Just got a Burke High D Session Brass whistle for Xmas. This is my first “high end” whistle. Before this, it was Generations, Clarkes and my narrow bore Susato. Now, there’s nothing wrong with any of those whistles, but Oh my God! This Burke is really is a sweet one!
All of you who have been raving about them are quite right! Thanks for the guidance.
Good on ya! Those Burkes are great whistles made by an equally great man. I had a Brass Pro Session for several years myself - great whistle for recording. The second octave on the whole is probably it’s best feature in my judgement, though sometimes the second octave D would come off a bit squirrely and rough. Apart from that, a VERY nicely made whistle. If you haven’t already, you may want to grab a small bit of cork grease or slide grease and use it to help the tuning rings slide a bit better against the metal. I don’t know if Mike includes this when he ships (mine came to me from another proud owner) but it will help to keep the tuning mechanism smooth down the road.
Best!
B~
desert_whistler, I think that may be the best D whistle ever made.
Brian must have gotten a (rare) bad one, or maybe it had been abused, or maybe it was the older model before the Delrin-lined windway. I’ve never heard of anyone else having trouble with the second octave D. (Beware of second-hand whistles, even if you think you can trust the previous owner.)
Cork grease? Brilliant. I’ve been wondering what to use on my Burke aluminum sessions. Thanks for the info. 
LOL I don’t think I had a “bad” whistle at all. I think this is exactly the way it was designed to play - and after playing about ten others in my travels across the country, I can tell you they ALL have had this trait. It’s not a big deal really, and to many, it might not even be all that noticeable. At it’s worst, the second octave D on the Burke was still miles above many lesser whistles in tonal quality. And yes, I trust the previous owner completely - the whistle was almost new when I received it myself. 
Bri~
I must be incredibly lucky! I own 4 Burke Ds, and none of them have a strange 2nd octave D (unless I get spit or dirt in the windway).
I recently “discovered” after several months of playing my Burkes that the second octave “D” is much cleaner when I lift the top finger. I’ve always played with all six down.
That’s an amateur for ya…
:roll:
It’s amazing that the correct fingering for 2nd octave D works the best!