What is the concensus of opinion on the O’reardon Whistles? I have a chance to pick one up, and want to know if it is worth it. thanks
Do you meant a whistle by Patrick O’Riordan. If you do, snatch it up. Pat does not take new orders as his waiting list go too long. Now, think this one over, long waiting list means popularity which usually means a nice Whistle
Not to mention that O’Riordans are approaching a mythical status, in addition to being unavailable.
Six years ago, when I first joined the board, I got the feeling that it was generally understood that it was impossible to get an O’Riordan. I imagine that you’ll never have this chance again. As to the quality of the whistle, I think it is regarded as one of the best “high-end” whistles, but really it depends on what you’re looking for.
If nothing else, you won’t have any trouble reselling it.
I had an O’Riordan C/D Traveler set for a while. It is a very nice whistle set. It is EXTREMELY pure sounding, to the point of losing some sweetness to the sound which my wife fell in disfavor with. I traded this set away recently (for some VERY nice olive whistles, Bleazey and Abell 
). I prefer the sound of my Rose high D to that of the O’Riordan. The O’R whistles are also quite demanding in the breath requirement department. Not that they have tons of back pressure (they don’t) or play like an open pipe (they don’t). The whistles I had I describe as a highly tuned race car. Like the race car, which demands to be driven the way it wants to be driven, the whistles demand to be played a certain way and are not terribly forgiving. Play my way or the hiway.
I have not played a concert O’R, which are made of wood, but have a similar head joint I understand.
If O’reardon wasn’t a typo it sounds like a nice scam. Maybe some taiwanese instrument maker heard of Pat’s reputation and decided to make a nice, unplayable copy.
I must agree with IDAwHOa on this one. I own 2 sets of O’Riordan
Traveller Sets. One in E Flat/D the other in D/C. They are very pure
sounding. Listen to Joanie Madden’s “Song of the Irish Whistle.” As far as
the Concert (wood) O’Riordans, I have a set in Kingwood D/C and this set
is fantastic. These whistles, I believe, are not for beginners. They do
require complete breath control. Once mastered, the sound is absolutely
beautiful, nothing else like it.
-James
A Stor Mo Chroi