I just called Patrick O’Riordan to order one of his whistles, and he very politely told me that he has enough orders right now to keep him busy for the next two years. He’s not accepting new orders at the present time.
I’m very disappointed because I’ve heard his D whistle played & it’s beautiful.
If anyone can recommend a whistle of a similar quality, I’d appreciate the advice!
Woooooooooopppppppeeeeeeeee 
Ahem! Excuse me for my joyfulness.
That is really sad to hear, they are such excellent whistles, everyone should have the chance to own and play one.
I have a concert set D/C in cocobolo which I have owned for eight years. One O’Riordan wooden whistle in D sold for $600 on e-bay late last year. My set just made my pension plan.
MarkB
to my ears burke’s sound best and play best. www.burkewhistles.com
have a listen at www.tinwhistletunes.com
I find it interesting that you asked for ‘similar quality’ not ‘similar sound’.
Many of the wooden whistles are of similar quality, but the O’Riordan is by far the most solid, heaviest instrument I have. Michael Cronnolly of M&E is making one now of similar heft, greater volume.
I agree that the Burke whistles are superb, especially for the value. But they are not wood.
I’m curious about this heft phenomenon.
Would one of you folks who have an O’Riorden be able to make a fairly precise measurement of the wall thickness and bore of a soprano D O’Riorden?
I would be looking for measurements within about 1/64th of an inch (that’s a fourth of a 16th of an inch). Most rulers show 16th divisions, so you can eyeball it pretty close to 1/64th tolerance.
Thanks!
Jerry
I find it interesting that you assumed the original poster was looking for a wooden O’Riordan. Many of us play (and prefer) his non-wooden whistles.
That said, Burke whistles neither play nor sound like O’Riordans, of any sort. They are wildly different whistles.
I heard from a long time whistler (an exceptionally talented whistler) that Abells are even better.
Actually I can’t imagine a better whistle than a Burke, though.
I’ve about given up on taking anyone’s ‘word’ for how good a whistle is. Either:
the expensive high-end whistles vary quite a bit (certainly a possibility), or
people have incredibly different preferences about what they want in a whistle and/or how they play the whistle (making it sound/play differently for them than it does for me)
After having tried multiple whistle from some of same makers (and finding the whistles very similar), I suspect that #2 accounts for much of this.
-bp
jluckett,
in the other thread you say that you’ve been at it for 4 1/2 months. My advice is to stick with Generations or Feadogs (or sweetones, if you like their sound). There is much information here on C&F if you want to make them a bit sweeter and better. Learn to make those whistles sing first.
Listen to the music a lot and go find players in your area. Try other players’ whistles.
If you insist on spending money, get on the waiting list for a Sindt.
Oh, and don’t take the advice of people on c&f.
I’m certainly not an exceptionally talented whistler, but I have a half-dozen D whistles that I like better than my Abell. There are a few people on this board whose opinions I greatly respect who think their Abells are the best whistles out there, and one in particular who has quite similar taste in whistles to mine. In this case, I think it’s differences among hand-made whistles. I know also that she bought a Wilson partly on my recommendation and returned it; she wouldn’t have returned the one that I play. Also, I consider my Thin Weasel C among the best whistles on the planet, whereas the first one that Glenn sent me didn’t thrill me (I had ordered macassar, but he mistakenly sent blackwood).
I agree that taste has a lot to do with it, though. Outside the Bb, I’ve never met a Generation that I liked, and I’ve played many. I’ve played Overton low-D’s side-by-side with Burkes and liked the Burkes better, same with the low-G’s. I wouldn’t ever say that Overtons are not great whistles, though, just that they’re not to my taste.
All the people with different tastes are what contributes to the great veriety of whistles and music available. After all, if we were all the same, we’d have nothing to talk about.
That’s the best advice I’ve ever seen here. Like my dad always said back in the good old days, If you want three opinions, just ask two C&Fers.
It definitely is both the incredibly different preferences of players AND the differences in handmade instruments.
For instance, I’ve tried enough Burkes to know that Burke whistles are not for me. They feel mushy and are completely unsatisfying. Ick. (The exception is the low D, which is decent and very easy to play.)
On the other hand, I do know some good whistle players that like them. They are well made instruments.
First let me say that it is a sad day indeed when the great Pat O’Riordan stops taking orders… and I hope the situation is only temporary, and due to his very long waiting list and not because of any health problems.
Second, being a whistle maker myself, I can really relate to the issue of consistancy from one whistle to the next.
Even when using precision machinist tools and keeping tolerances within a few thousandths of an inch, the crazy things will still vary… sometimes considerably.
I know it sounds silly, but it’s almost as if they have individual personalities.
Gary: I spoke with Pat, last evening. He sounded happy, as is his way. I could hear him smiling through the phone lines…
Best to all on this Friday the 13th.
Byll
Yeah , what he said! In any given batch, each whistle usually comes out a bit different in some undefinable way.
I don’t agree Bloomfield; if I’d done that I’d probably have given up by now. It was having quality whistles in my hands that gave added inspiration to play.
jluckett: your original question was what whistle sounds like an O’Riordan, and what I sense has happened in some of the replies is that people are telling you what they would get in your shoes, not necessarily what sounds like an O’Riordan. IMHO, the closest is the Rose blackwood, both in looks and sound (and definitely in build quality) - doubtless someone who owns both will contest that statement
I’ve played an Abell and I would take Rose and O’Riordan ahead of it. Listen to Mick Woodruff on www.fingertrip.net to hear a Rose. I’ve also owned Burke and Sindt and wouldn’t go for either. Good luck!
This is good advice. The sound difference between a $5 Sweetone and a $80 Burke (the best metal whistle in the planet) 
is not that great. The Burke has less hiss, has a better 3rd octave…
The one thing that is hard to get out of the cheap whistles is volume, but as a beginner, why would you want to get a loud whistle anyway?
I say i agree with Bloomfield; get more experience under your belt before you start spending money.
Oh, and don’t take the advice of people on c&f.
Very good. Now try this one: “This sentence is false.”
Oh, and to quote Wesley (or Fezzig’s mother, depending on if you’re quoting the movie or the book), “music is hard; whoever says otherwise is trying to sell you an expensive whistle!”
Buy whatever whistle you want. No doubt most whistle players started and continued on cheapies. I’m like Nick, though, and if I’d stuck with my Clarke, I probably never would have learned much on the whistle. The Water Weasels kept me playing, and the thought of Thin Weasels motivated me. No sense spending $250 on a whistle you can’t play.
Amem.
I think the Clarke (original) is a bad whistle to learn on. Great for doing special Irishoid effects, but hard to play melody in a satisfactory way, for a beginner. The Sweetone is much easier to play. Even Generation is easier than Clarke. There are rumours that there are great Generations out there again; apparently they’re moving towards the high point in the sine wave curve that characterizes their whistle quality. My advice for a beginner would be to get one of the Sweetones or Generations that are sold “tweaked” by people on this board. Getting a tweaked whistle eliminates the luck factor that’s always present when you buy a whistle, but much more so for the cheap ones. You’re getting a whistle that’s guaranteed by an experienced player, to be a good one.
The thing with whistles (and flutes too) is there is no perfect instrument out there, so you end up buying a lot of them looking for the perfect one. However, each whistle make is really a different beast from the others, and it takes a while to learn to play any particular whistle well, so having too many whistles is not necessarily a good strategy either.
I stuck with Burke for a long time, and i still love it, but recently started playing a Water Weasel because i needed the extra loudness for playing in a session. I personally think if you want to spend money, the W.W. is hard to beat for its price (the W.W. is the plastic version of the much more expensive wooden Thin Weasel). And with a little bit of practice, the W.W. can be played loud or soft as you wish. It’s reasonably in tune and doesn’t look ugly.
But stick around this board and you may find real bargains. For example, i just bought a Ralph Sweet whiltle for $25, which would have cost me at least $100 if i had bought it new (which i wouldn’t have). This is not uncommon around here, there’s a lot of generous people here.