Hey all, I play a Chieftain soprano D and a black tipped session brass Burke. I love them both. The chieftain I use mostly for lower ranged songs, for I don’t like the control over the high end and sometimes the volume is a killer. I use the Burke for most anything and love it (though it sometimes can be drowned out). I just threw this out there so you know my whistle preferences, if it helps. I also play on a few Generations.
I am looking to invest in a nice first Low Whistle. A low D. I’ve played on a susato low G. I know a low whistle is a whole different beast, but I am very willing to take it on and give it the necessary time.
I shall be playing a one hour set with a fiddle player and my twin brother who plays bodhran very well (and is getting a Seamus O’Kane drum! WOO) and sings, and am being paid quite a handsome amount. I play frequently with my brother, just whistle (and my button accordion) and him, and am looking to diversify both our set as a duet and am looking for another accompaniment for the guitar, fiddle, bodhran, whistle combo I often play with.
I am new to low whistles but am looking for a lifetime (or close) investment. Tell me what you all like? I’ve been looking and listening and I just would like to hear some ups and downs of your low whistles! Soon I will begin the purchasing search, but not without a good background.
-Sean
I think your quest will be more rewarding if you first identify the sound that you want. Listen to your favorites and find out what low D is being played. Here’s a link for some low Ds: http://www.micksvirtualwhistle.net/whistle/
Figure out if you want a tunable low D. If you are planning on playing with other folk, a tunable would be a good idea.
I favor Overtons. Doc Jones has some used in your price range.
Thing is, there are so many low D whistles out there, and they sound and play so differently, and people have such a wide range of preferences, that if you ask 10 low whistle players what to buy you’ll likely get 10 different answers.
Low D’s seem to be mainly of two camps, one personified by the Overton, the other by the Burke. I know that this is oversimplifying, but Overtons (and Overton-like whisltes) have a narrow straight windway, high backpressure, and a complex musty or earthy tone. Burkes (and thier ilk) have a wide curved windway, low backpressure, and a clear or pure voice. (But the Burke is in no way wimpy; it’s the loudest low D I’ve tried, and has a wonderful fat muscular tone.)
I play a Burke “pro viper” aluminum. I’ve had it since July, but I’m still finding out more that I can do on it. It’s an instrument that I have a hard time putting down, I think because I get the feeling as I play it that I haven’t realised its potential, that as I get more used to it, it will keep giving me more. It is my “session horn”: if I was allowed only one thing to bring to a session, the Burke would be it.
I did buy and try a number of other low D’s which did not measure up to the Burke, but in fairness there are still a large number of other highly regarded low D’s that I haven’t tried. There is no substitute for trying them yourself, and usually that means having to buy them. I was lucky enough to find a shop in Glasgow (Folk Revolution) last August that had a half-dozen makes of low D’s that I tried. None came close to the Burke IMHO.