I’m interested in buying a tunable low whistle… I have about $200 to spend and I’m wondering what the best whistle for my money would be. Thanks in advance for any advice!:-)…
My personal short answer: Overton. Get it direct from Colin Goldie at www.overton.de (you can write and speak to him & and his wife Brigitte in English).
I can also recommend an Alba low D, www.albawhistles.com if you like something that offers no back pressure. It is also a bit cheaper.
Hi Orbis. It would help if you told us what key you are interested in. A is on the cusp between low and high but lows go down to subwoofers like Bb an octave down. Common choices are A, G, F, Eb and (most commonly) D. But if you want to ease into low whistle playing, you’ll probably find a G or F much easier to play than a D. The higher you go, the more you’ll get for your money. Further, some makes of whistles excel in one key but not another. So it would help us a lot to know a bit more.
errrrr… I just assumed he meant a low D. 
To errrrr is human.
I recommend a Reyburn standard bore Low D. It’s easy to play and has a lovely resonant sound. But if you get an Overton, a bit harder to play but with a stronger tone, by all means get it directly from Colin and Brigitte.
I’d even say, Es irrrrrrrt der Mensch solang er strebt.
Bloomie, you probably would have recommended Overton no matter what he was after
Can you blame me? 
Orbis: There is an e-mail waiting for you…
Best.
Byll
I bought a Dixon a couple of months back. It is easy to play once you get over the low breath requirement on the first octave and it sounds great. This was my first low D so can’t compare with others.
Brian
Depending on what you’re looking for, a Burke might be best. It doesn’t have the Cosmic Drainpipe sound of the Overton or the muffled flute sound of a Copeland, it just kind of sounds like a big whistle. But it’s SOOO easy to play. It has moderate breath requirements, and you can really push it in the lower octave, and it never clogs. There are often some in stock at Song of the Sea, too.
In your price range, Overton would be a pretty sure bet. However, I am also curious about but haven’t yet found anyone who has experience with Michael Burke’s new Viper Low D (listed at $210). Also curious to see how Sandy Jasper’s low D Elfsong comes out…
Regards,
PhilO
?
Michael Burke got Vipers?
hmmm…
serpent
Yep, Serp, Mike’s got Vipers; don’t think you can trademark that one; also it applies to a low D; your’s to a soprano D. Sounds interesting; I wish someone who has one would speak up already…
PhilO
Everyone should have vipers. Vithout them how vould ve clean our vindshields? 
[/quote]
Michael Burke got Vipers?
hmmm…
serpent[/quote]
Mike does have vipers, but a few more treatments with viper dip and he should be completely cured. 
Doc
As to the low-D question allow me to illuminate with my opinion.
I’ve owned the following:
Dixon: Great starter you’ll be happy with it for about a week then want something louder.
Laughing: Wonderful sweet tones but extremely quiet.
Burke: Quite bueno. Easy to play comes in EZ version to resolve low-D reach issues if necessary. The comoposite has a cool woody sound. Sounds like a big whistle (see Chas’ reply above).
Copeland: Heavy, takes much air, lovely flute-like tone…I bought a flute instead.
Overton: Unique sound…listen to some clips. Fair bit of back pressure helps you not to run out of air so quickly (warning: may cause inexperienced eyeballs to bulge slightly).
Reyburn: Astounding, rich unique tone most varied tonal pallette available. Possibly has a slightly higher learning curve due to wide range of expression. Wooden fipple is far nicer than anything metal. Get the off-set holes and play the third and sixth holes with your pinkies. Also, get the just-tuned model. My Reyburn is the only Low-D I still own. It’s the only whistle for which my wife smiles when I take it out.
Cheers,
Doc
Incidently, another strong point in favor of the Reyburn is that Jessie likes it.
In case you don’t know, it’s very very important to do what pregnant women tell you!
Doc