I really love this whistle. It is the perfect whistle. Its full and pleasing tone, with no airy hiss but no shrill, piercing scream, wows me every time. I have a somewhat irrational fear of various modes of transportation (it goes back to some traumatic events like the car accident that almost killed my mom when I was 8, and getting hit by a minivan when on a bicycle when I was 19). I am not afraid of flying unless there is severe turbulence. Anyway, there have been times when I started to get scared while travelling and I had this whistle with me. I actually thought that the universe (some would call it God) would not let this whistle be destroyed, because it is too perfect, so I would be ok. I have and have had A LOT of handmade whistles, but this one was my first AND is, by a rather large margin, still my favorite.
I have played about 20 or 30 Abell d whistles. There was one that was as good as mine, but a bit louder (Loren has that one, and he got it from Chris Laughlin). I got really lucky with my Abell d. I am grateful. Anyone else want to write love notes about their favorite whistle(s)?
Now that’s a review that means a d__n sight more than some waffly poop about silver bells in alpine valleys.
Sadly, none of the whistles I have evoke any great emotion in me. I’ll just have to keep buying them until I find The One. But my new Eb flute, well that’s a different story…
Alas, Jessie, I am more fickle and can neither play nor love but one whistle…my favored harem:
Copeland Low G - singularly the most rewarding whistle I’ve ever played; perfectly balanced as to volume and tone, providing the most resonant tone, a deep throaty low end and a nice sensuous not shrill high end
O’Riordan Low G - surely manna from the Gods, the easiest silkiest honey sweet tone (compliments of Terry Briley)
Abell blackwood Bflat - beautiful to look at, easy to play, laid back mellow, yet consistently strong lovely tone
Burke black tip brass soprano D - definitely my main squeeze, my steady. Dependable, responsive, strong, good balance, enough character of tone to stay up there…
Lastly, Schultz Water Weasel Bflat - not as pretty as the others, some might call her cheap; but what a bang for the buck. Big round sound and travels well.
As Loren says, I never met a whistle I didn’t like, but those are my lasting favorites over a long period of time.
Well everyone knows my number one favorite is my Alba Q1 followed closely by my Hoover Whitecap/Oak. The Alba has a beautiful tone that I love. I wondered what the difference was between it and my otheres. When I looked at the spectral display I noticed that the Alba has a large 2nd harmonic content with the other harmonics dropping off logrithmically. The other whistles have very little 2nd harmonic but a large 3rd harmonic content with the other odd harmonics predominating. The White cap has a different tone but one that I like a lot. It is a very nice clean sound.
The best cheap whistle is a Walton’s Mellow D that is one of the easiest whistles to play that I have found. It is very nearly perfect. The worst whistle that I have is a Walton’s Little Black Whistle. The difference between the two Walton’s is like night and day. The LBW does not produce an acceptable sound no matter what I do.
My favorite whistle to play is my Bleazey Low D. I have had lots of different low D whistles. I currently have a Copeland, Overton, Jubillee Aluminum and the Bleazey. I can be playing any of the first three and Renee will comment. Wnen I pick up and play the Bleazey she sits down and listens. She says it makes her feel h…, well swoon.
Best money I ever spent on a whistle.
A very close second is my Overton. I love the backpressure of it. When I hit the holes just right it sounds just as advertized, the “cosmic drain pipe.”
Hee! I did say that Jessie, but I think you misunderstood Phil’s comment: I said (to Phil) that HE never met a whistle he didn’t like We all know there are plenty of whistles I don’t like
Glad to hear you’re still in love with your Abell, it is certainly the sweetest sounding Abell I’ve ever heard. I still love mine, and am glad I didn’t sell it, (wish I still had the Olwell though, allergies and all.)
I enjoy a sense of connection with several of my instruments.
First and formost is my 1971 Goya 12 String Guitar. We’ve been togeather for over a third of a century and I still find its strenghth and brightness refreshing.
For Whistles My Burke Narrow Bore D and Overton Low-D both do well, nudging my heart from time to time.
My Flute, a Dixon 3 piece, is a growing warmth, slowly replacing a voice rusted from age and allergies. At a recent multi-genre session, it found the moments to “Just Play” the way I used to ‘just sing’.
I have some other whistles and instruments that I like, but these have found special connections.
We all know there are plenty of whistles I don’t like 
