I’ve been playing whistle for quite a few years now, since I got my first Feadog in D. I’m in the market for a new whistle/set of whistles but I don’t know what to look at. Right now my current life/recording whistle is a Water Weasel from Glen himself, but unfortunately after Glen’s passing his instruments are impossible to find. I’m looking for all keys, high/ low and middle of the road priced. I am a working musician I can’t afford Copelands, but I can play above Generations.. Also any suggestions on where to buy whistles over the internet?
I fell in love recently with aluminum Burkes. They are very evenly-voiced over the range, well in-tune, and in general perform very reliably. This is coming from a person who was loyal to his Generations that had served him well for 30 years, and very skeptical about American-made neo-whistles. A great thing about the Burkes for a pro is that the various sizes all seem to play exactly alike, unlike some makes on which the voicing varies from size to size. So you can just pick one up and play without thinking or worrying about adapting to it.
I have the low D, G, A, high C, and high D, and they all play great.
But there are people on this forum who are very loyal to Overtons and have them in many keys, and people likewise loyal to Reviols, which are all fine whistles. Ask ten whistle players and you’ll get ten different recommendations.
It’s going to be tough to find an equivalent in value for what the Water Weasels offered. Even now, if you find one for sale, it’s likely to be at a premium price.
By my experience, it’s hard to find a maker in that mid-range price who; 1. has the same attention to detail in manufacture and voicing as the Water Weasels, and 2. makes a broad selection of keys. But there’s a couple worth looking into, and you’d go direct to their website to buy the whistle if you were like me:
Gary Humphrey’s Whistles http://webpages.charter.net/raindog1970/
