First High End Whistle - What do you recommend?

I can afford to buy a high end whistle, but as a relatively new whistler am not sure what I should get. I want a high D and I have narrowed my choices to the Colin Goldie Overton vs. Silkstone Alloy vs. the Michael Burke Al Pro D. What do the members think? What do you recommend? My current whistle is a Susato D.

Thanks

Steve

On 2002-11-04 21:12, stevemd wrote:
I can afford to buy a high end whistle, but as a relatively new whistler am not sure what I should get. I want a high D and I have narrowed my choices to the Colin Goldie Overton vs. Silkstone Alloy vs. the Michael Burke Al Pro D. What do the members think? What do you recommend? My current whistle is a Susato D.

Thanks

Steve

Steve, I haven’t played the other two, but my Burke hi D is flawless. I’ve heard nothing but good about the Silkstone, but I’ve heard complaints about the Overton high D’s having way too much back pressure, making them very hard to play.

The Overton takes a bit of getting used to, true. But, ah, once you do!

Indeed… ah, once you do!

I’m not crazy about the Overton-style (very flat windway, reedy sound) whistle, especially in high whistles. That’s just personal opinion.

I own Silkstone alloy and Burke wide-bore brass and AlPro D whistles and like all three. If you’re looking for something like the Susato but with a less recordery (for lack of a better word) sound, the Silkstone would be the logical choice. It plays a lot like the Susato in that it’s pretty loud and requires a lot of push in the second octave. The sound is really wonderful and very authoratative.

The Burke brass is one of my favorite whistles. It has a little chiff and breath in the sound, and for a high-end whistle has a pretty traditional sound. Every time I pick it up my wife asks what that incredible-sounding whistle is (actually she recognizes it by now). The AlPro is much purer sounding and perhaps a little more shrill toward the top of the second octave. Both Burkes, as all Burkes, are extremely easy to play: perfect octave transitions and tuning, never anything unexpected and as unlikely to clog as any whistle.

In the end it all comes down to personal preference; all four whistles are wonderful in their own ways.

-I can only comment on the Silkstone alloy.(no experience with the others)
The Silkstone alloy has good authority in both octaves, smoother tone at or below high G, then gaining sass/chiff with high A and B, requiring deliberate air increase there to sound solid high notes. -Back pressure allows lightning fast ornaments. -Like other metal whistles, it needs to be warmed for best tone, but it doesn’t take long and has a nice, dry and loud sweetness when warm. Mine can clog, but I can clog ANY whistle, so I treat the blade with Jet-Dry on a Q-tip and the windway with the same on soft, folded paper to reduce clogging.
-Its available in both standard and “D+” configuration, the latter
with a seventh tone hole for a lower C note. This doesn’t need to be covered during normal play, and gives an extra note below D when desired. The seventh hole is offset radially for easy pinky coverage. Its maker Paul Hayward says this is his favorite whistle, as it allows the extra low note without any disadvantages. The D+ is slightly longer than the standard D to give the extra low note without weakening the firm D. Twin O-rings on the main body create a snug fit in the finely machined upper barrel, and its stable in play and tunable. I know the others mentioned only by reputation and board comments, but they all sound like whistles you’d be happy with.
-My advice would be to try each if you can, and if not, use the board “SEARCH” feature in separate searches for each whistle, and scan Clips & Snips for tunes played on your whistles of interest. Post your choice and let us know !


Brian O.

[ This Message was edited by: brianormond on 2002-11-05 00:21 ]

[ This Message was edited by: brianormond on 2002-11-05 00:24 ]

[ This Message was edited by: brianormond on 2002-11-05 00:32 ]

On 2002-11-04 21:30, blackhawk wrote:
Steve, I haven’t played the other two, but my Burke hi D is flawless. I’ve heard nothing but good about the Silkstone, but I’ve heard complaints about the Overton high D’s having way too much back pressure, making them very hard to play.

Silkstone alloys are nice sounding (less pure, a bit ‘reedy’) but also require a fair amount of push. The Burke’s the purest/easiest of the whistles listed (in my opinion). Whether that’s what you’re looking for, on the other hand.. :wink:

Of the three you mention, I’d go for Burke - it’s a delight.

However, there are many high end whistles available. What are your preferences in terms of sound, style, looks, tone, level of chiff, etc etc? For me, the best high end whistle is the Rose - some agree, some don’t. Others say Copeland, others Abell, and so on. What kind of whistle are you looking for?

Steve, I agree with Nick that we need a bit more information about what you like/dislike in terms of sound and playability, before being able to steer you in the right direction.

I’ve owned D whistles from all of the makers you list, and found them all to be fine, but very different, instruments - both in tone and how they play - so it really depends on what you’re looking.

I’m also curious why you’ve ruled out the wooden whistles?

Loren

(quote)I’m also curious why you’ve ruled out the wooden whistles?

Loren (quote)

So am I! :slight_smile:

Thanks for all the good suggestions. As a new whistler I’m not sure what tone I prefer, ie more chiff, etc. My teacher plays a Copeland but I cannot afford this nor do I want to wait forever to get one. I have ruled out the wooden whistles after extensive review of the chiff and fipple site. I was originally interested in the Burke or the Silkstone Alloy but have a chance to get an Overton without the usual long wait. Based on reviews I have read certainly the Overton has a fine reputation. As a new player I think trying several different types of instruments makes sense.

Steve

I have both Burke al pro in mezzo A and Silkstone alloy in D. I also have the new Reyburn sop D and C. I assume the Burke in sop D is chiffier than the Silkstone. Is the Overton you may acquire soon tuneable? That would be a deciding factor for me. I was talked into a Silkstone instead of Overton because of the balance across octaves in volume and I never got to try an Overton sop D. So now I have the Silkstone sop D and the Reyburn sop D, and I need them both because sometimes I don’t want chiff and sometimes I do. The great thing about chiff is that sometimes chiffy whistles behave better on quick passages in the upper octaves–they tend to make fewer extraneous squeals in note transitions IME. But I love the tonal qualities of my Silkstone, and what is more important, so do the people with whom I play…
Perhaps you want to consider the Reyburns if you could use chiff and don’t mind the slightly greater air requirement. The price is great–a D and C for the price of one key in the others.
Have fun!
Lisa

Have you considered a Sindt? I think these are a great choice for a newer whistler. They aren’t finicky and don’t really take any particular adjustment to get used to. They sound great and play very smoothly. Great transitions, great upper octave, nice response, reasonable air requirements. The price is decent but the wait is a bit long. A good first “higher end” whistle for a beginner, IMO.

I was going to try to describe the tonal qualities of the Silkstone and Reyburn, and then I remembered my favorite bit of advice when I used to be a school teacher: show, don’t just tell.
Here are some wav files of the susato narrow bore d, Silkstone alloy d, Walton’s Mellow d, and Reyburn d. If you listen you’ll probably hear why I added the Susato and Waltons for comparison…
I didn’t convert these wavs to mp3s because since I recorded everything with a simple pc mic with no enhancement, I didn’t want to alter the sound quality at all, which is what happens when I use my mp3 converter on wav files.
http://www.overland.net/~ysgwd/susatonb.wav
http://www.overland.net/~ysgwd/silkstoned.wav
http://www.overland.net/~ysgwd/mellod.wav
http://www.overland.net/~ysgwd/reyburnd.wav
The passage is from The Otter’s Holt because I’ve been working on smoothing it out at a bright tempo, so I need all the practice on it I can get.
Cheers,
Lisa

Steve,
I too am a relatively new player and have been searching for my first high-end whistle.
After much research, I am ordering a Sindt.
I play accordion in Nashville and a friend at a local pub that I greatly respect has switched to a Sindt and recently I was privileged to play on the latest Chieftain record (accordion on 2 cuts) and Paddy Maloney is now playing a Sindt and loves it.
I’m getting in line.
Best to you.


JTaccordion
mt.6:33 <><

[ This Message was edited by: jtaccordion on 2002-11-05 14:43 ]

Oh! I knew it! My husband and I went to see the Chieftains at the Hollywood Bowl in July, and being a confirmed Sindt owner and lover, even from our seats in the badlands I kept saying…“surely not, but I swear that Paddy is playing a Sindt” and sure enough. I’m going to have to order another one I think in case something happens to the one I have! lol I surely would recommend this whistle to anyone for a first whistle.

So maybe I should look at the Sindt. I did read about these on the site. Does anyone know how I can find these (I have not seen a web page or vendor for Sindt whistles) and how long the wait is?

Thanks

Steve

You can e-mail John Sindt directly at agesmay@aol.com
Nice guy, great whistles.

On 2002-11-05 12:43, stevemd wrote:
I have ruled out the wooden whistles after extensive review of the chiff and fipple site.

Just out of curiosity, and for the sake of discussion . . . Steve, what about a review of the site made you rule out wooden whistles? I’ve gotten a different impression completely from what’s been said, combined with personal opinion.

Anyway, just curious, since I think you’re discounting some good whistles.

Stuart

On 2002-11-05 18:56, stevemd wrote:
So maybe I should look at the Sindt. I did read about these on the site. Does anyone know how I can find these (I have not seen a web page or vendor for Sindt whistles) and how long the wait is?

Thanks

Steve

I ordered a Sindt, waited the mandatory 6-8 months, and returned it the next day. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful whistle, but so chiffy I just didn’t take to it at all. I then ordered a Burke, received it two weeks later, and much preferred it.

However, none of these gets close to the Rose for tone, volume, etc - so to ask the same question as someone else, what was it about wooden whistle reviews that turned you off?

PS And don’t forget Elfsongs! I’ve never played one, but all the reviews are raving about these whistles.