I guess I’ve been asleep at the wheel. It’s been a long quest for “The Whistle”. I’ve had Overtons, Copelands, Greenwood, Thin Weasels et al.
There was this tube in the mail box. It had a nice heft to it. I opened it up and out came a nice whistle sock, and inside there it was in all it’s brass splendor.
I had heard that Reyburn makes a nice whistle. I would have to now say “Great” whistle.
It just flat out sings. If they are new to you, Reyburns are made with great precision. Fit and finish is remarkable. The tuning slide is the smoothest I have ever tried. Playing characteristics are superb; smooth and predictable. Beautifully in tune with great intonation.
Just thought I would mention; if you are in the market for a great session high D at a reasonable price, I would check out Reyburn.
What you want is the Bleazey session recorder. These are made by Phil Bleazey, maker of Bleazey whistles. They don’t have the look of a Baroque or school recorder, but more like a transitional. They are chromatic, so you can play in about any key you’ll ever run into in a session situation, and they have the loud sound you need.
Recorders ??? you must have posted on this thread by mistake. BTW, I do have the loud sound I want and it sounds like a whistle. If I need to get really loud I’ll play my McGee Irish flute. Cheers, Cyril
I have the standard bore. I would describe the volume as adequate, but I don’t have much experience with other low D’s, so I don’t have a good basis for comparison. I usually play solo, or in a slow session, and it works with no problems in those settings, even with fiddles in the room.
Correct, I do not know you nor do you know me. So let’s be friends. BTW, my thread is not an inquiry as to what type of wind instrument to buy; it is simply a statement of finding a whistle that I like. Cheers, Cyril.
Could you be more specific about the tone? I’ve never tried a Reyburn but I have tried other high end whistles…Overton, Sindt, Rose, Shultz,Busman,O’Riordan, Burke, Copeland.
What does it compair to?
What are the playing characteristics like backpressure etc..
It’s like a traditional whistle on steroids. The tone is powerful and clear with a pleasant reediness and a dash of chiff. The wider bore and heavy tubing really augment the sound in a wonderful way. It has some backpressure to it but not too much… I can play softly and gently or I can really let her rip.
The closest comparison I can make is to my Thin Weasel in A(I havn’t tried many high end D whistles). Although the sound is really different I find the playing characteristics very similar. The responsiveness and flexibility of the 2 are very close.
Just want everyone to know that I’m having problems with the server on my site, which includes not being able to receive orders or emails. It should be fixed soon. In the meantime you can reach me at reyburnwhistles@hotmail.com
Actually, I would say it’s more like the perfection of the Generation style whistle.
The tone and voice have all the best characteristics of classic Gen type whistle, with similar (a little tighter) back-pressure.
Unlike the Gen types:
It is not unruly, or squawky (even using creative finger vibrato);
It has great presence and power when you push it while remaining solid and stable;
It is nearly perfectly in tune;
It has excellent play-feel (ornaments and tongue articulation have a little Copeland popiness);
And the C Nat is bang on.
On top of that, you can call Ronaldo and he’ll voice and tweak it some - voice, back-pressure, etc. - to your preference, including just intonation if requested.
Anyone that has played mine literally has an eye opening experience. Eye’s pop open and usually they say something like, “I’ve heard about Reyburns, but I didn’t know they were this good.” That’s honest. no BS reactions.
I agree with your mini review. I too would say the Reyburn shares many of the attributes of a good Overton. I prefer the back pressure of the Reyburn as one can play softly; however, when you lean into it, the Reyburn seems to go into some kind of turbo whistle mode and really sings. The first time I picked it up and gave it a tentative blow, I thought it sounded like a very good Generation. As I gave it more air it simply soared.
It has a great feel, the mouth piece is beautifully done and is very comfortable. To me, everything has a “just right” sense; the tone holes, the articulation, the slide; it’s simply a fine instrument.
A little further down the road I think I will try a Bb; but, for now, I will be too busy playing this high D.
Daniel, your pictures (as always) are fabulous, however they are of an older version. My latest version has the front of the mouthpiece turned down so its less bulky in the mouth and also uses a Delrin pin instead of the brass one to secure the plug. This new pin gives the head a cleaner look. I’m still using a brass pin to secure the head to the brass tube.
I never imagined from the beginning that you wanted a recorder.
So, I know you better now. Best, Cyril.
