Here’s the thing: A friend of mine is a really good classical flute player who loves to play and is passionate about music. Problem is, she’s developed carpal tunnel in her left wrist, so she has pretty much given up on playing her flute. Her birthday is coming up, so I was thinking about getting her a whistle since it would be easier for her to play (and maybe pull her over to the Dark Side 
). What would you consider the “flutey-est” sounding whistle for under $30?
Abell
Abell is over 300 
he wans sometihing under 30. it is hard to decie which is the most flutey for a cheaper whistle. i really like the sweetone, that has a good sound.
Susato is known to be flutish. Impempe has a bit of that sound as well.
Well whistles are not flutes but I think I get what you are asking.
I would not say Susato is flute-ish.
I feel my Shaw is more "flute like in sound. They take a bit of wind though but can be tweeked. I think that falls within your budget.
Nickel Silver too and they shine up real nice.
Hope that helps.
At that price, I’d suggest the Dixon Trad.
Shaws and Clarkes can also be flutey.
I don’t get it anymore. I suppose I don’t know what flutish is anymore.
If your friend is a classical flute player then she may like something in nickel or aluminum with a brighter sound. Shaws and Clarkes would fit in with “flutey-est” if compared to the sound of the Irish flute but they are too woody sounding for them to be comparable to a boehm flute.
Maybe a Susato or something very pure sounding would suit her. I can’t see her enjoying a chiffy or breathy sounding whistle if she’s going to compare it to the flute… unless you think she’d get a kick out of something different. It’s a little bit above the budget you stated but how about a Syn? It has thicker walls as does the flute she’s used to and may produce a pleasing tone to her.
That was what i meant straycat
Yeah, I think some of us Irish music minded folk didn’t think as much about the fact that she said “classical flute” before we started suggesting woody sounding whistles. “Flute” means something different to an Irish musician than to a classical flautist than to a dizi flute player.
hathair_bláth, if you have the chance to try a Syn whistle, I think that’s something your friend would enjoy. If not then maybe go with something like a Susuato. One reason I suggest that, and something else to think about, is that if your friend played classical flute then she may want accurate dead-on tuning and not the folk tuning that comes with simple manufactured whistles such as gens and feadogs. She’ll likely want F# to sound like “F#” and not “somewhere between Fnat and G”, if you know what I mean. I hope you find something that she’ll enjoy.
I missed the $30 requirement. I think Clarke Original comes close, although it’s a lot breathier than an Abell. It might even be more flutelike than an Abell.
Clarke Original did cross my mind, or maybe a Shaw. What do you think about an Oak?
How much does a Syn run, straycat?
I’m not sure how big a stickler she is for tuning (this is a flute we’re talking about…), but I’m sure like you said, she would most likely want a F#, not something between Fnat and G.
I have a Shaw F low whistle that is very flutey. I’d sell it for $40 + shipping
PM me if interested.
Thanks for the offer, but I think I’m going to go for a C since that’s the same key as a regular concert flute.
Syns can currently be had for $50 here:
http://www.gaeliccrossings.com/store/index.php/cat_14
The key of C is considered by many to be the creme of the crop in the Syn line of whistles. It has a little bit more back pressure than most other makes and it has a very distinctive tone to it. $50 is not bad for a good tunable whistle. You can also get a Syn C/D set for a dozen bucks more. The D will be useful if she decides to venture into Irish music.
Oh, and as far as Oaks, they’re one of my favorite brand of cheapies. I play mine regularly. They have a good strong volume and look pretty sharp too with the black on nickel. They are probably the hardest cheapie to make tunable as the tube has a bit of a lip at the top and sort of pressure fits into the head joint. It can be done (I did mine) but it is slightly more difficult than others. That said, I didn’t like the C as much as the D. The fipple design was slightly different and it wasn’t as strong of a whistle IMO as the D.
Thanks, straycat. I’ll definatly look into the Syns. I might be able to get one of my other friends to go in with me for it.
I was just wondering about the Oaks because I have one too, and I’ve noticed that it has a “purer” tone, so to speak, at least moreso than my Feadog, Mellow D, or Sweetone. I didn’t really have all that much trouble tuning mine.
As far as the fipple design, well she wouldn’t know any better. 
Did you know that you can get a whistle mouth piece that will fit on her flute? Doc Jones was telling me about them a couple of weeks ago.
Where can you get these?
Freeman Tweaked Shaw.
Of the cheapies I have, I think she would like the Oak. I say that not only because I have an Oak I like, but because it seems to be the best in-tune and gives the nicest tone of all my cheapies (and I have a few…)
Next to that one, though, I’d take a Freeman tweaked Mellow Dog. That’s a very very nice whistle, great sounding, and not much more than the 30 bucks you want to spend…
But get one in D.
I haven’t liked any cheap C whistle I’ve ever played…
M
(that’s just ME, y’all…)