I just got a new non tunable Susato D whistle, and I was amazed of how similar it was to my Busman. So I made a little comparison between the two:
First the photos:
And now the sound. One single tune where I switched between the Susato and the Busman at least 4 times throughout (don’t ask which is which, I don’t remember the order I played them):
The back pressure is very comparable between the two as well. The tuning on the Susato is bang on, better than the Busman actually (but you can’t tell without a tuner though). To be fair, the Busman responds nicely to variations of breath (which somewhat accounts for some of the tuning variation), which perhaps provides more experienced players a more satisfying experience. It is also a bit smoother as well so the two ain’t exactly the same, but the Busman is also more than 10 times the price of the Susato.
The bottom line, if you can’t affort a great Busman, don’t feel deprived from a purely musical experience stand point. I love my Busman, but for $20 you can get yourself a Susato whistle that sound and feels pretty darn close to a Busman…
I can’t imagine switchin whistles 4 times in tune as smoothly as you you report in this recording. I just don’t think I could do it, and not miss a beat.
The sound has a lot to do with the player too. And differences between instruments will be minimized when they’re recorded and played back on a speaker. But at least I have good monitor headphones. Listening to your clip, I like the Busman much better (the 2nd and 4th parts of the recording). Of course the differences will also be minimized when playing in a group – often an instrument that’s uninspiring solo will blend beautifully, or vice versa.
The second and fourth are clearly the Busman. You can tell by the lack of 5th harmonic chiff, and the smoother tone overall.
This is by no means to denigrate the sound of the Susato. In the right piece, it’ll be a great whistle .. I like chiffy stuff, witness the sound of my Village Smithy. But I wouldn’t ever, ever, ever be yanking my Busman out in a pouring rainstorm at a Renaissance Faire.
It’s the reason all us whistlers have like, at least a handful or six, unless you’re Jessie, in which case, you have to have an addition put on the house. LOL!
Indeed, and I certainly agree with all the comments. Yes, the Busman is a nicer whistle all around, and I’d say a bit easier to play also. Paul is doing really nice work indeed. The sound is more complex than the Susato, and more ‘flute like’ I’d say, but as a ‘take with me everywhere’, the Susato allows me to maintain the same feel as what I need to play the Busman, so this way I don’t have to re-adjust my playing when I switch back to the Busman. All that to say that it isn’t a matter of which is best, but rather that the Susato is a real good value in my opinion regardless of the bad press they’re sometimes getting on C&F… It’s all a matter of taste of course, and one cannot argue with another one’s taste, but if you’re taste lean toward something like a Busman in feel and sound, the Susato seems to be a nice inexpensive alternative. Certainly the closest I have found to the Busman so far.
