Hi there, I’m looking for a tunable metal whistle loud enough for any session. I’m currently playing a Susato kildare whose volume is about right (maybe a bit too loud on top A and B). I know somebody will suggest a Burke, and probably the session model in brass could be nice (actually, how loud is it compared to a Susato?), but I’d like to be aware of other (cheaper) options… Thanks!
Oh and a more solid sound (brass whistles?) is prefered…
Cheaper than a Burke, eh?
Dixon Trad
Jerry-Tweaked Feadog
If you can find a used O’Brien wide bore (he stopped making the metal ones)
May not be cheaper (I don’t know, TBH), but, for the high d, go for a Reyburn. Hard to beat.
I’ve heard that Dixon whistles aren’t much loud.
I have a feadog, i brought it to a session once, it was impossible hearing it. A tweaked one would probably be a bit louder, but I can’t belive it will be enough.
Reyburns are about as expensive as Burkes (I MIGHT consider them if I can’t find cheaper whistles)…
If you want loud, tunable, solid and brass I would suggest you look for a Copeland. They are terrific whistles, IMO, like an ITM assault weapon. Probably not in your price range though. I like Burkes too. But they aren’t as loud as the Copeland.
What’s wrong with the Susato, if I might ask? Have you tried the o-ring tweak? https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/mtguru-o-ring-susato-tweak/47141/1
Feadoggie
Good grief. Maybe you ought to wear a wide-brimmed hat
to bounce the sound back down to your ears (I’ve heard
that trick works pretty well). Can the other people in
the session hear your whistle?
If you want it that loud, you probably are wanting a
Copeland or Chieftain. Though they’re out of your
price range.
Lorenzo … Keep in mind that whistle is an instrument that, in a session setting, can sound much louder and more prominent to other people than to the player. If you step outside or into the WC, often the whistle is the main instrument that you hear.
So … I’m always cautious about requests for a louder session whistle. Ideally, the goal in a session should be for the whistle to blend well with the overall sound. And in a typical session of, say, 6-12 people, even a Gen or Feadóg or a medium-volume whistle like a Burke (my usual choice) may sound just right.
If there’s a conflict between the goals of sounding good and hearing yourself play, then you may need to make a choice between the needs of the many vs. the needs of the one (you). The latter choice is not necessarily the right one, and is a common beginning session whistler’s mistake. And if the session is so loud that you truly can’t hear yourself, then maybe it’s time to talk to you session mates about lowering the volume and not blasting the tunes. As everyone plays louder to hear themselves, you end up with a volume “arms race” which can ruin the music. And a louder whistle just contributes to that problem.
Personally, I consider the Susato D one of my loudest whistles. And I usually reserve it for settings where there’s really no other choice - e.g., unamplified outdoor playing, or “mega-sessions” of, say, 20-30 people where lowering the overall volume is pretty much hopeless. So if you’re looking for a louder whistle than the Susato, my guess is that the whistle volume is not your real problem.
That said … You’re right, my first reaction was to mention the Burke session bore whistle. It’s not as loud as the Susato, but works well in sessions IMO. Brass or aluminum makes no difference. Another good (and affordable) choice is the Freeman Mellow Dog.
Some loud high D whistles: Susato, Copeland, Goldie/Overton, Chieftain, Reyburn, Abell.
But again, I’d urge you to think about your reasons for wanting a loud whistle, before you choose the “nuclear option”. 
People I’m not looking for a whistle LOUDER that a Susato. The Susato is actually a bit louder that what I’d like best, although i like how it speaks in the low octave. A friend has an Abell, which is a bit gentler than the Susato, and it’s perfect on the second octave (but i prefer the Susato on the low notes). Then another friend has a Chieftain, and that’s definitely too loud!
Once I tried a Sindt, very nice but it really disappears when is not above second octave E (either when I play it or when other people do). I belive Gens and Feadogs are even more silent.
The reason I want to change whistle is because I’ve recently heard some old recordings with people playing Generation-like whistles and they sound great, somehow the metal whistles remind me of more original and old trad music. But I also want some power for sessions. That’s the all story.
yeah, but yer still the one with the whistle
not the one across the room.
get a hat 
Lorenzo, it sounds like you didn’t really read my post. 
The design desisions makes those whistles sound that
way also make them harder to hear. It’s not actually
always a volume problem, it’s that the complexity of
the sound that you enjoy coming from Gens means
that there are a lot of overtones, and less power is
able to be present in each individual overtone.
Say you have one sine wave with an amplitude of
10 (let’s ignore units for simplicity). It will be pure
and as long as that one sine wave isn’t masked by
a sine wave of the same frequency, it will sound
a certain volume.
Now, say you have 5 sine waves, each with an
apmlitude of 2. The total power is the same, but
there is less in each individual wave. if any of
those waves are masked, it will reduce the
perceived volume. This is what happens to more
complex-sounding whistles like Sindts and Gens
in a session. Other instruments are masking some
overtones and so it’s hard to hear it distinctly
even though its actual volume might be the same
as a Susato. Whereas a purer whistle will cut right
through at the same actual volume.
So, what I’m saying is you might not find a perfect
balance of sound and volume you are looking for.
You’re going to sacrifice a little in either direction.
I still think the hat is a good solution. It helps your
ears isolate the sound you’re playing from what’s
going on around you.
P.S., my apologies, it was me who thought you were
looking for louder than Susato. I had to go back and
reread your OP.
Lorenzo, it sounds like you didn’t really read my post. >
I did, but you didn’t read my post carefully 
I wrote that I tried a Sindt, that means that wasn’t mine, so I also heard it played by someone else. Or not heard it: he was playing close to me and at a certain point i completely forgot he was there.
I’m not the only one that plays a whistle at our sessions, and the other players play a Susato and a Chieftain (this last one mostly stays in the low octave though), and from outside the Susato sounds almost ok to me. No hat needed when listening to someone else
fearfaoin I’m sure you’re right, so I guess I’m looking for a compromise.
How loud is the Freeman Mellow Dog (not much i guess?)?
Yeah, it’s pretty mellow.
I wish O’Brien still made his large bore copper whistles.
They sound like they’d be close to what you’re looking
for. Can anyone comment on the perceived volume of
his wooden whistles?
My blackwood O’Brien Rover is a bit louder than my Burke and Mellow-Dog, and a little more traditional-sounding. It’s slightly more demanding in the upper octave, though. I’m playing it exclusively lately, as I feel it’s worth putting in the time. It’s my favorite of the whistles I’ve played.
Soooo, summarizing: trad (generation-like) sounding (kind of), loudness anywere from burkes to susatos, price from 0 to 200 euros (possibly not that much). Could someone make a little list of the whistles I could like?
On several ocassions I’ve seen Cathal McConnell play two whistles at once; maybe, you just keep both a Susato and an Abell in your mouth together and play the Susato for the lower ocatve notes and the Abell for the higher..
Philo
My favorite high D’s are a Sindt and a Burke Session. I used to play the Burke in louder Sessions. It is louder and I don’t know why, but I feel the tone more than with the Burke than I do with the Sindt if it is noisy.
Then I heard a good recording of a Session (with around a dozen musicians) and had the feeling, that my whistle (Burke) could have been less pushy (it was the only high D). Since then, I try to play the Sindt more often in Sessions. It’s the one I normally play at home.