Well, it happened. WhOA has struck again (as well as a small financial windfall) and I have fallen in love with the Busmans (esp. purpleheart wood) so, I have to wonder before I spend that much money: What exactly is so special about wood? anything? (I mean besides the fact that they take more work then metal whistles to make)
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Well, I think the most obvious answer is that wood comes from trees … trees come from the ground … so if you plant all of your wooden whistles in the ground you can grow your own whistle trees!!!
CAUTION: DO NOT PLANT PLANT WHISTLES WITHOUT SANE, ADULT SUPERVISION.
It depends on your point of view. Most importantly, do you love wood?
I am a wood lover. I love working with it, love the look, the smell, and the feel. Most importantly, though, for whistles, is wood has a personality. Every piece of wood is different, while a piece of 304 stainless is basically a piece of 304 stainless. This means that the maker has to treat every piece of wood individually. So when you pick up a whistle from a pretty wood such as bocote or cocobolo, you look at it and can see how the whistlewright has made specific decisions on how to best show off the grain, what is the strongest line through which to bore, and many other things. Don’t even get me started on harps or lap dulcimers with bookmatched two-piece backs.
That’s not to say that metal whistles can’t be eye candy. Harpers and Albas are some of the most visually appealing whistles out there.
Another thing that sets wood whistles apart from metal whistles is the feel. You pick up a woody in the winter in your 60 degree house, and it doesn’t feel cold. Not even as cold as a Burke composite. They’re also very light. Some woodies also have all-wood windways, which are almost impossible to clog.
There is something to the sound that metal can’t quite duplicate, but it’s subtle. I don’t know that that, by itself, is worth a factor of three in price. Playing and sound wise, most of my five favorite D’s are wood (the others being Burke WBB and Silkstone alloy).
And, as to BrewerPaul’s whistles, see Tyghress’s review. I think she described the most appealing points of the Busman very well. The thing that impresses me most about his whistles is the ease of playing and the evenness of the volume through two octaves. You can play the whistles very aggressively, but they never require earplugs.
Okay, I’ll take a stab at this . . . It’s a very personal thing. I have owned some very nice whistles but i’ve played no metal whistle that compares to my busman. The wood gives it a mellow, live quality. Once I found it, I have stopped my search for the best hi d. It is true that it is a little more of a pain to care for, but the quality of sound makes it worthwhile. Again, though, I think it is matter of personal choice.
Blackwood is beautiful sounding, looking, and smelling.
Oh, they all make it sound so harmless and nice. Half of them have probably been assimilated already. Feels nice, looks nice, sounds nice… but do you realize that r****ders are made from wood? Beware, my friend!
Remember: You’ve never seen an alluminum alloy Mollenhauer yet.
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You need to dry them out before putting them up…swabbing them out. Periodically you oil them. Some people maintain specific humidity in a small box for wooden instruments. Tending them, polishing them, is a real pleasure.
Wood has a ‘spirit’. I don’t think you can understand unless you have a feeling for wood. I never really thought about it until someone pointed out that every piece of furniture we’ve bought has had exposed wood, our upstairs is walled in old 1960’s vintage yellow pine planking, we never seriously talk about refacing the old pine cabinets in the kitchen. . .we’re wood people.
Wooden instruments are unique. No matter who makes them, no matter that they’re of the same species, they are unique to themselves.
I married a re****er player; I have been assimilated. And Mollenhauer 's working in metal for some time now (flutes) – maybe they will be reverse assimilated.
I just got a very nice Eb (or A455) six-key Mollenhauer flute. I think it’s boxwood, but it had been finished on the outside (??!). I’ve taken all the sealer off, but I think it was stained too. Now I need to do pads, corks, and a spring. The long-F is missing its salt spoon, too. Although I’ve done most of the wood restoration, it’ll still be nice to work on this old wooden beauty.
I agree with Tyghress, the extra care needed for wooden whistles is an asset, not a drawback. It’s really a labor of love.
(quote)
“The government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always count on the support of Paul.” – George Bernard Shaw
(quote)
Please, nobody rob Peter to pay me! 
Wood is good. Wood is best. It’s the feel, the sound, the tone - it’s just different and makes the whistle feel alive. Beware though - once I got my Rose Blackwood nothing else compared, and if you want an extra whistle or two (as did I for travelling) that makes it tough! (Elf Song came to the rescue though)
Another thing that made me fall in love with whistles made from wood is a sort of “surreal” quality they have, at least to me. The slight vibrations I feel coming through the tube somehow make me feel more connected to my wooden whistles - I actually feel as if I’m “one” with the instrument.
~Larry
What’s so special about wood?
Where do I begin?
No, I won’t Bore you while I oPine for a Bit about a Board.
I heard someone say once that 1000 years from now when we live in sterile glass and steel houses, and are so removed from nature, A family’s most prized posession will be a hunk of some long extinct Species like Maple or Cherry, well worn from generations just touching it to try to recapture that connection. The thought makes me feel something of what salty old sailors must have fealt when the Tall Ships were made obsolete. 
For all my right wing rantings, I do love trees, I just like them processed first. 
Wood is good for this:
What other job besides working with wood can you actually smell better after working with it all day than you did at the start? (I smell just fine in the morning thank you) 
Oh, as pertains to whistles, uh I’m not sure what would make it special as I have not played one, and can not afford one that would up to my standards aesthetically. :roll:
I know this post was probably of no use whatsoever, but there you are.
What about this Cornish whistler who robbed Pewter to payPal? 
Corny whistler?