Anyone have a Burke aluminum narrow bore they would like to give their opinion on?
Hmmmm this should not take long. There are lots of Burkes out there, and no one has ever said they did not like it. I played a Burke low D at a session once. It had a very lovely tone. Just a little on the quiet side.
It’s very fast to finger, it sounds good, it’s loud enough for
the ensembles I play in but not very loud. If you search
you’ll find more. I think it’s a very good whistle.
I haven’t played the wider bore, so I can’t compare it to that, but it is plenty loud enough for all but the louder sessions. I’ve owned the aluminum and currently own the brass version (the DBN). Both are great whistles with a sweet, pure tone. Some people say they don’t sound like “real” Irish whistles, but since Michael Burke comes from Irish stock and it is a whistle, I think it counts! I love the sound of the narrow Burkes and like the sound of the brass even better than the aluminum.
I’ve owned a LOT of different whistle, and the Burke DBN is my favorite. Fast fingering, nice tone, not shrill in the upper octave and just plain pretty!
Feel free to PM if you want any more info…
Pat
Unfortunately a thread like this only attracts people who have the whistle who like to affirm their whistle is great, they have paid an awful lot of money for it afterall and they like to see everybody to get one as well.
The people who have rejected the whistle will keep politely silent and won’t come out to say the whistle is bland and overpriced if that’s their opinion.
I’m in agreement with Peter here, I’ve no idea what all the fuss is about with these whistles.
I bought one, a DBN earlier this year after reading a similar thread and was so disapointed.
It was bland and uninteresting and after playing it for about 3 months I sold it for what I feel they should be retail.
There are IMHO far better whistles for half and quarter of the price of a Burke.
I like reviews and hope that people will be honest. However, reading between the lines you can work out things for yourself that may be negative to you from a positive review. For instance I suppose I would feel that the whistle maybe is not very loud and has a pure sound, maybe not ‘traditional’ enough for some.
A negative review does not need to be nasty or impolite - although it can easily be if articulated crudely. If you remove the opportunity for opinion from a forum then it starts to lose the point for some people. We all have varying reasons for being here I suppose. Some are starting out with whistles, others have cut their teeth on a whistle when in the pram 80 years ago. Sound, feel, materials, a special gift, expense, the joy of something cheap - so many variables suit different people at different times. I personally like any reviews and hope nobody is dissuaded from telling it like they see it in a helpful way.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=iAyENIYI328
Sounds ok to me. 
I think everybody should play what they think suits their wants and needs. Questions like the one that started this thread are not likely to get a helpful overview of the various opinions.
Look for example at a thread asking for a particular narrowly defined sound or playability: it will get replies covering just about every whistle under the sun, regardless of it’s character or whether that character fits the original question. ‘Just get a Burke and you’ll be happy’ for example seems to be the standard reply of some to any question.
There is a group of very vocal supporters for just about any type of whistle that will chime in whenever they can, detractors will often be more quiet about their opinion.
Then there’s the matter of the originator who has started quite a number of similar threads, buying a truckload of whistles without seemingly being particularly happy with any of them. There should be a learning curve there as well.
Nothing for it but forming your own opinion by trying out a whistle for yourself, before you buy it.
And, before you buy a truckload of whistles, get one decent one and keep your money in your pocket while you learn to play.
This is surely good advice. My problem is that there are no vendors near me to try (except Alba - and I am going to visit there soon).
I also suffer from a collector mentality (which I think is quite common in the species). I have a grand collection of straight razors, for instance, which I have whittled right down to a rotation of 10. At one point I had 40 or more, found out what suited me best (I use them, not just collect) and moved 30 on. The thing I have never worried about is spending decent money on what is highly rated. I know that if it doesn’t suit me then I will get my money back on it tomorrow. If I buy obscure and cheap then I may be saddled with something obscure and cheap that doesn’t suit me and nobody else wants. However, I do buy obscure and cheap at times I should add…
I have almost stopped looking at buying whistles for now 
And I should also like to say that I rate this site very highly - really good info abounds here! With this resource, my weekly night class (with a great player - Hugh Marwick) and my enthusiasm for playing, I am improving at a good rate and having fun
really good info abounds here
Well, you’ll find varying opinions on that one as well. It depends on your perspective I suppose.
Sure, but how do you know what that one decent one is until buy a bunch looking for it?! Seriously, I still long to find that one good whistle that does it all. I think the vast majority of us know that sound and playability that we want but we spend $$$ looking for it. One does this that doesn’t do that very well - and another does that and doesn’t do this very well, etc. It really is a vicious game . . .
I say, we have to buy a truckload of whistles until we find THAT whistle. Then we can sell the ones we don’t like.
Ofcourse there’s no way of telling what a whistle is good at before you can play it.
That whole whistle buying compulsion thing is just utter nonsense. Recommending any beginner to spend hundreds on a whistle is a delusion and not at all helpful.
One of the teachers at the Willie Clancy summer school once said, speaking from experience that the ones that come into class with a stack of expensive whistles and going through them to find the best whistle for the the tune at hand are usually the ones who can’t play least.
Open minded and optimistic - always looking for the silver lining (that’s my perspective I mean )
Come on Peter, don’t sit on the fence. What do you really think?
Can you define what you mean by ‘nonsense’ in an inoffensive way? Is there a wider body of research that states the case for it being truly nonsense? Otherwise a very interesting opinion on collecting per se…
Tell that to Tony Hinnigan. I remember him saying that he always brings a mound of whisles with him to a gig because he always doesn’t know which whistle will sound best for the tune he is doing. Perhaps a bit different from a student stand point though.
It’s very fast to finger, it sounds good, it’s loud enough for
the ensembles I play in but not very loud. If you search
you’ll find more. I think it’s a very good whistle.
Opinions were requested. My opinion. If I didn’t believe it, I wouldn’t have posted it.
I’m not terribly enamored of burke whistles, this is the
only one I’ve ever played and I don’t know much
about them in general, I don’t
think everybody should own one.
If people have another opinion, that’s great. Some actually
have been expressed. But second guessing the motives
of those who express a positive opinion is as unhelpful
as doing it to those who express a negative one. There’s
enough integrity among us to go round.
I think this is bad for this board. We ought to be able to
express opinions without ad hominems. Disagreements
are fine, of course. It’s getting harder to say much here.
Your low opinion of the DBN is fine with me and I’d like to
know what you think the better, cheaper whistles are. They may
well exist. But why implicitly
question the motives of people expressing a positive opinion?
Nobody’s doing it to you. Why not an honest disagreement?
That’s actually interesting.
Well i admit to being one of those nonsense buyers Peter refers to.
I did buy a DASBT after i’d been doodling on whistle for about 3 months, and although i sold it long ago i certainly have absolutely no regrets buying it. It was a wonderful whistle for this beginner, totally predictable, easy to blow and whereas it may sound bland to some, it does sound nice when you aren’t that good a player. It served me well and allowed me to progress in my playing and technique without having to worry every moment about my breath control like some more “interesting” sounding whistles require.
I’ve also owned a Bleazey, Silkstone, Kerry, Rose, Alba, Hoover, O’Brian, Clarkes, Dixons, lots of cheapies and also tried many others at places like Hobgoblins and whistles on tours. The Rose finally replaced the Burke, and finally the Rose was replaced by a Sindt.
I don’t regret buying any of them. I learned something from all and didn’t lose very much money over the long term at all. In fact if i had to sum up what i spent on whistles less what i made selling off the ones i didn’t want and then divide that by the 3.5 years i’ve been playing i would reckon that i’ve spent only a few pence a week on whistles. So i don’t think it’s correct to look at it as wasting £100’s when in fact i’ve only spent a few pence weekly on a very rewarding hobby and found MY whistle along the way.
Or to look at it another way. If i’m to be thought of as silly for spending a few pence a week, what does one think of someone going and sitting in pub sessions spending about £3 a pint on beer all evening?
Personally, i don’t do pubs, hate the places, but i don’t condemn people who wish to find their whistling thrills spending extortionate sums of money funding government approved addictive drug pushing in such places so why should people like me be mocked or condemned for spending far far less supporting the great whistle makers of our age? I know who i’d rather give £100 to.
I’ll drink to that!
Stay hoopy,
Mike