I've been saving up for a planned purchase of a Carbony mezzo A whistle, but just saw the recent glowing review of a Reyburn (their Low D), and then found quite a few other posts praising this maker.

I'd love to hear some thoughts/reviews from anyone whose played the Reyburn Mezzo A model, and especially anyone who can compare the brass to aluminum versions, and either to Carbony whistles.

The Reyburn website is very informative, and has lots of sound clips, but I didn't find one for this particular model.

Some specific questions:

*Brass vs. aluminum--is the difference just in the tone, and how much of a difference is there? From what I've read, and from the sound clips, Reyburns do seem to have a signature sound, and it appears that gets more distinctive the lower you go. Ronaldo seems to be especially keen on the aluminum, and I like to go with what the maker recommends. On the other hand, I just the love the way brass whistles look and feel.

*Just temperament. While equal temperament is an option, Ronaldo makes a strong case for the default "just temperament" tuning. I'm sold on the concept generally, but wonder if anyone has had issues when playing with concertinas, accordions, banjos, etc., all of which appear at my local session.

I'd love to purchase both a Carbony and Reyburn to do the comparison myself. Even though the combined price is still far less than what I've spent on many other instruments, it's still a stretch.

Hi,

I love the Reyburn low whistles. I am giving up most of my whistles due to hand issues and currently have a Reyburn low A/Bb set in brass for sale. Easy playing and, like all Reyburns they play in tune.

Little played, like new actually, two bodies (A/Bb) and one head, with soft pouch. Asking $225 shipped in the lower 48.

Piper Joe

Jack, here is some information regarding the differences between my aluminum A and the brass version. The aluminum uses a larger bore so is louder than the brass and has a cooler tone. The brass plays sweeter and easier in the upper octave due to its narrower bore and has a brighter tone

I hope this helps in your decision making process.

Ronaldo
www.reyburnwhistles.com

Ronaldo, does this difference hold true throughout the range, and specifically for low D?

Ronaldo is having difficulty posting so he sent this reply to me by email.

Regarding the differences in the bore of the brass and aluminum the answer is no it does not hold true for all of the keys. Actually for the low D the aluminum version is very slightly narrower compared to the brass, and the same goes for the Hi D and C.

This is due to the fact that more sizes are available in brass compared to aluminum and I use a wall thickness twice as thick for the aluminum which allows for the way I make the tuning slide.

Yes, he's got a recurring glitch to contend with, and we don't yet know what's causing it. We hope to have it resolved before too long.

_________________
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