pouch’ with them, he often claimed, ignoring that with the whistle at a price nearly three times that of other outlets the pouch was hardly free. He didn’t take well to the odd poke about it either either and at times put his foot in it in spectacular manner in his responses. Ah, those were the days.
I’ve tried several of Cillian’s tweaked high D’s, and think they’re quite nice. The tweak is, of course, basically on the same principal as the Freemans - cavity fill, re-engineered blade. My impression is that Cillian goes for a chirpier sound, whereas Jerry tends to less chirp* and more smoothness and volume. Horses for courses.
But noting that the chirp of both my Blackbird D and Mellow Dog D is quite nice.
The tweak is, of course, basically on the same principal as the Freemans -
I think it’s probably better described the other way around. After all, Cillian was doing his for donkey’s years by the time Jerry made his first attempts.
I knew these were still being made but could only find them in one or two online outlets for higher prices. Are you willing to PM me his contact information (if you do have it) so that I could talk with him directly? My CO’B whistle is getting on in years and has developed a crack which I fear may take its toll eventually and affect the whistle if it gets to the edge of the labium.
One of the biggest differences I’ve noticed between the two (and this has to do with my own playing style) is that Cillian’s whistles can be pushed and punched without breaking moreso than Jerry’s. Jerry’s whistles also sound thinner and more “windy” to me tone-wise. Maybe it was a fluke but my Cillian tweaked whistle is louder and stronger in tone than any Freeman whistle I’ve played (to date, several Gens, a Blackbird and MellowDog).
Funny, but I would have said the exact opposite about the pushing and punching. The Cillian whistle I have, and all those that I have tried, need to be played with whispering breath. They sound beautiful, but I’m used to pushing a bit more air through the whistle. I have had several whistles of Jerry’s over the years, all modified Generations, and I haven’t found the same restriction. There’s a Jerry Bb Gen sitting on my desk and I just tried playing it about 5 times as hard as normal and it’s “unbreakable”.
As for the tone, the Cillian I have does sound a bit purer. But I think Jerry has been aiming, with his Generations at least, for a sound akin to that of the good Generations of, well, a generation ago.
I remember you calling the O Briains ‘Mealy Mouthed’ once Steve. I am afraid I don’t agree, the one I have (and mine shares it’s character with the batch I picked it from) is a free blowing easy going whistle, as free blowing as any Generation or Feadog I owned over time. And quite less fussy than some other tweaked whistles I have.
