New Reyburn High D Whistle

Whistle
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For those of you who haven’t seen his site or don’t own one of his whistles, Ronaldo Reyburn makes reasonably high-end high and low whistles, esp. the Ds. I bought one a couple of years ago and recently saw on his site that he had a new revised high D. Eh. After a few weeks I gave in to temptation and ordered the new and revised version. Wow. Told him I’d put a review up here, so…

Like the first one, it’s brass, beautifully finished, and a pleasure to handle, and it has the new style brass and Delrin head. At a ballpark guess it’s also about 1/16” longer, with slight differences in the hole patterns. The window is smaller, slightly different in shape, and Ronaldo says it’s wider at the front for easier blowing, with wings – I can’t see the wings, to my disappointment, but it does blow more easily, especially in the higher octave. Makes it quite dangerous at times, , since you can play faster without knowing it.

I did have to slightly adjust my low D and E fingering at the very first, but there’s no moisture from the slide, as there was sometimes with the maple-head D that was my first Reyburn. However, this one comes with an impressive amount of support material: three sheets of instructions on how to care for and tune the whistle, including the cps for different temperatures – VERY useful to me who lives in the Australian tropics and hasn’t seen the thermometer below 80degF since I got the whistle – and a pelon for cleaning the air passage.

As for the rest… it makes the previous Reyburn high D look positively dull, and that is/was a mighty whistle. (I’m still using its head with the C barrel as my C and F whistle.) All the good stuff came through, it’s still responsive as hell and fast as greased butter when you want it, and loud without going raucous. The top octave is better in this one, though, a little more pure and strong, especially the top A and B, and needing a little less air. But the real kicker is the extra chiff in the lower octave. What sold me on the original maple-head Reyburn was its rich, velvety, smoky, fillintheadjective mellowness. Much as I loved the first Delrin-headed whistle, it was a little clearer overall. With this one, though, the chiff is back with a vengeance. Playing the lower octave, in something like an air where you have time to dwell on the notes, the harmonics, if that’s the right term for a whistle, can almost make me think of a flute.

Since then I’ve played this High D at home in my living room, in a weekend-long gig in a canvas marquee with our own group, including a big piano accordeon, miked on stage with the big local bush band, and when I’m practicing, along with CDs of L. E. McCullough. It’s held its own everywhere. Growing up in the bush, I learnt my father’s version of supreme approval for a stockman – cowboy, in the US version – who could handle whatever unexpected or expected crisis cattle-work threw at him. “He’s there when you want him.” This whistle’s there when you want it. For me, that’s all you really need to say.

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another recent review:

http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=22603

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Is this a review of the same New Reyburn design that Bloomfield reviewed? Or is it a newer New Reyburn?

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I can’t help feeling that you are making too much this. The Reyburns are handmade and they’re going to vary, I haven’t played enough Reyburns to judge consistency but in my mind there are only two whistlesmiths who are consistently good (Overton & Sindt), all others have considerable variation (in quality and characteristics) (I don’t have a basis to judge O’Riordan or Rose). I’ve played at least as many bad Copelands as good ones (all the low Ds were good though). Good whistle smiths tinker with their designs, and right that they should, too. I’ve not seen such vast differences in the Reyburns that reviews wouldn’t apply anymore.

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Ok. I have.

Yes, whistles vary even if they are made by the same maker, but makers generally follow the same design in each of their whistles. Ronaldo is on a self-stated mission of ever-improvement (to his taste). I really liked the first New Reyburn d I played. I have not liked another one since, of the six I have encountered. I know that people sent and ordered his whistles based on my review and more than several people wrote to me to tell me they didn’t agree with my review. I talked to Ronaldo about it and it turned out he doesn’t even have a record of the measurements of the whistle that I reviewed, and he, most likely, didn’t make others like it. So yes, by all means, he is capable of making a good whistle, and it is an asset to us that he will tailor a whistle to the player’s desires. However, I still find a review of his whistle, as if it is a standardized thing, meaningless.

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WOW! Jessie, I just had to comment…

Isn’t it wonderful that we aren’t all alike? That some of us play in large groups, outdoors, some play quietly in their own living room, still others want to play with a piano in church, or in a pub with an accordian. Some are right-handed, some left, some like to “whale on it”, while others prefer to fade into the background. It seems to me that having a maker that can accomodate all these tastes and still consistently produce a marvelous instrument with amazing sound quality is a huge boon to us as individual players!

I know when I purchased my low d, and later my high c whistles from Ronaldo, he spent almost an hour with me on the phone each time, asking me questions about what I specifically wanted. Many of his questions were things I had never given much thought to. Ronaldo custom taylored the hole patterns for ease of reach, explained “just” and “equal” temperament, and wanted to know which venues I preferred to play in. Did I like to stand out? or be a “background” player? Did I have small hands or long fingers? Breathy or lots of “chiff”? He even makes left-handed whistles and special fingerings for those whose fingers can’t reach the typical hole patterns. My whistles were individually taylored to my taste, and I value them as some of my most cherished possessions!

I’m not surprised that you loved the one he made for you, and didn’t particularly like the ones you played that belonged to others. I personally am happy that we’re not all alike, and that there are still craftsmen out there that appreciate that, and have the expertise to accomodate our differences. There are only a few makers that don’t follow the cookie cutter approach, finding a design that suits them and punching them out in mass quantities. Consistency is not the highest art form! As a musician, I don’t expect to get to a degree of perfection that I don’t have to keep perfecting my art, and I don’t expect a maker to do so, either.

I appreciate the degree of expertise that it takes to accomodate an instrument to it’s owner. And the fact that Ronaldo doesn’t copy that design for everyone is, in my opinion, to our benefit. I love hearing that someone finds his or her “new Reyburn” delightful for their taste, and know that if I want a sweeter high end, or richer tones than the clip I hear, that Ronaldo can actually create it. What a wonderful gift!

I realize that if you review a whistle and he changes it for the next person, it seems to invalidate your opinion. But I see it as just that, your opinion. To know that the maker is bringing years of experience to each creation means that each and every whistle receives the impeccable quality of workmanship, and individual details that tailor it to it’s new owner. I see that as a gift, and will continue to play and enjoy MY Reyburn for years to come.

Constance

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Constance - Good point, and very well said.