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Can any of the McManus whistle owners on this thread who have tried both his standard and wide bore comment on the differences?

I'm about to buy a pair of whistles from Roy in D & C but can't make up my mind what bores to get.

Don't mind pushing a whistle a bit, but I don't want to end up with something that has a massive air requirement.

Thanks

Hello Trossachs,

What did you decide?

I can answer your question now, because I now have a McManus wide bore blackwood Bb and a McManus standard bore Bb.

Both are wonderful. Both are air-efficient. The wide bore is a tad richer at the bottom end. The standard bore is a bit quieter (about 3 or 4 dB reduction in volume, but still plenty loud enough) and a touch more nimble in the upper octave. I will be carrying both about when I'm gigging. They both have their place.

Hope this helps,

Sean in Tipperary

seanpmoran wrote: I can answer your question now, because I now have a McManus wide bore blackwood Bb and a McManus standard bore Bb.

If you have the ability to make s video or audio recording, I would love to hear a comparison of those two.

I'll see what I can do, Jim.

Making the recording is no problem. How to post it here is another story. Anyone know how?

All the best,

Sean

Usually easiest to post somewhere else like YouTube for video or soundcloud.com or clyp.it for audio and then just paste the link to it here

Here it is!

https://soundcloud.com/se-nmoran/danny- ... mw-gen-pak

I've just recorded a Bb standard bore McManus, and a Bb wide bore McManus. It's just for comparison - I make no claims for artistry here - but I used the same equipment and recorded one after the other. Out of interest, I went on to record a Bb Generation and a Bb bansuri I bought from a street trader in Lahore.

What differences can you hear?

All the best,

Sean in Tipperary

It's amazing how little difference there is considering the huge price difference represented here, but I'd say my favorite is the second one. Sweeter, mellower, and more balanced across the octaves than the first. That's the wide bore? Really? You've just blown up what I thought I knew about standard vs wide bore. Huh.

The second one is my favourite too; yes, that's the McManus wide-bore Bb.

I'm also enjoying the McManus standard-bore Bb, though. It's new so not fully played in yet. I expect it to become more mellow the more I play it. That's certainly happened with the other McManus whistles I have.

As for the Generation Bb and the Pakistani bamboo whistle in Bb, they sound OK-ish (if quieter than the two McManus instruments), but they have to be 'coaxed' more into doing what you want them to do. The McManus whistles are more predictable and consistent; proper professional instruments that can be relied upon in various performance situations.

All the best,

Seán in Tipperary.