First High End Whistle - What do you recommend?

Whistle
21

Steve,

In my opinion, Sindts are the finest high-end whistles available, but they are probably not readily available. Last thing I heard, there is a wait of about 8 months.

The other whistles you mention might be easier to get on short notice. But as others have written, your choice really depends on what kind of sound you’re looking for. I haven’t tried the Silkstone alloy so can’t comment on that one. The Burke is your best bet for something resembling a “traditional” whistle sound, except the Sindt is even better in that respect. Overton high whistles do not play or sound “traditional” at all. I can best describe the sound as a “very high pitched low whistle sound”!

Cheers,
Jens

22

Thanks for all the wonderful advice. My take so far is that people really like the Burke whistles, the Sindt and the Silkstone Alloy. I’ve emailed Mr. Sindt and have received a reply stating that I can be on the wait list but it is an 8 month wait. I’m trying to decide if I want to order something with an 8 month wait. What is not clear to me is what the general consensus on the Overton whistles is.

In terms of the wooden whistles I probably can’t afford a Thin Weasel and I’ve tried the Sweets. The sound very nice so that might be a possibility. One of my concerns was my ability to care for a wooden instrument.

Again thanks for all the help. At this point I might sign up for a Sindt but short term I am trying to decide between the Overton and the Silkstone alloy (neither of which I have heard in person.

Steve

23

I almost forgot, I’ve read very good things about the Elfstone whistles? What do owners think and how do they compare to the other whistles I’ve mentioned (Burke, Overton, Silkstone Alloy, Sindt)?

Thanks

Steve

24

On 2002-11-07 13:10, stevemd wrote:
Thanks for all the wonderful advice. My take so far is that people really like the Burke whistles, the Sindt and the Silkstone Alloy. I’ve emailed Mr. Sindt and have received a reply stating that I can be on the wait list but it is an 8 month wait. I’m trying to decide if I want to order something with an 8 month wait. What is not clear to me is what the general consensus on the Overton whistles is.

You can’t go wrong with the Sindt (if you bear in mind the C-nat issue) and it is a great step up from Feadogs and Gens in that respect. Everyone agrees that the Overton’s are wonderful whistles with a beautiful and characteristic sound. But I think all who have played them also agree that the Overtons take the most learning and adapting. Unless you’ve played stuff that requires breath support in the past (like brass instruments), you’ll have to learn to support your breath. But it’s not hard in the sense that you wouldn’t get it with paractice. And so worth it.

25

For heavens’ sake, don’t feel bad about ruling out wooden whistles. I know zillions of great whistlers, and not a one of them uses a wooden D whistle as their main whistle. It’s not just a matter of cost, either – Lunasa uses wooden low Fs, and Kevin’s got that fancy low Bb flute, but for high whistles they play Susatos.

(Edited to add: to be more complete, I should point out that I don’t know any whistler (great, good, or indifferent) who uses a wooden D as his or her main D whistle.)

[ This Message was edited by: colomon on 2002-11-07 14:02 ]

26

Nick,

Geeze man, you are so biased towards Rose whistles that it get’s difficult to put much stock in your opinions after a while, you know what I mean? Not a critisism, just an observation you understand. I’m sure you know that I think Fred makes incredibly fine whistles, but they are pretty far to one end of the spectrum in terms of tone and playability, at least IMNSHO :laughing:

Stevemd,

I’m still not sure I’m certain what sort of sound you’re looking for, and while everyone is throwing out their personal favorites at you, these are ranging the spectrum from ultra pure sounding and quite sensitive in terms of playability, to highly breathy sounding whistles that require some real effort to blow…

Maybe it makes more sense to spend $35-$40 on a bunch of cheap whistles that cover a bit of the spectrum, and then see what it is you really like in terms of tone and playability before you go and spend the big bucks on something? I mean right now it sounds like you’re just rolling the dice based on other peoples preferences - a real crap shoot at best.

Or I could be way off base, dunno.

Loren

27

loren, what kind of whistle do you play mostly?

28

On 2002-11-07 13:21, colomon wrote:

(Edited to add: to be more complete, I should point out that I don’t know any whistler (great, good, or indifferent) who uses a wooden D as his or her main D whistle.)

EJ Jones of Clandestine and Joe Linbeck of the Flying Fish Sailors (less well known than Clandestine) both use Abell whistles as their primary D. As these aren’t huge acts like Bergin, Madden, etc, you may or may not have heard of 'em, though both groups do a fair amount of national touring.

Greg

(edited to mention Larry Mallette, who uses Thin Weasels).

[ This Message was edited by: Wandering_Whistler on 2002-11-07 16:34 ]

29

On 2002-11-07 14:32, jeffmiester wrote:
loren, what kind of whistle do you play mostly?

Well, I’ve had many whistles that I loved playing, each for different reasons. Unfortunately I’ve had to sell almost all of them off, however I’ve kept, regularly play, and quite enjoy the following:

Abell Eb/D/C Madagascar Rosewood set: Really sweet souding whistles and impeccable craftsmanship. The smell unique and fantastic too, due to the wood.

Silkstone Alloy D: Unfortunately my Abell D isn’t loud enough for the odd session or two worth attending in my area, so this whistle does the trick for that, or just toting around when I don’t want to worry about damage. It’s also practially clogproof - big plus. This whistle also has an interesting tone.

O’Briain Improved D - Nickel: Very cool “inexpensive whistle” Perhaps one of the best bargains out there - very responsive and trad sounding. The tuning throws me a bit…otherwise I’d play it even more. Still love the little bugger though!

Overton Soprano C: This one of Colin’s “easy blowing” whistles and it’s just fabulous - totally opposite from the Abells, and so suits the other half of my Jekyll and Hyde personality when it comes to taste in whistles.

Overton A: Very similar to the above mentioned overton in terms playability - it’s a bit of an easy blower. This one travels around with me a lot, especially in the car where anything higher pitched can be downright painful.

Low Overtons in D and C: I’ll spare everyone the redundantly positive reviews - see above :laughing:

That’s about all I have left I think, except a generation.

It should be noted that I’ve sold some absolutely killer whistles that were as good as any I’ve mentioned, and I wish I had some of the back. Noteably one particular Blackwood Rose, a Rosewood Rose and, finally, the most fabulous Nickel Copeland Soprano C on the frickin’ planet - probably the biggest mistake of my whistling life that I sold that whistle, seriously, it was amazing!

Does that answer your question? :slight_smile:


Loren

30

Steve, I’ve got a Burke D WBB that I bought from someone here on the board. It’s a nice whistle, but I don’t play it often enough. I know it’s not exactly what you’re looking for, but if you’re interested in borrowing it for a trial period, send me a private message with your e-mail address, and I’ll get in touch with you about a loan.

31

On 2002-11-07 16:32, Wandering_Whistler wrote:
EJ Jones of Clandestine and Joe Linbeck of the Flying Fish Sailors (less well known than Clandestine) both use Abell whistles as their primary D. As these aren’t huge acts like Bergin, Madden, etc, you may or may not have heard of 'em, though both groups do a fair amount of national touring.

I actually meant people I knew, not just people I’ve heard of. And I forgot about one of the local kids who plays an Abell. So that’s maybe 50 whistlers I know, and one person who uses a wooden D.

32

Steve, I cannot recommend strongly enough the Burke Al Pro whisltes. I have a D and it is by far one of the best whistles I own. It has a beautiful pure tone and looks very nice too! Just remember to warm it up before playing when it is cold.

Cheryl

33

On 2002-11-07 17:49, colomon wrote:

I actually meant people I knew, not just people I’ve heard of. And I forgot about one of the local kids who plays an Abell. So that’s maybe 50 whistlers I know, and one person who uses a wooden D.

I know these folks :slight_smile: Larry Mallette and EJ both play at the local session here, and my was friends with EJ back in college..went to his housewarming and stuff.

34

Loren - point taken, and no offence either!

35

(quote). One of my concerns was my ability to care for a wooden instrument.


Not all that difficult!! It’s a good idea to dry the instrument out after playing it, especially the head. Oiling the bore once in a while when the wood starts to look dry is also recommended. Wooden instruments of all sorts need to be protected from very high temperatures such as the interior of a closed car on a sunny day. That’s basically it. To be sure, metal whistles are more carefree, but I wouldn’t let the care of the whistle be your sole deciding factor. Wood is Good! (hey, that would make a good T-Shirt!)

36

It would probably be taken the wrong way. (Oh, behave!)

37

as a newbie who is planning on ordering my first high end in a few months, i had a few additional questions to this excellent thread. what do people think about the copeland high D ( i know his low D is considered superb but i am not yet a low D person)
also any opinion about thin weasles?

thanks

meir

38

On 2002-11-08 08:09, jeffmiester wrote:
It would probably be taken the wrong way. (Oh, behave!)

Not if it was well maintained. (tut, tut.)

39

On 2002-11-08 08:59, meir wrote:
also any opinion about thin weasles?

I love Glenn’s whistles. In my opinion, the Water Weasel is one of the top whistle brands. I’ve got nine of the things, and use them a lot.

I’ve tried his wooden whistles as well. I didn’t think the D was appreciably better than the PVC D, but Glenn’s wooden C is an awe-inspiring instrument, the best soprano whistle I have ever played. The wooden low G was a beauty as well, but I haven’t tried one since I got my PVC low G, so it’s hard to compare.

40

On 2002-11-08 08:59, meir wrote:
as a newbie who is planning on ordering my first high end in a few months, i had a few additional questions to this excellent thread. what do people think about the copeland high D ( i know his low D is considered superb but i am not yet a low D person)
also any opinion about thin weasles?

thanks

meir

The fact is, Meir, virtually all high-enders are great whistles - it just comes down to personal taste in the end. Nearly everyone raves about Sindts, but I sent mine back the next day; nearly everyone raves about Roses, but a couple of posters here have sold theirs on as well (sorry Loren, mentioned them again).

Someone was suggesting a table of high end whistles with playing characteristics, sound, etc to help purchasers - did that ever happen? Would be a good idea.