I am in the market for my first serious high end whistle. High D. BTW,I have a Sindt on order. Mainly interested in alloy as opposed to wood or polymer. Currently my best is a tuneable Dixon,which I like very much. I’m looking for a whistle with pure, clear tone, little or no chiff. Volume is not really an issue, but would like a whistle with some presence and authority to it’s tone. Any suggestions are helpful…
Can’t go wrong with a Silkstone alloy soprano D… I’ve had mine for a year and it’s great - no moisture build-up in the windway, excellent volume, superb craftsmanship and it looks good too. My only complaints would be that it is VERY loud in the upper second octave, and it’s quite heavy so if you get greasy hands when you play you’ll have to hold it horizontally when playing C, etc. Overall a great buy, I still play it often even though I own a Copeland and an Overton.
On 2002-05-21 22:21, DaveG wrote:
… I’m looking for a whistle with pure, clear tone, little or no chiff. Volume is not really an issue, but would like a whistle with some presence and authority to it’s tone. Any suggestions are helpful…
Overton whistles have many qualities, but pure, clear and no chiff are not part of them 
I tried a Harper sop.D in Hobgoblin some time ago, and found it difficult to play. I really needed to push it to get a tone - it became so loud that all the guitars and banjo’s in the shop started to resonate, not pretty!
Good luck
Jeroen
Well…when I first got my Harper i was terrible disappointed. The NEXT time I tried it…I thought…it was okay. NOW…I LOVE it. IT has a very different feel. The blade is real thick. After I have been playing awhile I have really come to appreciate it. Its NOT the “sweetest” sound. It has a little bit of a dark sound..a bit of chiff but not alot. ITs very responsive and has a very wide range in terms of volume…which I find makes it really an emotional sound. I have a Silkstone composite. It is a lovely whistle too. They are both very well tuned. The Silkstone is much “sweeter” (as is the Burke that I have). The Harper on the other had really captures that MOURNFUL type sound that I love on whistles. From what you are discribing…that you want, you may want to try a BURKE. They are VERY sweet and truly lovely whistles. The price on them (if money is a consideration) is a bit less than the Silkstone alloy or the Harper.
[ This Message was edited by: dd on 2002-05-22 09:01 ]
Someone, somewhere on this board, has an Overton D for sale for $75. I don’t have the time to look for it, but I have had contact with the individual within the last 24 hours, as I have just sold an Overton, myself… The $75 whistle is still for sale. Good luck.
Cheers.
Byll
‘Everything Matters…’
Lisa Diane Cope 1963-1979
[ This Message was edited by: Byll on 2002-05-22 11:04 ]
On 2002-05-22 00:18, Phlebas wrote:
Can’t go wrong with a Silkstone alloy soprano D…
it’s quite heavy
I own a Copeland and an Overton.
Sorry, here, I am sitting at the computer right now with both my Copeland and my Silkstone alloy out, and the Copeland is far heavier.
M
Don’t know where I will be ultimately, but I find the Burke really easy to play and beautiful. I own Brass and Al Ds and love them both. I have since bought an E and a C, which I also really like.
For the money, you can’t go wrong. it seems like a lot of the whistlers on this site get them first then eventually spend more but often refer to the Burkes as reliable favorites.
To me, its a good buying strategy for a person seeking to have better whistles. I may eventually want a $300 whistle but for now, I can own three Burkes in various keys that are usable in any fashion for the same cash. They are guaranteed by the builder who is a solid dependable guy and you don’t have to wait for most of the common models. And they are well-known so you could re-sell them with no problem. People do it on this forum a lot.
I tried several Harpers at Lark In the Morning and found them resistant to deliver your scales in an approximately equal fashion. They look nice but I sure didn’t want one after playing it. As I say, this could change over time as my lungs and playing style evolves.
[ This Message was edited by: The Weekenders on 2002-05-22 16:07 ]
I’ve got Harper D/C and G/A sets, and yes, they take a bit of push (I’m nowhere near getting a decent tone out of the G yet). I’ve never played an Overton or Silkstone, so I can’t give you a direct comparison there, but I can tell you that the Harper D takes much less air and sounds far sweeter than my delrin Seery, and takes more air and sounds much more solid than my Burke WBB or Parkhurst (all sopDs). Caveat here that I’ve only had the Burke and Parkhurst for a few weeks, and may warm up to them as I play and compare them all a bit more. Currently though, the Harper D is my whistle of choice.
Quote: “Sorry, here, I am sitting at the computer right now with both my Copeland and my Silkstone alloy out, and the Copeland is far heavier”
-Yes, but he was asking about the Silkstone, and I never said it was heavier than the Copeland, just heavy.
I agree with most of what’s been said. I can’t comment on the Silkstone, but would say that based on your desires, a Burke would be a much better choice than Overton or Harper.
I recently acquired a Harper G/A set from another board member. It didn’t take me any time to warm up to them. They do take a lot of pressure and very little air, the tone is very complex and has that far off sound that’s great in low whistles, and they’re beautiful to look at. My only complaint is that they clog so easily – I’m a bit careless about warming them up.
Funny, after playing them for a couple of weeks, I went back to my Water Weasels, and despite how much I like the Harpers, I actually appreciate the Weasels more than before. So many whistles, so little time.
Charlie
I dont have a g/a harper. But…I do have a soprano D one. It really doesnt take much “push” so dont let that put you out. I love both my Burke Brass and the Harper. They are both first rate, and I love the Silkstone I have too!!! The question is how much do you want to spend and what volume and tone you want. Best thing is to go and TRY them if possible.
-I have a Silkstone Alloy D+, am a newbie, but find it responds clearly to precision blowing with a pure tone, and at moderate volume, but very loud in upper octave if the windway is wet. This means a warm-up period (for me, 5-10 minutes) is a good idea! -Less breath required in upper octave than the standard Susato D, but playing each has improved the other.
It would make a nice counterpoint to the warm-toned Sindt you’ve ordered, as its forte is a session-level penetrating tone and volume. The warm-up period sweetens the upper octave and helps prevent wet-whistle screech at F#’ and above. I haven’t played the standard Silkstone
alloy D, just the D+, but doubt you’d go wrong with either one. It doesn’t have the
recorder-like lower end mellow quietude like the Susato, but sounds like what it is at
all points: A well-tuned and designed metal whistle good for anything from “Sailor’s Hornpipe” to “Inisheer”. (Apologies to the original Gaelic)
Whistlito ergo …
[ This Message was edited by: brianormond on 2002-05-26 17:40 ]