I have a low D Ian Lambe whistle and really like it. It’s one of my favorites, very balanced and easy to play, nice tone, not super-loud. Has anyone played his whistles in other keys, and if so, are they as good as his low D? I suspect a fine maker is a fine maker, regardless of key, but just wanted to hear any experience out there, as his whistles don’t seem to be as common as many other lines. I’d also be interested in acquiring one–you can message me if you have one in a different key you might want to sell or trade.
Thanks,
Jaydoc
Two things. First, yes, I’ve played a Lambe Low F, non-tuneable, which I much preferred to the tuneable Low D that I happened to have access to.
Second, I don’t know that the intuitively sound assumption that a good maker is a good maker necessarily holds up, at least in my experience. Copeland makes great whistles generally, but it was many years before I happened upon a decent Copeland C; it was not generally a strong key for this maker IMO. Again, to my taste, O’Riordan D, C, Low D are nothing special (although fine whistles), yet Pat’s Bflat, A, G are the finest of those keys available again IMO. The one whistle I’d take to a desert island is the Sindt D, yet I found the Bflat and A unremarkable.
Philo
I’ve got an early tunable Ian Lambe F whistle that I like a great deal. Sound, build quality, and response are all first rate. The second hole up from the bottom is a bit over 11mm, requiring a goodly amount of precision to cover it completely. I’ve not played a lot of other F whistles but I can say I will be holding on to this one.
^^^PhilO, do you think that’s due to the maker, or just the “hand made” nature of whistles (as well as other instruments). I haven’t played a bunch of the same whistles in the same key from the same maker, but I would imagine they do differ in quality a bit.
I remember Panceltic Piper mentioning he loves his MK low D, but has a friend’s that he liked a bit more.
I think the solution here is WHOA, buy every whistle you can afford, and keep only the best of the best (or your personal favorites), and sell the rest so others can do the same 
I think it’s a bit of both, and the “hand made” thing is a whole other discussion that’s appeared often. In any event, in my experience it’s been more what I said. Aside from the legendary Loren/Jessie C and the one I finally traded for with Jim Durdin, I returned 2 C whistles to Michael and sold one other and never tried one anywhere else that I liked over quite a few years. Michael’s partner for some time, Jim Rementer, even acknowledged that perhaps that key had been a problem for some reason, which I believe may have been resolved at some point. His high and low D and at least the one Low G I own soar.
As for the Sindt and O’Riordan - don’t misinterpret - never met one I didn’t like or think was very fine. However, for me, the Sindt D (I have 2 and have played several others) is simply the best whistle to my taste and comfort in the world ever period. The other keys are fine but don’t do it for me quite that way. I have a set of O’Riordan Travelers (all but low F) and they are all very fine as well. However, for me, those middle keys of Bflat, A, G, are superior to all others to my tastes in tone and playability. So, yes, I really have come to believe that various makers are more or less “successful” in pleasing tastes dependent on key.
Philo