Material: Black Delrin and Maple Head, Maple Body
Key: Soprano D
Case: Cloth drawstring bag
Price: Canadian $100 for the whistle and drawstring bag and shipping
URL: http://www.obrienwhistles.com/
I have an O’Brien copper whistle set with 5 bodies. I have both the copper fipple plug head and Delrin fipple plug head. These are nice whistles, a little chiffy, complex warm tone, and a husky Janice Joplin-ish voice. Terrific whistles, especially considering the price. So I thought I should give the Maple whistle a go.
Disclaimers first:
- I’m a whistle hack so listen to the sound sample for a taste of the voice, and imagine what a good player could do.
- I’m usually easy to please.
- I’m not lucky enough to get free whistles to review - I bought it.
Having said that - let’s get on with it.
Visual Aesthetics:
An attractive whistle. The finish is good, the black delrin head is a nice contrast, the copper ring at the end is snappy, and the O’Brien decal looks right at home on the maple. The maple grain has a bright deep pattern - with a muddled brain like mine you could stand in the sun and turn it back and forth to look deep in the grain for entertainment.
Mechanics:
My most played whistle is a Thin Weasel Blackwood that is absolutely flawless. The O’Brien Maple doesn’t have the same level of precision as a Thin Weasel, nor is it remotely near in price. Nevertheless the O’Brien Maple whistle is well crafted, and you can see from the photos that David used appropriate care in crafting the whistle. There’s no tuning slide, but the finish on the fipple, toneholes and etc. is respectable. Considering the price, it’s well done.
Playability:
It’s light and easy to manage. The toneholes are smooth enough for slides. Breath requirement is medium with a touch of backpressure, about 20% less than the lungs you need for a sweetone. It’s a quick and easy player.
Tuning:
A little sharp (10 cents) overall but in tune with itself about ± 5 cents. Better than a Generation by a considerable degree, not as good as a Thin Weasel or a Burke, but not objectionable at all. A C Nat with OXXOOO is a little flat at the expected breath, but easily played into tune. Pretty darn good actually if you don’t mind the non-tunable issue.
Voice:
It sounds like wood (in a good way). A little soft in tone (less bright) compared to Blackwood or composites, but this compliments the relatively quiet voice. I find it interesting that it has a touch of the huskiness that O’Brien copper whistles have, even though the fipple and windway are quite different. Overall, a pleasant, warm, comfortable and woody tone, well suited to solo playing and practice.
Subjective Summary:
This is a well made, pleasantly voiced, relatively quiet whistle with a slightly complex woody character. It’s worth the price in my opinion, a reasonable step into wood at the midrange cost. I would hang on to this whistle if I didn’t already have a Thin Weasel, and hadn’t promised to donate the O’Brien Maple to the Whistle Raffle at http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=36639 - so go buy a raffle ticket and you may get it for US$10.
Your comments and criticisms are welcomed.
Sound Sample:
My hack playing of a simple tune in the low octave from Bill Och’s Tin Whistle Tutor, and a rough bit of Marcus Hernon’s Air.
http://www.tofutaco.com/Whistle/20060226_OBrein-Maple.mp3