I’ve done a search through the threads and can’t find the answer I need…
I’m thinking of buying a Burke Bb (following advice on this thread after my comments about the Sindt Bb), took a look at the Burke website and fell off my chair in confusion - yikes!
What’s best: narrow bore? wide bore? brass? aluminium? pro? Cripes, so many to choose from and in true whistle maker’s fashion, a rather uninformative website when it comes to such questions (but Mike clearly makes some mean whistles). Help!
Hi Nick. Can’t help you specifically with the Bb, but I have a Burke high D and it is the best! It is the aluminum pro model and it plays like a dream. You can also email Mr. Burke himself (under contact on web page)and he will respond to any questions you may have in a timely manner. Good luck choosing..
If I remember correctly, you’d said you preferred a purer, relatively chiff-free tone to your whistles. If that’s the case, I’d go with the Al-Pro whistles (though which bore size is up to you; narrow would be quieter, maybe a bit purer in tone). The brass Burkes seem a bit more chiffy than the aluminum. I have Al-Pro high D and low G whistles, and they’re both very pure “silvery”-sounding whistles, with little chiff. (I actually prefer the chiff and some overtones, so I spend more time with my Overtons than the Burkes. . .)
So, go with the aluminum. You might check withthe folks at Song of the Sea (www.songsea.com, I think), to see if they have any in stock, as well.
Buying Burkes whistles is not as confusing as knowing what you will really need, which of course will vary constantly.
Since most of us cannot afford nor justify buying all of them, here is the scoop:
Narrow Bore will play just right but not loud enough to play a “lively” session.
Wide Bore will be louder and most likely heard at a session.
Aluminum or brass? It is usually a personal choice but roughly, brass sounds a little softer and with a little more chiff
Pro is the new thing, this has a delrin plug which leaves no chance for clogging
From what I can tell from Mike’s price list, you only have the choice Aluminum, Brass, or Composite in the key of Bb. The different bore sizes look like they only come in keys D, C, and B. So you only have to choose the material, rather than the other array of options.
I got a D Al-Pro from Song of the Sea Tuesday. I’m quite happy with it. I tend to stay away from brass, simply because of the tarnish issue. The Al-Pro I have is very similar in tone to to the composite of Lee Marsh’s that I got to play, and NancyF’s Aluminum (I think Al-Pro). When I hear recordings of nickle and brass Copelands side by side, I admit I can’t readily tell a difference. I think, for sound, the material is less important than the construction. I imagine that all three materials (composite, aluminum, brass) would sound similar, so it’s down to a matter of preference.
But, from my limited exposure to my own new Burke, I’d commend you on your choice of maker. Mine’s a sweet little thing.
On 2002-09-06 13:08, nickt wrote:
I’m thinking of buying a Burke Bb (following advice on this thread after my comments about the Sindt Bb), took a look at the Burke website and fell off my chair in confusion - yikes!
What’s best: narrow bore? wide bore? brass? aluminium? pro? Cripes, so many to choose from and in true whistle maker’s fashion, a rather uninformative website when it comes to such questions (but Mike clearly makes some mean whistles). Help!
Aaron is spot-on in his advice to you. I own 2 Brass Pros and a set of AlPros. They never let me down… My Bb is an Alpro, and it is a treasure. The volume between octaves is consistent and the playability is excellent. The tone is pure silver. The Brass Pro will give you a bit more chiff… Check with Patti at Song of the Sea. She may have some Bb Alpros in stock.
Cheers.
Byll
Just for perspective: I prefer the brass. I own Session brass D and Alpro D. Alpro D is more temperamental tho it seems a bit louder.
I have brass C and E as well. I really like them. The C is a great ballad/air whistle as many folk songs are in C in my group.
You can’t go wrong with either if Burkes are your taste. And Pro Sessions seems to be the safe way to go. i would like to someday try a narrow bore and suspect it might play a bit quicker, if the high E is any indication. But I am pleased with the Pro Session Ds for vast majority of playing.
It is hard for Mike to answer emails tho. I no longer expect answers from him but am always pleased by his product, and speed of delivery.
On 2002-09-06 16:00, The Weekenders wrote:
It is hard for Mike to answer emails tho. I no longer expect answers from him
Hi Weekender. Why do you say that it is hard for Mike to answer emails? Is it just because he is so busy making whistles? I emailed him the other day and was pleased with his timely, pleasant & thorough response. I hope I did not disturb something, if there is something else going on there that I am not aware of.
Cheryl
<>< praise Him from Whom all blessings flow ><>
[ This Message was edited by: one-tin-soldier on 2002-09-06 16:17 ]
I say it because he has answered few of my emails yet sends me wonderful whistles and considers me a good customer. I took the non email response hard at first then scanned the threads and got some perspective about how busy he is, how many orders etc etc. I suggest all new purchasers do the same. FAX your order or send check and it will come.
The subject of my emails were regarding future purchases and maintenance so they were not fluffy or off-topic. If I didnt think his whistles were so great, I might have looked elsewhere as I was wanting info about low whistles prior to placing an order for two.
The one time I had a problem, I did get through by phone and formal letter and we worked it out. i was sorry about the mess with Blackhawk but was just leaving for vacation when the thread began and couldn’t weigh in.
Everyone has their peculiarities. That’s his, that he’s so dang busy making great whistles. I can live with that though I know this was a hot topic two weeks ago…
Mike is a very busy man, but he’s a class act, both as a whistle maker and a person. I have 2 Burkes, a brass high D and an aluminum low D, and love both. I’m saving for a low F now, and then I plan to get a high C.
Mike and I straightened everything out and it was just a misunderstanding to begin with. I very much regret any damage I did to him reputation.
I have a WBB D, a composite C, and aluminum in A, G, and low D. One thing that people haven’t mentioned is that the brass has considerably more weight than the other materials. Doesn’t matter to me, but it might as the whistle got lower and bigger.
I like the composite C well enough, but haven’t spent enough time to get over its idiosincracies, so the range of high E to high G is a wee bit shaky for me. But I like the material well enough.
Please, everyone, I’m asking nicely. . .buy the Al soprano D’s from Song of the Sea NOW, before my annual pilgrimmage! I don’t even want to TRY them. . .I don’t want to want. Whoever offered up that brass Copeland struck my WhOA, and I had to speak very severely with myself to not try for it.
Yer a card, Tygress. That illustration of human flesh struggling with its own desires was as good as it gets. “I don’t want to want”. Shakespear couldn’t have said it better.
I have had Burke Hi Ds in both brass and aluminum both were session pros.
I thought the brass had a nicer tone. More character than the aluminum (though both were wonderful). I would not have characterized it as chiffy. In fact if you search for threads on “pure” whistles the brass Burke makes a very good showing.
It’s not as pure as the Rose (nothing is) but it is a very sweet-sounding critter.
I recently acquired a composite A. It is outstanding. I expected it to sound like a PVC whistle…nothing of the sort. To me it sounds very like a wooden instrument.
The only drawback to the composite is it isn’t as loud as the metal ones. I certainly wouldn’t characterize it as a “quiet” whistle but when you’re competing with as many fiddlers as I am you need a little more volume.
Hi everyone,
I just wanted to confirm that I only make the one bore diameter on the Bb, though I make it in all three materials: Composite, Brass and Aluminum. I have the Aluminum and Composite in stock, another batch of Brass ones is being made since we just sold out of them.
I apoligize for the condition of the website.
We are working hard to completely rebuild it with a lot of new features like FAQs, Pictures, Sound samples, Descriptions on each model, and a secure server to send in orders using a type of shopping cart. ETA for new site is early October.
All the best
Mike
Hope this helps.
Have you ever experimented with a Brass or Aluminum headjoint, with a composite body? It might look weird, but I wonder what the tonal characteristics would be. Any input?
Hi Brian,
Hmmm,well you know, I did make a Composite upper bore, brass lower bore whistle one time and Kathleen Keane begged me for it, though now she prefers the all aluminum ones. I also put an aluminum head on the composite low D to try it a month ago, but I couldn’t tell the difference between it and the Delrin head, though actually, since the aluminum head is delrin lined, it might not really be a metal head accoustically.
I suspect that the Composite bores will sound like composite and the metal bores will sound like metal, no matter what the head is made from though.
All the best
Mike
It would be difficult for me to express my pleasure in all the Burke whistles I currently own… At times, the brass are my favorites, then I switch over to aluminum and enjoy the difference in sound and feel. I have always heard back from Michael in a timely manner, and have purchased my whistles both from Song of the Sea and from Michael himself. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend ~~~
Mary
I have an Al-Pro D, and I love it (this is my primary whistle)…lovely sound (clear, clean, not shrill), great playability, balanced volume, and right in tune all the way up the scale. It’s a beautiful whistle.
A question: after disassembling/reassembling the whistle to clean it today, I’ve noticed that the headjoint is a little looser in the barrel. I don’t mean that the slide is looser in terms of being pulled out/being pushed in, but there seems to be some side-to-side play. Is this significant or abnormal in any way?
