I’m thinking of ordering a set of whistles but I don’t know what kind of whistles to get. I know I want to get one of the gen sets at the whistle shop, but I’ve never played a brass one. I have a Sweetone and an Oak.
I find the nickel slippery and prefer the brass. Having said that, I love my Oak–or at least I’ll love my new Oak as soon as I buy one after mine cracked, and then tweak it and then break it in, meaning that I’ll get used to playing it.
It’s a long story. I prefer the brass.
Oh, and I tried a friend’s G the other day and I couldn’t fit my fat fingers on the holes. I think I’d need to spend a couple of hours with it to even get it to sound halfway good.
Nickel. Brass smells funny and gets ugly easily and seems more dent-prone.
I have a nickel Gen D whistle that I bought about thirty years ago. I really love it. The nickel has worn off around the tone holes and on the back where I put my thumbs. After that, it’s not too slick.
I have both sets. Consider that both sets costs less than one high end whistle. I sometimes play the brass and sometimes the nickel. It all depends on the tune, my mood, which one is closest, my mood, and how I feel that day. 
Ron
Yeah, it does smell a tad odd, but doesn’t really dent easily. I do find you have to clean brass much more.
That said, I like Nickel.
…but Brass=Warm, Nickel=Bright
I find that the brass smell bothers me on the bigger whistles but not the smaller ones, so I’m fine with the high F but had to give away the Bb. Keep that in mind if you notice the smell but aren’t sure if it’s going to bother you or not.
I also love my nickel Bb.
I keep hearing that brass has a darker, mellower tone, and I tend to agree. The difference isn’t really enough to worry about, but I’m fond of the look of brass, verdigris and all. That said, I have a nickel D that I wouldn’t give up for the world (well, maybe a Busman, Abell, Copeland…)but I took some 300 grit sandpaper to it for the sake of grip.
I had a similar problem with the nickel being slippery and hard to hold. So, since I make indie films in my spare time and have a stock of film supplies, I simply cut a strip of gaffer tape (note: do not use duct tape, which won’t come off without damage, while gaffer tape will) and attached it along the bottom of the whistle, where the right thumb would normally go. The result was almost as secure as having a Susato-style thumbrest and, since the strip is long and narrow, it allows for different thumb positions and is barely visible to any audience.
I should also note that Jerry Freeman makes tweaked full Generation sets in both brass and nickel, for about the same total price as a Burke DASBT.
I have a Generation C in brass, with a great mellow sound. While the silver and blue colors may look a little classier than the red and gold colors, it’s easier to shine up old brass than old nickel.
Yep. Some odd part of me loves to shine brass (shoulda joined the navy), but another part of me loves the patina.
Also (and I might have mentioned this before) my brief experience with injection-molding tells me that the different pigments can alter the final shape of a piece due to the pigment’s effect on final cooling. I seem to remember that blue was the worst for changing shapes, which might make a red-top different from a blue-top off the same mold. Is this the case? Am I full of it? Where’s my micrometer?