Please compare the characteristics of the Burke Brass Pro Session D and the Sindt D.
Both are adequate whistles. The Sindt is a bit more pure, a bit quieter. I prefer Burke Wide Bore Brass over the pro whistles…the sound has a bit more character.
Something else to keep in mind is the fingering of C natural. You can cross finger that note on a Burke OXXOOO, but on the Sindt they say you need to half hole it instead.
Jef
I don’t half hole. I modify breath pressure for an in tune cross-fingered C nat.
Mmmmmm. I found the Burke much purer than the Sindt which I found to be very breathy; also, OXXOOO is reasonably close on the Burke but way off on the Sindt which needs OXXXOX for accurate Cnat. Both are great whistles, just a matter of taste.
A Sindt BREATHY?!?
Jessie,
I know what you mean about breath pressure, this is what I do with my (your!) Sindt, but it’s still a problem 'cause you’re losing lotsa volume on the CNat, and for me it doesnt feel natural. I still think that the Sindt must be half-holed on the B note to get a real CNat.
Also, OXXXOX is NOT accurate on the Sindt, no matter what people will tell you.
I played MurphyStout’s Sindt D and its pretty damn close to the Burke. I don’t know what Sindt is like to do business with but if as good as Mike then its a toss-up to me.
I play the Alpro D more than I used to cause it “seems” louder with band. Does Sindt make aluminum model?
The Burke pro looks like a machine and the Sindt looks like a whistle.
I get a pretty in-tune Cnat with OXXXXO on the Sindt. Some other whistles, Harpers, for example, use this fingering, too.
I find the Burke a little purer than the Sindt, but overall pretty close – similar volume and breath requirements.
The thing I never got used to with the Sindt was the very heavy head on a lightweight body.
As far as Sindts being “pure” whistles, here are some dissenting opinions:
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?topic=7503&forum=1&start=15
blackhawk said:
“Sindts are reknowned for their chiff, not pure tone. The reason they are so popular is that they sound like Generations.”
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?topic=7272&forum=1&start=15
nickt said:
“I ordered a Sindt, waited the mandatory 6-8 months, and returned it the next day. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful whistle, but so chiffy I just didn’t take to it at all. I then ordered a Burke, received it two weeks later, and much preferred it.”
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?topic=6549&forum=1
PhilO said:
“Under your definition (which sounds pretty good to me)then, Copeland, Overton and Abell would be chiffy; Burke and Silkstone would be chiffless; and Sindt semi?”
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?topic=5969&forum=1
nickt said:
“The sound is medium and chiffy”
John Mac
Re. the Cnat fingering – I expect that can differ from whistle to whistle, even by the same maker. I have 2 Hoovers, both regular bore, one tuneable and one not. I have to finger Cnat differently on them. No big deal. Hitting one sour note reminds me which whistle I’m playing 
.
Tery
Ok, goesto11, I disagree with those opinions. I find the Sindt completely lacking a breathy tone. Listen to anyone you want.
Also, Generations are not breathy-sounding whistles, either. Clarkes are. There have been disagreements about the deifnition of “chiff” and “chiffy.”
Another thing, I think the player makes more of a difference than the whistle. The other day I heard the O’Riordan (that I played on the whistle comparison thread) played by someone else and it sounded like a Clarke. Then that guy (a flute player) played my Abell and it sounded excatly the same. If you get your lips or tongue in the way of the windway, any whistle will sound breathy. A Sindt is NOT a breathy whistle.
The Sindt isn’t even remotely pure (the Burke is as pure as it gets). The Sindt was designed to sound breathy like a Generation and it succeeds very well. The reason so many Irish players are switching to the Sindt is that they sound like the Gen they learned on.
“My idea was to make as consistent a whistle as possible while staying with the original design and sound and concept of a cheap penny whistle.” --John Sindt
Read Dale’s interview with John Sindt at
http://www.chiffandfipple.com/sindtinterview.html
John said “cheap,” not “breathy.” A Gen whistle is not breathy.
It is my belief that blackhawk is totally incorrect as to the tonal character of a Sindt.
Damn, I wish I had my Sindt here so I could record a comparison. A Sindt’s purity of tone is second only to some (not all) Susatos.
See…this is why a numbering system for reviewing whistles would be less important than getting to know the style and language of a particular reviewer.
Don’t you love the world of whistling? People become famous (well, sorta) making expensive copies of cheap things. Try selling an imitation Stratocaster that costs more than the original…
Actually there are a lot of companies that make strat copies that cost more then a standard Fender.. and they sell very well. Take G&L for example.