Along the lines of Fred Rose and Abel, does anyone else make wooden whistles that are considered “pure” that are a bit less expensive? Fred’s go for around $325 or so and of course Abel’s are $450. Thanks in advance.
Steve
I’ve recently bought an O’Brien wooden whistle and it has a very pure tone, it’s a joy to play.
And David sell them at a very good price… 
Forum member chas makes a heck of a nice wooden whistle as well. Not sure what he is selling them for these days, but as recently as a year ago I believe that they were sub $100.
I’ve had a couple of O’Brien’s, and I don’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone interested in that sound.
For the same money, I would give Gene Miligan’s whistles equal consideration.
Whatever you get, get it directly from the maker, and make it known to them beforehand exactly what it is you are looking for. Don’t just order one blindly and hope it’s what you want.
Thanks for the replies. I have owned an Obrien rover in spalted maple (really sorry I sold it). It was leaning toward the pure end but not quite like the Rose or Abel to me. David’s prices are really good for what you get to. Nice work. I was looking at Gene’s as well. They certainly look nice. I hadn’t thought about asking a maker if they can make one with a “purer” sound.
I played a nice sounding wooden whistle briefly as part of a tour. I think the maker’s name was Brad Anderson?
Yes, there are makers that can satisfy your needs. When I bought mine David sent me audio files of the three whistles he had available. One was very pure (I bought it!) and the other two a bit more “reedy” sound. Being hand made not all the whistles are the same.
Yes, I have one of Brad Anderson’s whistles and I would second that recommendation. I like the one I have a lot.
I am not sure if it fits with your “bit less expensive” criteria but they are very nice whistles that play well. Here’s the link to Brad’s site.
Feadoggie
Tommy Dion makes pure tone wood whistles. Click the pics for a sound clips.
You can get a Ralf Sweet from Hobgoblin for around $185.00 and a Tamlinn(Adler) maple for about $80.00 and Gene Milligan’s for $185.00 to $225.00
Phil Bleazey’s wooden whistles are excellent, with a beautiful pure, woody, concentrated tone, and very reasonably priced. They don’t sound like anything else, but they are loud. I had a high D I sold because it was simply too loud for my needs; on the other hand, I kept his low G, which is a unique whistle in terms of tone, at least in my experience. Very rich, flute-like and expressive.
You might ask Phil about different woods and how they affect the overall volume of his instruments, if volume is an issue.
I haven’t played an Abell, but the videos I’ve seen indicate that they have quite a lot of air in the tone.
Steve - Tommy jogged my memory… I used to have one of his whistles in cocobolo, and it was absolutely flawless - pure, expressive, and perfectly tuned. I think if you were to play one, it would be exactly what you want.
I would have to agree with the above quote when referring to Gene Miligan’s whistles. I played a couple of his whistles at the Colorado Irish Festival this year and really like the tone. Very fine whistle which sells for $175. Beautifully crafted and well worth the money. Has anyone bought or played the wood whistle made by Erik the flute maker? I see his sells at a good price but not familiar with the wood he uses or it’s tonal response.
Scottie