Suggestions and Comparisons for a High End Whistle?

Whistle
1

Hi!

I’m looking to purchase my first High End whistle. Like many, I was very much inspired by Joanie Madden’s Song of the Irish Whistle. And like many, I am in search of something that gets as close to the sound of Pat O’Riordan’s whistles as possible (at least, while I’m waiting for Pat to consider taking orders again!). :slight_smile:

As such, I’m looking for a (Soprano D) whistle with a reasonably pure and sweet tone. Very little chiff, but I do like a haunting/ephemeral quality to the tone - so although I don’t want much chiff (for clean attacks that flow like water), I do want a little… breathiness?..milkiness?..harmonics?.. in the tone itself.

As far as volume is concerned, I don’t need it to blast the neighbors out of their attics - it just needs to be loud enough to matter when playing with others. :slight_smile: (The Oak Classic, for example is too quiet for this purpose. And while I like the sound of the Oak Classic when compared to other inexpensive whistles, my opinion is that you have to be an infant with asthma in order to play it. :slight_smile: )

I also want the whistle to be clean across all octaves (and the further it can reach into the third octave, the better).

Ideally, I’m looking for a whistle under $200 US, but I’m flexible. I’m willing to pay more - but if I’m going to pay more than $200, that whistle better kick Gluteus Maximus over all the other choices. :smiley:


As I don’t have the ability to test play a selection of whistles before buying, I am asking for the advice, opinions, and reviews of those more experienced than I. :slight_smile:


At the moment (barring better recommendations), I’m looking at the Burke Aluminum Narrow Bore High D and the Silkstone PVC High D.

The audio samples I am working from are here:


Burke Aluminum Narrow Bore D: http://pw2.netcom.com/~ridseard/bruach_burke.mp3

Silkstone PVC D: http://www.tinwhistletunes.com/clipssnip/Audio/slow/quarrellollyc.mp3

Pat O’Riordan Kingwood D: http://www.tinwhistletunes.com/clipssnip/Audio/4-03/DarkSlenderBoyBrianD.mp3


Here are my current thoughts based on these samples:


The Burke Aluminum Narrow Bore sounds purer and sweeter than the Silkstone. While the higher registers sound fine on the Silkstone, on the Burke they sound brighter and stand out more.

However, the Silkstone seems to be a lot closer to the O’Riordan in tone. The tone of the Silkstone appears to be a bit fuller than the Burke Narrow Bore, with more harmonics. And it accomplishes that without muffling the tone (as I find with the Session Bore version). That aspect brings it closer (closer - but not perfectly) to the ephemeral quality I’m looking for.

That being said - I’m only working on a limited number of clips for comparison, and I don’t know if people who have played with both would agree with the accuracy of these clips and my initial analysis of them.


Tone aside, I have to admit that I’m not wild about the fact that the Silkstone is painted (nor am I thrilled with the two color choices available). So that will play a factor - although a whistle that looks good but plays horribly is rather useless, in my opinion - so it’s not going to be a tremendous factor. :slight_smile:


I’d appreciate any suggestions, comments, reviews, or comparisons people are willing to provide - both in response to my initial feelings about these two whistles, as well as providing any other recommendations you may feel are appropriate, given what I’m looking for.



Thanks!

2

hi ocean, welcome on board, have fun!!

the burkes are hard to beat, it’s about the most bought whistle for the last few years

but here’s more samples http://www.tinwhistletunes.com/clipssnip/index.htm

3

Speaking as an O’Riordan owner (albeit of his aluminum models), it seems to me that a Glenn Schultz whistle is a lot closer to an O’Riordan in the style of playing and sound, compared to the whistles you name. The Water Weasel is significantly less expensive, too.

In my experience (admittedly limited with Silkstone) Burkes and Silkstones are low backpressure instruments, while O’Riordans and Weasels are are high backpressure. It’s almost an entirely different style of playing. Also, Silkstones sound a lot more metallic.

(Let me add – I usually hate the “what whistle should I buy” sort of thread, because everyone usually recommends what they like. But as someone lucky enough to play O’Riordans, I feel like my opinion may actually be useful here. This isn’t to say that a Schultz is necessarily the whistle of your dreams – I suspect a Busman might be even closer, but I’ve never actually heard, much less played one. But I can tell you that I play O’Riordans and Weasels every day, and they seem very similar in playing style to me.)

4

Hello Ocean,

If you like the O´riordan sound check this thread out: http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=19871&highlight=


Dan

5

I have that Burke, and it is very pure. It’s gotten the most compliments for tone from my non-musician friends. It reacts well to vibrato, too, though. I really feel like I can push my feelings through it, if that makes any sense at all, more than with any of my others–more control of the dynamics, maybe?

I have a narrow-bore brass Sindt that has a more complex tone than the Burke, and is just a bit quieter. Sometimes I like that kind of sound, but I don’t find it as responsive as the Burke when I get carried away. In those cases, I occasionally jump out of the first octave, which seldom happens with the Burke.

The Busman Delrin has a reedier sound than the Burke, but not much more than the Sindt. It can be louder than either, I think, and requires more of a push in the second octave to keep from dropping into the first–the opposite of the problem with the Sindt. I don’t feel like it has the dynamics of the Burke, but I can play it even harder than I can the Burke, which can also be pretty satisfying sometimes. Actually, I think it does have a pretty good dynamic range, but it’s partly covered by the reedy timbre. Maybe the Burke just lets the dynamics show through a bit more.

I have a computer microphone on order. When it comes in, maybe I’ll record some comparisons. I want to do that for myself, too. At the Chiff Gathering in June, I found that my Busman bloodwood sounded much less reedy when someone else was playing it, so I’d like to hear all of mine from that point of view.

How about the Silkstone aluminum, though? Here are a couple of links from Mick Woodruff’s site:

http://fingertrip.net/whistle/mp3/roisin_dubh.mp3
http://fingertrip.net/whistle/mp3/turas.mp3

I think there’s a little echo there, though I can’t be absolutely sure that it’s artificial. I’m still tempted by it, although I really don’t need another high D. Maybe when I get to Texas I’ll see what I can sell from my current collection–including probably all of my wooden whistles. Then I could think about trying the Silkstone aluminum.

6

Joannie also plays Burkes. O’Riordans can’t be had any more, and I didn’t like the one Silkstone I played. I’d say either go with Boisvert or Burke. Burke will be less maintenace, not being made of wood.

7

Oh yeah? They can be had. Just ask Bonequint!!! Amazing. I also recently got a D/C traveler set and one was sold recently on this very board.

Don’t get me wrong, I certainly know what you mean, but they are available from time to time.


My input would be that I have a High D from Simon Styles of Weston Whistles that, to me, sound very sweet and pure. Not as laser sharp as my O’Riordan, but more rounded. Look for a PM from me.

8

Well, I listened to a few clips of the Water Weasel - and from them, it sounds like their tone is a little richer than the Silkstone - which is a good thing. It also sounds like they’re a bit louder - but that could just be the recordings. I’ll need to do a bit more reasearch into this one - thanks for the tip!


I listened to a few clips of the Busman, and I have to say that I do not like what I hear. The Busman Plumwood sounds a bit too breathy for me. And the Delrin sounds just plain flat - there are almost no harmonics and no richness in the sound.


But I will definitely look in to those Water Weasels… :slight_smile:

9

I took a look there - where the recommendation was whistles by David Boisvert. Listening to the sample on his website - the tone seems a bit flat. There is a lack of richness and harmonics in the sound - frankly, the Silkstone and Water Weasel sound much better (given the samples I have).

10

The Silkstone Alloys sound decidedly nasal. Part of the tonal range is being muted, which give it that attribute - and that just kills the tonal quality for me. When I listen to clips side by side - I have to say that the PVC sounds much richer by comparison.

11

Admittedly, not needing to worry about the vulnerabilities of wood is a definite plus. I’ll take that in a heartbeat, if I don’t have to sacrifice anything significant in the sound quality. :slight_smile:

12

$!30. Get a Burke black tip brass and be happy making music.

Philo

13

Ah, PhilO…You just beat me to it…

Ocean: You might check out the NB brass Burke, if you have your heart set on a narrow bore. It is a beautiful sounding instrument…just a bit more harmonic interest than the aluminum, and yet retains the purity.

A point: My O’Riordan aluminum D does not have greater back pressure than my Burkes, subjectively.

Best to all.
Byll

14

I listened to a few samples of the Burke Brass Narrow Bore and it seems to lack brightness. I know that Aluminum will normally provide a brighter tone than brass - but the brass was a bit too flat for my tastes - at least given the samples I listened to.

If I go with the Burke, I think it will have to be the Aluminum, at the moment. :slight_smile:

15

I’m going to weigh in here with an opinion, while adding the warning that I am a complete amateur. I play simply for my own enjoyment. BUT I have the PVC Silkstone and a Water Weasel. Of these two whistles, in my opinion, the Water Weasel is the better choice. Admittedly, my Silkstone has a problem with B’ that I still may ask Mr. Hayward check.

I don’t think sounds clips are going to give you a true picture of the whistle. Wouldn’t what you’re hearing have a lot to do with your speakers on the computer? Most of the whistlemakers, of the caliber of whistle you’re looking for, have a liberal return policy. If you don’t like it, they will probably take it back – within a certain time period.

You might want to add the Humphrey whistle to your list of possibilities. I haven’t played one, but it certainly has had some good reviews here.

~Judy

PS - Welcome to the insanity, Ocean! :slight_smile:

16

Do you feel that the Water Weasel is better due to physical quality? Or due to sound and tonal quality?


Well, sound clips are the best I can do - since I can’t walk into your average music store and find a dozen high end whistles (let alone allow me to try them).

As for the computer speakers - that is not an issue here. I have THX certified speakers, and I can play Joanie Madden through them just fine. If there’s a discrepency in quality, it’s going to be due to the recording - not my ability to play them. :slight_smile:


As for the return policy - what you say is true, but I hate doing that to a craftsman. I want to be reasonably sure of what I’m buying before I purchase, rather than buying four different whistles, knowing that I’ll be returning three of them.


Thanks!

17

Not to mention the microphone, room accoustics and many other factors that affect how a whistle sounds. I have found that, with only a couple of exceptions, that the descriptions offerred here have been pretty close to actual.

18

If I may ask, which ones are the exceptions? I’ve been making tonal judgements based on the sound clips I’ve been able to find. Have you found my analyses to be reasonably accurate?

19

Much of the haunting, ephemeral quality of whistles on professional recordings is due to electronic manipulation of the waveforms. Any whistle will sound much more prosaic without such amplification.

Joanie Madden likes the Burke Aluminum NB for slow airs. It is indeed brighter than the Brass NB. When I play my Burkes for friends and family, almost everyone prefers the sound of the AL NB to that of either the Brass NB or the Session. I really don’t have a preference, myself, although I probably play the AL NB the most, maybe because it was my first Burke.

20

True. However, there is a combination of inherent harmonics and breathiness that contributes quite a bit to this. Without those two characteristics, the tonal quality will be much flatter and it will have less of a unique voice.


Out of curiosity, do you own (or have you played) a Water Weasel? I’m seriously considering a Water Weasel among my choices given users’ comments and the sound clips I’ve heard.

I’m interested in getting the opinion of anyone who has played a Water Weasel and either a Burke Aluminum Narrow Bore or a Silkstone PVC - for the sake of comparison. :slight_smile: