Time to let your choices shine. List your current top five whistles (make and key) and why you like it most currently. It’s always fun to see how the other half lives.
I’ll start…
Sindt Silver D (dear god, I LOVE it…I almost never pick up a different whistle)
Burke WBB D (Old style from 2000, still a wonderful sound)
Obrien C (of the set of 5, it’s the strongest imo and I love it. I still need to get my hands on more of his work)
Burke Low F Aluminum (nuff said)
Copeland Low D (actually, though I love it, it’s getting very little play as I play the flute more lately)
Even though I’m working very hard on the flute, I’ll never give up my WHOA!
Well a couple months ago I took the plunge and bought aluminum Burkes in low D, G, A, C, and high D. I’m still on sort of a honeymoon with these. I just love the way they all play. So those would have to be my current Fav Five.
Prior to that Burke splurge it would have been:
heavily tweaked Feadog D I’ve been playing for around 20 years, a wonderfully sweet and responsive whistle, my old warhorse
Susato low C: very expressive for slow airs
heavily tweaked Generation C which plays if anything even better than that Feadog, the best Generation I’ve ever played
Generation B natural I made by cutting down a B flat
Generation low A I made using a B flat top and new body
Colin Goldie Overton high D. Superb, doesn’t get better than this.
O’Brien brass narrow bore high D. Actually plays and sounds pretty close to the Overton, the bell note low D on this whistle is as strong and maybe stronger than the Overton, you can knock the hell out of it if you want to.
Burkes. I have AlPro D, brass narrow bore blacktip D, and wide bore brass D. All different, all wonderful.
Hoovers. I have several of these, but my favorite has to be the low G which he made me from a beech wood board which has the mark left from a rusty nail around the R1 tone hole…this little discoloration of the wood adds a real touch of class to this wonderful whistle.
O’Brien nickel-plate copper Rover. Nice lovely whistle, the easiest second octave of any whistle I’ve played.
I won’t number mine because… I can’t seem to. I love all of the following whistles for different reasons:
John Sindt, brass D: Simply a superb whistle.
Green top Generation Folk Whistle, brass D: This one is special; I’ve known a few others who bought this model and they sounded nothing like mine (and I tried them myself).
Cillian O’Briain Improved Feadog, brass D: Wonderful, strong whistle that has the same Feadog sound but allows you to push it a little more.
Red top Generation, brass Bb: This is the second Gen Bb I purchased and, though I liked the others, it blows them right out of the water. I’ve never heard such a crisp Bb whistle, especially in a cheapie. Great character in this one.
Irvine Tweaked Feadog, brass C: I typically don’t go for whistles with a mellow tone but this one really pleased my ear. Such a beautiful and unique tone.
When I got my Reyburn D/C set. I gave away all of my other whistles. I don’t play the C really (even though I love the sound) as I am a newbie and am concentrating on learning tunes in the “standard” keys.
Dixon trad D. Clear, reliable, even volume throughout range, easy to play. (and cool looking)
Hoover ski pole low G. Probably my favorite sounding whistle–mellow, sweet, responsive, but punchy enough for tail-kicking fast tunes. Certainly my most unique looking. Probably my most indestructible as well.
Tweaked Clarke D. I cut my teeth on clarke whistles (not literally), and love the sound. This one is better in tune and more even dynamically than the non-tweaked version.
Hoover Juniper A. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. Made from a tree branch picked up in my own beloved Wind River Mountains, which adds a lot of magic to an already magnificent whistle.
Low D’s: Dixon non-tunable, and Hoover CRD (tie). The Dixon is more reliable, less prone to problems, and easier to play. The Hoover is tunable, and has the most interesting sound of any whistle I own: Reedy, complex, mysterious, almost oboe-like.
Reyburn D/C Session set…see the recent Reyburn thread for my opinions. my go-to guys.
Thin Weasel A in rosewood. The best possible combination of craftsmanship and musical prowess. Breaking my heart to sell but I have to. Just listed on eBay this morning sniffle
Burke B it’s sweet, mellow, and delightfully expressive
Burke alum Low F. Amazing versatility and playability…sounds darn nice too
Howard Low D all black. Dark and haunting, gritty and raw, purrs like a kitten(or flute) when she’s warmed up.
