I crave a low A whistle. I have my eyes on the Burke brass or composite. (I have the feeling the aluminium will be a bit on the loud side?) I also noticed there is a Waterweasel A / Bb set for sale.
I have previously tried an Alba A, but didn’t like it at all. I found it very similar to a Cheftain. Way too loud in the second octave with the top couple of notes difficult to hit.
So, I’m looking for an easy blower with easy octave transitions, nice mellow tone and low air requirements.
Any ideas?
Oh, and I don’t want to wait in line for six months… I’d prefer to be able to order it one of the next days so it could be shipped to me in Michigan while I’m there next week (if it is coming from the US.)
Save your money, bide your time, and get an Abell blackwood A. There is nothing close to it that I’ve heard. Fits all your requirements except the patience obstacle.
Tony
I favor both the Burke and the Water Weasels A’s. I own and play both of those and have had a few A’s by other makers as well. The Burke, mine is aluminum, is not particularly loud. It’s very pleasant throughout its range. Brass, aluminum or composite Burkes will produce the same volume. They are made to the same specs. The composite will have a mellower tone. The Burke has one of the nicest octave transitions out there (IMHO). Burkes are pretty open and free blowing too.
The Water Weasel A is a really good whistle. All of Glenn’s whistles are good whistles! It has a lot of personality. Don’t ask me to explain what I mean by that because I can’t. It is a little louder, in my opinion, than the Burke.
I used to have a Sindt A that was fantastic. Although at that size the brass head does start to get a bit heavy.
I’d also seriously consider a Humphrey. I haven’t tried an A, but I have played an older Bb, a D, and a low F, and his whistles are terrific.
I think Bb and A are the Goldilock’s whistle keys–not too high, not too low…just right.
I have Abell A/Bb and just aquired a lovely set of Sindt, which ive been playing around with. I was surprised a how much I want to keep playing the sindt, even though I had an abell sitting on my mantlepiece. So I took out the Abell and played it for comparison. The Abell tone, feel, response , everything blew me away again. So I was surprised when I put it away again and got back to playing my high D Sindt. “Interesting” I thought to myself.
I am not sure if thats because the Sindt are new to me, but think that I like mucking about with the sindt. Nice back pressure, nicely responsive, not too “sweet”. But when I want to play a nice tune that ive already learned I’d definitely reach for the Abell.
Note though, I found the back pressure on the larger ‘A’ Sindt head less satisfying than the back pressure on the smaller, so for the first time I actually enjoy playing a D more than the lower Bb or A.
I just bought a Hoover Low A, tunable cpvc that’s very very good. The tone is wonderful, as is the tuning. The volume is on the high side of average with a bit of ‘push’ required for the upper part of the range. Mack had the whistle to me in about a week after confirming my “desires” about the characteristics by e-mail. Mack is great to work with and could probably work with you easily regarding shipping your whistle so as to arrive in a certain place at a certain time. That is one of the nice things about buying whistles from one man operations like Mack Hoover’s.
Also Gary Humphrey makes very nice whistles also and is quite responsive to your needs when it comes to shipping times. I am sure there are other whistle makers which would “fit the bill” as well, but these are two whom I have bought from before who both make great whistles and have great customer service.
Hey I know you! I’ve just finished reading your LTW web page. Very nice of you to do something like that. When I get motivated to get to the hardware store for some supplies, I’ll be giving it a go for myself. I’ll send you one, if it is something I get into. I’m sure my friends will want me to make them one, so one extra wouldn’t kill me.
Thanks again.
My Water Weasel A, chosen for me by Glenn’s daughter Bree, after his death, is one the most satisfying whistles I own. If you have a chance to purchase an A/Bb set, please do yourself a favor and do so. You will acquire a fine instrument set, and a piece of history.
Oops! It looks like I’m a little late chiming in. But, in case someone else wanders in with a similar question, I’ll respond anyway.
I have a Burke composite A and a Sindt brass A, both lovely whistles and very different from each other. The Burke is mellow, flutey, smooth, and is my favorite whistle for slow airs. It takes a lot more air volume than the Sindt. The Sindt is a lot easier to play. It’s more traditional-sounding, “chiffier” I guess you’d say, and I prefer it for faster tunes.
About that Sindt A … I read somewhere that the Sindts are great for half-holing, but they don’t work so well if you use cross-fingering instead of half-holing. Is that your impression as well ?
Well, the fingering I normally use for half-holing a C-natural (OXX OOO) [actually it’s really a G-natural, since it’s an A whistle, but you know what I mean] doesn’t give a good note on the Sindt. Without the whistle in my hand I can’t remember what works best – I’m thinking OXX XXO but all I really remember is that I need to put down more fingers for the Sindt.
I found that I need to half hole the Sindt to get the right note. I tried sandpapering down two generation tubes so they would fit hte Sindt head, and got it to work fine without half holing. but the sound just wasnt as nice, so i went back to the sindt tube.
have a Sindt A that was fantastic. Although at that size the brass head does start to get a bit heavy.