Howdy,
From some other posts I’ve seen today, I can tell that Paul’s been a busy man lately. I had a package notice from the post office in my mailbox yesterday, and zipped down to the PO immediately after work today. Yes! It was my two new Busman whistles! (Birthday presents from my wonderful wife.) They arrived in perfect condition, snugly wrapped in their nice little pouches.
First impressions:
Bird’s-eye maple – Visually, this is the most beautiful whistle I’ve ever seen; almost mesmerizing. The pattern on the wood is stunning, and the stainless steel fittings complement the unstained maple perfectly. I warmed the whistle in my hands for a bit, then played a few tunes. What a lovely sound! I had to force myself to put it down (and swab it out) after 20 minutes (to allow the wood to acclimate gradually). The only downside to this whistle is that it’s difficult to look at it while I’m playing it! (Although, being near-sighted, I can focus my eyes on it better if I remove my glasses.)
Delrin – The visual beauty of this whistle lies in its simplicity. The matte-black Delrin framed by the stainless steel fittings makes for a very elegant-looking instrument. I’ve only played a couple of tunes on it so far, but its sound is just as lovely as that of the maple whistle. I’ll be playing it a lot more this evening, since I don’t have to limit myself to 20 minutes. The Delrin whistle will definitely be my whistle of choice when traveling.
I can tell right now that my other whistles are going to feel very neglected. I’ll tell them it’s all Paul’s fault.
I placed an order for a bird’s eye maple whistle with Paul just yesterday–before I read this review. Now I KNOW I’m going to be happy…in two months or so when it’s finished. It’ll be hard to wait
For those of you who may not have noticed, Paul’s putting his price up on the first of August. My check will go out in the mail today.
It will be worth the wait. As good as my initial impressions were, I find that I my opinion of my Busman whistles keeps improving the more I play them. I love the sound, and they just seem to fit my hands better than my other whistles, so that I find them easier to play. However, I’m consistently torn by indecision when practice time rolls around… Which Busman should I play first? (Because, inevitably, I play both of them.)
So, did you order stained or unstained maple? Brass or stainless fittings?
My Busman blackwood and pink ivory special is still my favourite high D and it has plenty of competition. If I didn’t already have so many others and a liquidity crisis, the delrin would be hard to resist.
How do you decide you want a particular make of whistle if you’ve never had the chance to try it? (Is that, in fact, how you found the Busmans?)
I’m craving a new whistle, and everyone’s raving about so many different types, but I don’t get to try any of them. What would you all suggest?
The Busmans look good, of course, and judging on the posts in this thread, they also sound good. I’m looking for something clear, not too breathy, and not too strident (of course, all whistles are strident, I’m sure, but some are mellower than others, and that’s what I’m aiming for). Not too quiet either - the sessions I go to here can be deafening with all the banjos and guitars!!
To answer one question, the maple will be stained, and with brass. I was the wife of a cabinetmaker long enough to appreciate that you can really make the grain stand out with the right application of stains and finish. (I’m now the ex-wife of a cabinetmaker, but everything’s a learning experience.)
To answer the other question, I’ve seen another Busman (Wendy Morrison’s) and was very impressed. Other than that, I’m relying on reviews and my belief that Paul will treat me right if I have any problems.
I’ve got a few Elfsongs and I enjoy them too, but I basically ordered my first one blind, using some birthday money, to see how they were. Sandy’s customer service is superior.
Like most people, I started off buying cheap whistles on spec and just played whichever sounded best at teh time. I researched whistles on this site and drew up a list of whistles I’d like to try at least. (I was in lurking mode at then time.) The only local supplier of high-end whistles sold only Overtons in that category and since they were high on my list I bought a few. I now have 9. Then I just started trying others looking for a bit of variety.
I read lots on this board before buying and looked for whistles with characteristics I thought I’d like, which would complement my Overtons and which had a reputation for reliability and consistency. I found Burke, Grinter, Sindt and Busman that way. After reading a while, you get a feel for who knows whistles well and you weight their advice more heavily. It just snowballed from there. Some whistles that are less consistent are also sometimes great—Copeland and Abell for example. I have great Copelands and Abells. Although I’ve never had a chance to try a whistle before I’ve bought it, I’ve rarely been disappointed and the whistles that don’t quite do it for me will probably please someone else when I decide to thin the herd. If you buy whistles that seem to meet your specs, Busmans sound right for you BTW, you will most likely only be disappointed if you were a bit hazy when deciding or if your tastes change. Also, if you buy a quality product, you can sell it here and try another if you really decide it was a mistake.
Ideally, I would like to be able to play a whistle before purchasing. But, when the maker doesn’t live nearby, you have to rely on the opinions of others and the reputation of the maker. (Or, if you’re lucky, find someone nearby who will let you try out their whistles.)
Check out Slowair’s original review of the Busman delrin whistle: http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=18513. I ordered mine based on that review, and I haven’t regretted it. Also, be sure to listen to the sound clips on Paul’s website.
Wow, thanks! I’ve just read Slowair’s review, and I’m just about sold. I like the look of the wooden whistles, but I’m getting the impression that there’s a lot of care to be taken with these.
The Delrin obviously does away with almost all of those concerns. And… it has stainless fittings Sounds pretty good to me!
Do you notice any difference at all in the sound between your bird’s eye maple and your delrin? One mellower than the other, or louder, or shriller, or anything like that?
Moxy, Montreal isn’t all that far from Albany, where Paul Busman lives and works. Make a day trip! Or check out his post about the Irish festival in Albany and go to that. I’m sure he’d be happy to bring along some whistles for you to see and try.
To my ears, the maple has more chiff and sounds “lighter” than the delrin. (This is probably a function of the different densities of the two materials.) They are equally loud, and neither is what I would consider too shrill. There is some maintenance (periodic light oiling) required for a wooden whistle. If you want the sound of a wooden whistle without the upkeep, the Busman delrin is hard to beat. That, plus the fact that the Busmans are two-peice whistles, makes the delrin great for travel.
I’m currently awaiting ‘D’ whistles in Tulipwood and Olivewood,both with stainless steel fittings.
Paul is certainly using some very exciting materials,and his customer feedback just gets better.
I am filled with anticipation!
You will not be disappointed. I know it’s a hard decision to put a good amount of money on a whistle you’ve never tried - feels like you’re taking a chance. I’m like Wombat - just had to go on the comments from other people. But it turns out that in this case it was not a bad way to go.
I got my Busman Pao Rosa whistle with stainless steel fittings last spring and never had buyer’s remorse. Not only does it look beautiful but I really like the sound. It goes easily into the higher octave and is in very good tune with itself. Everyone comments on it and many are bewildered when I tell them it’s an Irish whistle - it looks too classy for a ‘toy’.
Wood isn’t that difficult to care for. I live in a relatively arid environment and have had no trouble. Just oil it every now and then. And just like fiddles and other instruments made from wood, the sound will probably just get better with age.
So congratulations on your new whistle.
Sounds pretty good to me!