Michael Burke. He makes good whistles, yes? I’ve been thinking about buying just a brass high D, but I’m not entirely sure. $200 isn’t bad, I can afford it. I’ve been needing a whistle upgrade anyway. Has anyone had experience with these whistles? What is there to know about the company? Tell me the good and the bad please. Also, If you think there are any better whistles out there at around the same price, I would love to hear your suggestions. Many Thanks!
They’re great whistles. The sound clips on the site are very accurate so if you like how they sound, you should get one. There’s no bad side to owning a Burke. Michael is very responsive and the customer service is excellent should a problem arise.
Just for your own information, the aluminum whistles are very light, the brass are more weighty. I’ve never owned a Burke composite so I can’t comment on those.
Good luck.
“Please. Talk me into buying a Burke tin whistle”
Okay well, here’s a sure-fire tactic that worked every time with the ex-wife:
“You shouldn’t do it.” (you could see her mind working…)
“You can’t afford it.” (she would start shifting from one foot to the other, far-away look, glassy-eyed…)
“You don’t need it.” (at this point you could smell the lint in her pocket start to smolder…)
“… And you are definitely going to need that money for other things in the near future.”
Now if you were her, 12 hours after that last bit, the bank account would be near-empty. 3 weeks later, I’d be coming home to a crate of Burke whistles in every key and material sitting on the front porch. One day after the whistles arrived, you would decide that you would rather play the flute instead because whistles really aren’t your cup of tea after all…
All joking aside, you really can’t go wrong with a Burke. Every one I’ve had or played was flawless. Even if you end up deciding later that the Burke isn’t quite for you, the resale value on these is great… like I said, you really can’t go wrong.
Not everyone has the same taste in whistles, however, I think most who have tried a Burke are extremely pleased.
Try the Search function for this Forum as there is a bevy of information and opinions available.
I’ve never regretted buying my Burkes. I’ve owned many other whistles before, and have bought a few more since buying Burkes, but I no longer feel the need to buy any more high-end whistles, and that has saved me a bundle! Best investment ever!
I’m just going to chime in here with some differing opinions. I do not like Burke whistles, generally (two exceptions are two very old style whistles, one in brass, one in aluminum, that to me play very differently from his newer ones). Every time I try a Burke, I notice immediately that the upper octave takes a lot more air relative to the bottom, than “cheap” whistles like Generations and Feadogs. These are my preferred types and the makes of my two favourite whistles, by the way. In addition to the upper octave, the high end of the upper octave (A, B and up, and sometimes even the G) takes a huge amount of air relative to the rest of the upper octave, and by extension way more than the lower. Even the two exceptions exhibit the same symptoms, just much less so. I also generally find that Burkes do not speak or respond as quickly or as well as I’d like.
I find that the biggest downside is that regardless of what you throw at them, in terms of air and fingering, the sound doesn’t change all that much. This is great for a beginner, because you don’t have to develop fine control over the air. Unfortunately this is also really bad for a beginner because you aren’t forced to develop good air control.
And last is that I’ve never found the sound of a Burke in a session to be pleasing… They’re just a little too pure, or a little too loud, or both, I guess.
My advice, save your money, buy a couple Feadogs and Generations off the shelf, and learn to play them.
I sort of alluded to this point in my post but to be clear, Burke’s definitely have their own sound. To my ear, they’re reminiscent of the sound of birds chirping and I find that very pleasing. That distinctive sound also makes Burke the easiest whistle for me to recognize when I hear it. But it’s true that its not a sound that will please every ear; however, I know of no whistle that can fit that bill.
Sure and begorrah, 'tis a fine whistle and a fine whistlemaker.
It’s never very useful to let others do your thinking for you. One man’s birdlike is another man’s desperately bland. Sit down with a whistle if you’re interested in it, play it and decide if it suits you and if you want to pay the price. You’re the only person who can decide.
It’s the only way.
My thoughts exactly.
And totally agreed with the rest of your post.
That sound is why mine is listed at the Irish Whistle Shop, awaiting a new owner. It is very pure and loud. I just like a bit more chiff. I’ve found what I was looking for with the Sweet/Sweetheart family of whistles. We all prefer different things.
Deb
Great idea, unless the potential buyer doesn’t know anyone who owns the make of whistle in question. 
To the OP… if you have already saved the money for the whistle, you might as well just buy one.
If you like it, you’re set. 
If you don’t like it, sell it.
In all fairness I should add that I have owned 3 Burkes over the years (one older, 2 of the newer design), but I do not own one now. I did not find the “issues” Nico described in the upper end of the second octave to be a problem on my own Burke whistles per se (but then, I am used to Copelands, which could be described the same way, I suppose…), but I do agree with what others here are saying in terms of the tone… they are a bit too pure for my taste as well. Initially, I found this pureness of tone pleasing. It was as if something new had finally come into my world of whistles… and in fact it had.
But over time I found that I played my Burkes less and less because I missed the chiff and the trad sound I was used to. I did miss the first Burke after I sold it, so a while later I bought a DBST. I was amazed at how pure it sounded at full volume - in fact it was more pure than the old one. In all, it was a very nice whistle, and the others I have played have been no different. Still, just as Nico said, it didn’t really sound right as a session whistle, despite the great volume, and it was too loud for playing around the house. I sold that and turned the money over into a brass narrow bore.
Now, this was a nice whistle in it’s own right. It was quieter, more expressive, very sweet sounding, and very fast (IMO). Yet, as someone recently remarked in another thread, it was “gutless” (I think I totally understood what this person meant when they posted that). I simply could not punch notes the way I wanted to at times, and of course, the tone is practically alien in the realm of ITM - although you can certainly use it for anything you like.
I do admire Burke whistles quite a bit. I just haven’t played one that ended up being a “keeper.” Some people swear by them. The resale on them is great. You really can’t go wrong.
Great idea, unless the potential buyer doesn’t know anyone who owns the make of whistle in question.
He’d have to ask the maker to send it on trial then.
Buying a musical instrument sight unseen is setting yourself up for potentially great disappointment.
Hello to you and to everyone, this is my first post. I have been lurking on and off for a few years, back on now, because I ordered a low D aluminum Pro Viper from Michael Burke last week. I joined the forum today after I saw your post and wanted to reply. I will be happy to let you know what I think of my whistle when it arrives! When I heard that set played on the low D Pro Viper by Brian McKoy of The Kells on Michael’s website, I was sold. I don’t have much experience judging how much chiff is enough in a whistle, which of course is a matter of personal preference, but I do have an appreciation for it as I am a great fan of pipe organs that have tracker action and classic voicing.
I’m gonna disagree with the consensus as posted here a little bit. I own three Burke’s, a composite low D, a composite session D and a Narrow Bore Brass D. My composite low D will play with virtually the same breath volume across two octaves. It is the most evenly tuned whistle I’ve seen. The composite session D is a unique acquired taste. It has a sort of resonant woody tone with almost no chiff, but the breath requirement is also very similar up and down the scales. The Narrow Bore Brass D is the finest whistle I own. I play it every day and carry it in my pocket to work along with a Freeman Mellow Dog, and a Sindt Bb that is like butter. And I have my share of whistles. That includes a Copeland, a Sweet delrin, an Overton, my beloved Mellow Dog, a new Impempe and a myriad of others, Chieftain, Generation etc. I’m not bragging but I completely disagree about the breath requirement.
Or maybe I’m just a blowhard and don’t notice 
Michael
First of all, thank-you all for your answers!
I agree that some people have mixed feelings for Burkes. A few might say that they don’t have enough chiffy-ness, but personally I love the sound and think that they’re really unique. I’ve decided to buy one (probably a brass D) but I can’t choose between the narrow bore or the session. Which might be better for recording? Thanks!
For recording, I would use the narrow bore.
Interesting…
Does Burke ship off a $200 musical instrument on trial to someone he doesn’t know? 
Buying a Burke sight unseen is really not a big deal at all…
http://www.burkewhistles.com/help.php?section=conditions
Limited Warranty
Full refund, less shipping charge, if whistle is returned within 30 days of receipt and in like new condition.
Nothing like making a statement like this in this Forum to get both sides of the fence to respond in force
You really stirred it up, didn’t you?
One other thing I like and previously refrained from throwing in about Burke whistles is that they’re available in every key. That might not be a huge deal for ITM folk, but when you need a whistle to match keys with vocals, I’d rather shift the whistle than have to sing in a different key.