I recently got the opportunity to trade Ronaldo Reyburn one of my whistles for one of his latest models, the narrow bore soprano D, and we decided it would be cool to post reviews of each other’s work.
I didn’t take any photos, because Bloomfield posted very good ones in his recent review - http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=22603.
As you can see from the photos, the whistles are very professional looking… and they look even better in real life!
The whistle also came with a very nice little fleece drawstring pouch… nice thick material, which provides a good degree of protection.
Since the upper end of the tube becomes the blade and cannot slide in the mouthpiece like a cheapie whistle, Ronaldo adds a nice tuning slide that allows plenty of pitch variation both sharp and flat.
Every part of the whistle is very solidly constructed, and all the acetal parts are fastened with tiny brass pins… which is necessary, since nothing sticks very well to acetal.
My whistle is slightly on the chiffy side, but Ronaldo’s design easily allows for custom variations… just tell him if you want your whistle pure or chiffy, and he’ll make one to suit you.
The windway is tapered, which creates a more focused airstream and helps shed condensation.
What is most impressive about Ronaldo’s new design is the tuning.
The tube is purely cylindrical except for the slight internal expansion created by the tuning slide, but it doesn’t go progressively flat in the second octave like cylindrical whistles usually do.
I played it against a digital tuner, and was amazed at how easily it played even the highest notes in tune!
The secret is in Ronaldo’s new mouthpiece design… internally, there are flat side walls that are flush with the sides of the window.
The top and bottom remain curved, so the depth of the mouthpiece isn’t changed… but the internal constriction created by the flat side walls have a sharpening effect on the upper notes.
I was so impressed with the improvement in tuning that I asked Ronaldo if he would mind if I incorporated his innovation into my own design, and he graciously gave me his OK.
I’ve experimented with various methods to correct the tuning of cylindrical whistles, and Ronaldo’s idea is pure genius… I can find no adverse effects from it whatsoever!
Tone, volume, responsiveness, stability, breath pressure and breath requirement aren’t sacrificed in the least to achieve the corrected tuning!
To put it mildly, I’m very impressed!
A cylindrical tube whistle with no bore perturbations that’s in tune through both octaves is really quite an accomplishment!
I’m very pleased to now have a Reyburn whistle in my collection, and have given it a place on my desktop stand among my favorites.
Gary Humphrey
Gary Humphrey and I have been comparing notes on whistles for some time now and it’s a real pleasure to finally get to see his work. As Gary mentioned above we exchanged our new narrow bore soprano Ds and decided to do a review for each other.
Gary uses a black acetal head which is beautifully made and utilizes a curved airway which is tapered at the front end. This taper helps reduce fogging (moisture buildup) in the airway and reduces the back pressure so that the instrument plays with very gentle pressure. He forms the head using 3 pieces which he pins together with an acetal pin that is almost invisible, thus the name “Stealth”. Gary tells me that the “Stealth” name also refers to the fact that one can (Sneak it under the radar in situations where a high-end whistle might attract unwanted attention.)
The body of his instrument is a thin walled brass tube like Burke, Generation, myself (for my narrow bore D) and others use in their instruments. The tube is finely polished and the tone holes are very smooth to the touch. The tuning slide uses a socket in the head which receives the brass tube for a very effective and easy to use tuning system. The instrument is quite light and well balanced and the beak feels really good in the mouth. This wonderfully made instrument is the work of a dedicated craftsman and artist who is a great addition to the whistlesmiths of the world. If you’d like to have a look at Gary’s instrument I recommend visiting his website at http://webpages.charter.net/raindog1970/
And now down to the important stuff. The narrow bore “Stealth” plays like a dream and the tone is, as my partner calls it, very musical. I call the tone round, focused and clear with very little breathiness or chiff and is very well in tune. The “Stealth” is quite a responsive little player and I’m enjoying it very much. The upper register plays like the song of a nightingale, very sweet and requires very little breath while the lower register has this wonderful round, solid tone. The C natural plays, like I would expect on a thin walled instrument , like this OXXXOX which I’m quite happy about for its my preferred position. This instrument plays like I would expect a narrow bore whistle to play and is perfect for solo work or in small groups.
Needless to say I’m quite happy with our trade and its great to have a new addition to my small whistle collection. I highly recommend the new Humphrey narrow bore “Stealth” whistle for those looking for a quieter, sweet playing instrument.
Ronaldo Reyburn