Sometime back in early September, I had posted an inquiry seeking information / opinions on wooden high whistles. I had a list of playing characteristics in mind along with some I included in the post. Several Chiffers weighed in and some were suggestive that I might want to consider alternatives to wood in favor of a more maintainance free material. This initially let some air out of my sail as I had my heart set on one of the high end offerings of a shortlist of makers and something made in a beautiful hardwood. I took a deep breath and opened my mind to other possibilities regarding materials.
I was subsequently contacted by David O’Brien, a whistle maker based in British Columbia, Canada. David is a C & F member and had read my wishlist of what I was seeking in a whistle and he said that he thought he could come very close to meeting my specifications.
Having taken some steps toward further research on both materials and makers, I decided to commission David O’Brien not only to make me one high D whistle, but rather, I went with his Rover set in the keys of Eb, D, and C. I also chose to go with an alternative material to the wood I first sought, and opted to have David turn the set in Delrin.
Delrin is the trade name of polyoxymethylene or acetal polymer resin. The thermoplastic resin was first developed by Nobel Prize winning German chemist Hermann Studinger back in 1953. Now I must admit that I initially struggling with going with the “plastic” over some beautiful wooden eye candy. I then thought back to the days when I carried a sidearm as an agent of the governement. Early in my career, my standard issued weapon was a Smith and Wesson revolver made of in stainless steel and having wooden grips. Later, my agency considered a transition to Glocks which are largely constructed in polymer. At first I thought, “great, their giving me a plastic gun” and to say I was skeptical would be understating my concerns. It turns out that the polymer weapons were in fact very well made and more than exceeded the performance of previously issued sidearms. So I told myself the Delrin was worth exploring.
During early communication with David on the Rover set, he told me that he could have the set completed in approximately 3 weeks after receiving payment. I told him via a private message that payment would go out the following day and he said he would get started immediately. I gave him a lengthy list of characteristics that I desired in the set along with my phone number and a request to call me if he had any questions about the wishlist. David went to work on the set, I heard no inquiries from him, and I put my trust in him that he would come throught with a great set and I waited patiently for him to contact me regarding completion. On 9/23/12 David sent me a private message stating the set was finished and would ship out the following day. The whistle set arrived six days later.
I opened this fairly small box that was well packaged to protect the set. Nestled in a very well made roll of herringbone patterned cloth with the O’Brien Whistles logo adorning the outside, were the seven total pieces filling the individual slots sewn into the roll. I removed the individual componentsmof the set and examined them briefly before assembling three of the pieces to make a complete whistle. Again, I let my eyes gaze at the matte black finish of the Delrin and it’s interplay with the polished brass ferrules which projected a classic beauty that I could never imagine in a polymer whistle. All interfacing of the various components were well fitted to exacting tolerances speaking to a superb level of craftsmanship.
The overall length of an assembled whistle is just shy of 12.8" with the tuning slide not extended. All individual components of the set are 5" or less in length and total seven pieces in all including the one mouthpiece section. The mouthpiece features a very comfortable beak which falls nicely on the player’s lip. The windway is curved, appriximately .3" wide and less than .1" high. The outside diameter of the tone body is .8" and the inside bore diameter is .6" throughout it’s total cylindrical length. The tuning slide interfaces on all of the components in the set are all made in polished brass and are well machined providing both smooth and positive adjustment. The tone holes are all well centered.
Intonation seems to be spot on across the three tone bodies keyes in Eb, D, and C. A lightly perceptible backpressure and what I found to be an amazingly low level of air consumption, allows for great expression while playing along with some very lengthy phrasing before a need to recharge the lungs. Transition between octaves is easily accomplished and there is a defined break. There is no harsh contrast in volume as one climbs the scale and no shrillness noted throughout the range of all three keys. Volume is what I consider to be very comfortable as I had told David I was not seeking a really loud whistle in the set. It should serve one well in smaller sessions and would play really nicely while mic’ed. As for overall tone, the whistle is a complex blend of very sweet, pure highs and a subtle reediness underlying in the low range. Responsiveness was crisp and consistent among all three tone bodies and this whistle set is made for expressive play.
Overall, I could not have been more happy with how exacting David O’Brien was in meeting my specified desires in this whistle set. I pressed David as to how he accomplished such customization and he stated that much of it is done in his design of the window and his “handcarving” of the blade / ramp which I had taken notice of prior to asking David about his process. He further stated that he removes very small amounts of material testing it as he goes along. His wiilingness to work toward meeting my custom demands was apparent from our first discussion and the precision with which he did so is incredible. David offers perhaps the best guarantee in the business with a 30 day trial period and the backingmof lifetime free repair or adjustment and that is transferable to subsequent owners. It just does not get much better than that. David offers individual whistles and sets in a variety of keys and materials including brass, exotic woods, and Delrin. David was able to more than exceed my expectations with regard for a delivery time and came in below his estimated time for completion. Wooden whistles take more time to complete due to oiling and subsequent drying periods involved prior to shipment. David also offers a low D in aluminum that is tuneable.
Total cost for a Rover set in three keys might seem steep on face value, but one must look
at the whole picture in making that consideration. I have an outstanding set of three whistles in a nicely compact set that are crafted to the highest standards and the set still comes in at less than some other makers charge for an individual whistle without any offerings of customized voicing. Relative to other types of instruments and among whistles specifically, my David O’Brien Rover Set in Delrin and three keys is a true bargain. David also offers the Rover in single, and two whistle sets made in both wood, Delrin and brass, and an all Delrin set with no brass components allowing him to offer that whistle at a lower price level while maintaining exacting quality.
This whistle set has definitely taken position as my overall favorite and makes me long to try some of David O’Brien’s other whistle offerings. His wooden whistles look particularly enticing. I won’t go so far as to compare David’s whistles to those of other great makes that I own, but will say that they all have their own special qualities that make me love them. As for the O’Briens, top quality whistles that seemingly do it all by an outstanding craftsman who offers customization and actually delivers on that promise. All of that mentioned previously with a very nice guarantee. Do yourself a favor and contact David O’Brien if you are looking for an imcredible high whistle at a more than reasonable price for the value realized. 
Cheers,
Cayden
And we all know that WHOAD is just a temporary condition. I had me self a wee flare up yesterday, but she seems cured today. 
