Went to a Susato. Liked it, but wanted a smoother sound, especially on the upper end. The Susato felt good because I have long fingers and I love the raised end and the thumb stop. When it comes to playing fast tunes, I can play the Susato better because of the thickness of the barrel.
Had a Burke Brass Pro Session and liked it very much, but the top end was so shrill it hurt my ears.
I have a Sindt and love it’s sound, but it feels small in my hands and I’m too use to OXXOOO to change. (Lazy)
Is there a whistle that is loud like a Burke, that has a smooth, pure sound like the Sindt and feels as comfortable as the Susato?
It’s already interesting. Top end of a Burke brass too shrill, but you like the big sound of Susato? I find Burkes about the most balanced whistles out there over the 2+ octaves. You might try an old-style Burke wide-bore brass. It’s a tad mellower than the pros.
You might try a Water Weasel. The D isn’t exactly the shining star of the line (IMO), but it may be what you’re looking for. Big sound, a little more balanced than the Susato, thick-walled, and the snappy thumbrest fits it perfectly.
Have you considered an Elfsong? Not as loud as a Susato (by a longshot!), but a very smooth, rich, pure sound. Slightly wider in diameter than most whistles (more like the Susato in that department), and made of heavy-guage copper or brass…feels beautifully solid and strong under your fingers! Mine is one of my most prized possessions.
P.S. It has about the prettiest, smoothest, second octave I’ve ever heard, aside from my Hoover Whitecap. And if you like the thickness of the Susato’s barrel, you will LOVE the feel of an Elfsong!
I don’t think of the Burke Brass Pro Session as being shrill. However. the Wide Bore Brass is slightly mellower (but also significantly quieter). As lixnaw wrote, the Burke Composite probably comes as close as anything to your requirements.
I agree with the Water Weasel, Elfsong, and Whitecap reccomendations. I’ve played all three and they DO have really pretty smooth unshrill upper octaves. (Although unshrill probably isn’t a word.) The Whitecap is better than the other two in that respect, I think, because it’s also slightly quieter which has an anti-shrill effect, IMHO.
Hummm…If you want the large feel of the Susato and the clear,I assume chiffless, sound…consider the Syn. whistle. It has the large diameter body,little chiff,and the price is right..One of my favorites is a tweaked Susato..the blade was changed from round to flat and made a huge difference.
Dixon is another option.Large body,polymer,clear and I fitted a susato rest on mine..Now about that Sindt…(always looking)..good luck
-Check out the Silkstone alloy D and D+ whistles. -Good sound in both octaves, definitely loud enough for a session, and a pretty pure sound. The A & B in high octave require oomph to keep the octave up, and are loud- other notes of high octave a little less loud.
Tuning is superb. It might be fun to try these and a Burke back-to-back if you get the chance. I love my Silkstone D+, but have heard session people play Burkes wonderfully.
Well, I second the Silkstone recommendation for the ultimate whistle you describe. But maybe you should try Paul’s PVCs, as they are a little smoother sounding and have a thicker barrel than the alloy ones.
I immediately thought Silkstone as well… And probably Paul’s narrow bore version. I haven’t yet tried it yet… (we have one coming in within the week)… I personally love his regular alloy D… If his narrow bore is just simply quieter it could be a real jem!
Oh… and I just got back from a camping trip and was pleased to see that the board is back up! Hurrah!
I have a Burke AlPro C and it’s beautifully balanced across the octaves, as are D’s I’ve heard. I’d call my Copeland D shrill at the top end.
You might want to consider a wooden whistle. I have two wooden high Ds: a Busman and an Abell and I’d recommend both as having the qualities you want, and a few others I want but you don’t mention.
Lark,… is this what happens when you throw the Squistle into a fire??
BTW, for me, I bought a Copeland D a while back. Once I have gotten used to playing it, I find that it can’t be beat. It is loud (in a good way) actually, “powerful” would be a better descriptive. Not cheap but definitely worth it. As I understand it, and I may be misinformed, Michael Copeland got his start working on Pipe Organs. The Pipe Organ is, kind of like, the ultimate Whistle thigamagig if you think about it.
There is no ultimate whistle. Ask any twenty of us for our recommendations and you’ll get AT LEAST 15 different models. Ask again next week and you’ll still get 15 but at least four of the original 15 will have dropped out.
For the characteristics you require, a Silkstone PVC will do nicely, but no doubt there are others that will do as well.
Slowair, Chuck is actually right. This is a very subjective thing. The best advice anyone could probably ever give you regarding finding the ultimate whistle is to simply give in and start buying whistles. Just buy, buy, buy. Eventually you will come across a wonderful little gem that is just absolutely perfect in every way. It mightn’t cost more than $6.00, it might cost a lot more. Once you get started down the slippery slope, there is no return. If you don’t actually find one in the marketplace and you think you have a better idea then start making them yourself. The quest for the ultimate whistle is unending, I think.
