Does Burke ship off a $200 musical instrument on trial to someone he doesn’t know
I don’t see why any maker should have a problem with the promise of a refund if the instrument doesn’t suit. Well, I can see it would be a hassle they’d like to avoid but to shift the risk entirely to the buyer by not giving the return option isn’t a fair option either is it?
FWIW, John Sindt sends out his whistles with an invoice, to people he doesn’t know. Apparently he receives payment in enough cases to warrant his trust in his customers and enough to keep the system in place for over a decade now.
I’m a big fan of Burkes and I use several: currently I have Burkes in Low Eb, F, G, A, and high D (all of them are aluminum).
Yes I love my Burkes but at the same time I agree with the Burke detractors who have posted here. Compared to many other whistles, the tone of Burkes is pure, or “bland” to put it another way. Yes Burkes require more air (quantity of air that passes through, not force) than most other whistles.
So that’s the downside. The upside is big, though: velvety buttery-smooth voicing over the range, good tuning, and a resounding powerful bellnote.
My first Burke was a Low D and I couldn’t put it down. It felt great in my hands and was a joy to play. It was far superior to any of the other Low Ds I had tried at that time. It was my #1 horn until I switched to an MK. (The MK has a more complex tone and is much more air-efficient, but lacks the Burke’s booming bellnote.)
For higher pitches of whistles, from Bb up to Eb, I prefer Generations. Generations were the only whistle available when I started playing, and back then everyone played them, newbies and professionals alike. To me the sound and performance of a really good Generation still defines what a whistle is supposed to be: that classic tone, nimble action, and a sweet upper range. (However I use an old Mk1 Feadog for my go-to high D.)
In any case, when I’m at a gig and I need an Eb or G or F, and I reach for a Burke, I know that I’ll have a reliable in-tune whistle with a pleasant sound.
My first Burke was a brass session D. I tried both the session and narrow bore and I liked the session more. Mike has a table at the Dublin Ohio Irish Festival each year and has all his whistles there. You are free to try them all. My last purchase was an aluminum Bb. I love them both.
Ron
I have a pre black tip, brass session that I bought new from Michael for 100$. About three years ago I purchased a used burke narrow bore brass whistle. Some people say that it is their favorite whistle and others say that it is rather bland. I recently got a divorce and my ex-wife (who likes to toot around a little) asked if she could have “the Burke” as a going away present so I slipped her the narrow bore!
For a Burke session bore I haven’t tried anything newer than my pre-black tip so I couldn’t comment about his newer offerings except that I don’t care for the bulbuos tuning slide. I much prefer the stealth tuning slide on the Reyburn.
A month ago I received my new Reyburn narrow bore whistle and I can tell you that it is an amazing whistle! It has a nice chiff and a little back pressure. It likes to be pushed a little to get to its full volume, which is pretty loud for a narrow bore whistle! It is beautifully hand made,not over engineered like a Burke. Reynoldo is also a pleasure to work with! If you want a narrow bore, skip the Burke and the Sindt and get a Reyburn.
Cheers!
Nate
I own two Burke Whistles; Aluminum Low D & Brass A.
They are both great whistles, and yes they do have a distinctive sound which fits most of the time, but occasionally I prefer my MK, Chieftain, Overton, or Lambe. That’s the beauty of having a variety.
My Brass A is my favorite of the two. I like the weight and I love the sound of it. My Aluminum Low D is more like a horn than a whistle. It has a very solid tone. It also requires more air than my other Low D’s.
I’m very happy with both Burkes.
Hello again everyone, I wrote that I would post again after I received my Burke low D aluminum Pro Viper. It arrived yesterday, and all I can say is, lovely, wonderful, beautiful. I would categorize the sound as being very pure, strong in fundamental and soft in tone. I haven’t played it enough to form an opinion about “chiffiness.” This whistle happens to be just what I was looking for. And the workmanship is superb.
Another vote for the narrow-bore brass Burke–I used to have one, and it was very nice. The wide bore and aluminum models aren’t my cup of tea–a bit too loud and lacking in tonal complexity for my taste.
I don’t have a Burke and have never played one. I did sit and listen to two people, one with two Burkes and one with a Mellow Dog (every day for a week). I didn’t find anything objectionable about either Burke, but I discovered I preferred the Mellow Dog. I got one and I love it.
Which is a good lead in to an important point: musical instruments are very personal choices. If you can’t try before you buy, then a money back guarantee is a good thing, in case it’s just not congruous with your tastes.
Your reaction to receiving your Burke Pro Viper was much like mine. I loved it and couldn’t put it down. It felt so good in my hands and played so well. After trying so many different Low D whistles I had finally found the right “fit” for my playing.
The voicing is so smooth, so even across the range.
About it being “soft” if this means volume I discovered that at sessions the low range (save for the booming Bottom D) can get lost, while High A and High B are often too loud. That’s because Low Ds (from any maker) have a built-in disparity of volume between the low notes of the low register and the high notes in the 2nd register (to take the most extreme example between Low E and High B).
About the timbre of the Pro Viper, at sessions I found that it blended in with Irish flutes perfectly. At one session there were four or five flutists and me and the Burke just sounded like another flute, pretty much.
The only drawback I initially encountered with my Burke Pro Viper was that the huge fat tube, and wide spacing between the upper-hand’s holes, made my upper hand tire quickly. I had always used “piper’s grip” on the low hand but I had to learn it for the upper hand as well.
That Burke Pro Viper was my ideal whistle until I got a chance to play a couple MK Low Ds and I eventually made the switch. (I wrote a long post about all that stuff a while back.) I still use Burkes for the pitches between Low Eb and Mid A.
Off topic, but at the moment I own a Bernard Overton Low Eb and a Burke Low Eb and I’ve been switching between the two and playing them both daily, getting as full a sense as I can of the differences between the two. One of these days I’ll make a YouTube video comparing those two things, with a Susato Low Eb thrown in to boot.
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