Can anyone enlighten me between these two..I came across a Goldie for 130.00…is it worth it?
I play a Ó Briain “improved” D myself and I like it a lot! It plays very well… fast and in tune. It is a bit shrill though and you really have to be careful not to overblow it. On the other side… when you get used to it, it’s a real pleasure to play it.
I can’t commend on the Overton (sadly), but I’d say go for the Ó Briain (not too expensive as well). I have a Generation Eb that’s just what I needed, so for now I don’t need another Eb. Although I’ll be ordering a Olwell bamboo Eb soon 
These two whistles are about as different as you could get. The O’Briain whistles are very sweet sounding and require practically zero breath pressure to play. This takes a little getting used to but they are perfect for playing at home or in a session, and the price is right. (BTW I like my home-tweaked Generation Ebs better still, and the price is even righter.)
Overtons are powerful whistles with a wonderful, airy, chiffy sound. They require thorough warming up and very assertive playing - sustained breath pressure (although paradoxically they don’t take much air throughput). This takes more getting used to. But listen to Brian Finnegan (of Flook) if you want to know what an Eb Overton can sound like in the mouth of a master.
If you’re a relative beginner, I’d say go for the O’Briain and wait until you get the chance to try a high Overton for a day or two - or a week or two - to see if it suits you before you buy one. If it does suit you, you’ll love it.
[quote=“StevieJ”]
Overtons… require very assertive playing - sustained breath pressure…This takes more getting used to.
quote]
Colin, geeze, would you get this guy an easy blower, he sounds like an old woman! 
Loren
I’ve played Overtons that offered very much backpressure and some that offered very little. But still, Overtons require breath support in a way that is different from “open” whistles through which the air flows fast and easy. If you just breathe down an Overton, you are not getting the optimal sound out of it. To blow them you want to support your breath. That takes the sound to a new level, reduces clogging and gives you a new level of expressiveness. I think “assertive” describes this working with the breath on Overtons quite well. It applies to the easier blowing Overtons, as well (I don’t know if I’ve played an Overton officially labelled “easy blower” but I have played some that could have been labelled that). Some Overtons do require relatively little breath pressure, but they all want breath support and assertion. That’s my experience, anyway.
Maybe you’ve been doing it so long, you don’t notice it anymore, Loren. 
Nah, I just quit playing those toy whistles made for children 
Honestly, I’m just fooling around with you and Steve 
(I’m sure you both know it) I agree that even and easy blowing Overton is going to play very differently from the cheapie Gen, O’Briain, Oak, etc. type whistle.
Loren
Ah! Too bad you havent been able to reproduce a whistle half as good… I’m not sure you saved that much money over an improved one if you take the recently wasted whistles
Session at my place, when when?
If I can be forgiven for posting about something I sell …
A tweaked Shaw Eb can be pretty magical, too. There’s something about the Eb that gives even more than the D, of that “pure-drop, authentic Irish trad” sound of the kind that’s associated with a Clarke Original, only cleaner, stronger, etc.
Best wishes,
Jerry
(They’re $26.50 plus postage, BTW.)
This, my friends, from a man who not so long ago was ready to give me his girlfriend in exchange for a certain green-topped tweakie.
And your point is… ?
Maybe he wants the whistle back?
I think he’s saying that he wants my ex-girlfriend, and is willing to exchange his whistle for her.
I rather think Steve’s point was that you consider a good tweaked Generation Eb to be more desirable than a girl friend. But for reasons I can’t quite make out, Steve regards that as strange.