Busman Delrin Review

Whistle
1

Paul and I recently exchanged different species of musical instruments, and I was offered one of his whistles. I have known for years that he makes beautiful wooden whistles, but I didnt want one due to my notoriety for destroying anything of organic origin.

He offered me a Delrin whistle and I accepted.

Since we had exchanged instruments I feel I am under no obligation to provide him a “freebies” review, no more so than he is obligated to provide a positive review of a Smoot-owned Stagi Concertina.

A box from Busman whistles arrived and I was pleasantly surprised to see it in 2 pieces in a felt(?) case. It fits into a pocket. I think: Very nice.

I put it together and it had the heft that I like in a whistle. Andrea Corrs looks cute playing a thin-walled model; fat, bald, over-the-hill 50-somethings dont. We tend to cling to the last vestiges of what we think is masculinity.

So I played a scale at the office. And then I played a tune, which I never do while at work.


I am going to digress for a moment: Everyone has different tastes and expectations from the whistle they are playing. That is what makes WHOA fun; finding the perfect whistle that fits your personality.

If I had to design my perfect whistle, it would be:
Adaptability. You dont need a week of practice to play it.
Responds to reels with snap
Can play ornamentations with deep feeling
Sounds pure and true
Minimal breath requirements through both octaves into the 3rd octave D-E.
Doesnt require “tooting” into the whistle for the 2nd octave A-B-C.
Minimal clogging, ie, requires cleaning every hour or so.

To me this “perfect” whistle is one that I could synergize with. It is a whistle that would take me to my limits as a player, and demand I kick it up a notch to keep up with its craftsmanship

And this is exactly the whistle that Paul Busman sent me.

If I asked the finest maker of whistles to create a whistle for me to my specs, it would sound exactly like my Busman.

Thanks, Paul, for sharing your craftsmanship. I am picky with my whistles, and enjoy playing what I feel is the best in my hands, and yours is one of them.

Sincerely,

Smoot

2

Congrats on the new whistle.

3

I had a chance to try one of Paul’s Birdseye Maple ones, I did not want to give it back.
Delrin is probably the more practical solution in materials, but OH the beauty of wood.

D

4

Welcome to the wonderful world of Busman whistles! I absolutely love my Busman Delrin D, though I prefer the sound of my Busman Ironwood D (it’s slightly more complex). I have an Ironwood C on order. :slight_smile: (These are not the Cookstown Ironwood he lists on his website. They’re made from an American species of Ironwood also known as Hop-Hornbeam.)

I have a Busman D in Birdseye Maple. It’s such a lovely wood. But, since I got my ironwood whistle, the maple has been sadly neglected (for playing; I still oil it regularly). I should probably sell it, but it’s just so darn pretty…

Cheers,
John

5

I purchased a Delrin D from a C&F member; should be arriving in the mail today.
I can’t wait to play it!

6

I have a Tambootie D, and yeah, it is the perfect whistle for me too! I also have a C on order, in Imbuia (aka African Walnut). I can hardly wait ! Ah, to have a good C whistle at last! :smiley: At the moment my C whistles are: an icky Clarke original(resistant to all tweeking), a Clarke Sweetone(not too awful, but unpleasent tone), a Feadog(also not too awful, but not that nice either), and a homemade bamboo thing which was nice until it started cracking. Anyway, I am REALLY looking forward to this Busman C!!!

-Kelly

7

I have a Busman Yellowheart D which is absolutely astounding in looks, sound, and playability. My Busman Delrin D is nearly as good in sound and appearance but better for travel and lower in maintenance. I have a yellow Delrin on order (yeah, I’m the person who started that colored whistle thing) - can’t wait!

8

I seem to be the only one who prefers Delrin over wood. I’m talking about the sound, not the appearance. My bloodwood is very attractive, of course, but I find the sound of my Delrin more appealing–especially in the second octave.

Of course, the differences in sound may be due to subtle differences in the way the whistle blades are cut, rather than to the materials. But whatever the cause, the Delrin definitely sounds better to me.