OBrien Tour Whistles

Whistle
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I received the O’Brien Alto “D” and the Traveler Sop “D” whistles last Wednesday, and I’ve had some time to play with both of them.

Due to the size of my hands, I had a hard time playing the Alto “D”, even with the piper’s grip - it hurt my hands to stretch them that far for any length of time. I kept at it though, because I really liked the sound. It doesn’t have a lot of that undesirable airy hissing sound that I’ve heard in the few alto “D” whistles that I’ve tried. When I was able to seat my fingers on all the holes properly, the volume of the bottom “D” note was comparable the the rest of the notes in the lower octave - only slightly less loud. I found the upper octave high “C” and “D” difficult to hit at first, but I improved with practice. I very much liked the evenness of the volume throughout both octaves. I can’t say anything about how in tune the whistle is because I lack the proper equipment to make that determination; nor can I comment on responsiveness because the size of my hands makes the whistle impossible to play at any sort of speed for me - it would have been nice to hear the whistle played by someone with suitably sized hands. Nevertheless, I thought it was a fine whistle and I would recommend it to anyone (with larger hands than mine).

I liked the Traveler sop “D”, also. My wife made fun of the fact that it could collapse to a size that could fit in your pocket - she really doesn’t understand whistlers now, does she? :smiley: I alternated playing my Jerry Freeman MellowDog and the Traveler to see what differences I could pick out. I found the sound somewhat less “chiffy” than my MellowDog, more pure somehow. I also thought that the differences from octave to octave were pretty much equal in both whistles, except that the Traveler was somewhat louder than my MellowDog. I found it a fun whistle to play, responsive and easier to push than the MellowDog. Changing between octaves was somewhat easier on the Traveler. The only bad thing that I have to say is the smell that was left on my hands from handling the copper. Although it washes right off, I think I might prefer the whistle in a brass.

Having never played an O’Brien before, I was very happy to get the chance. I think that David puts out some very nice whistles and I wouldn’t mind having a few of them myself - not the Alto “D” though! :smiley:

Paul (BrewerPaul), did you want to take a look at it before I sent it on?

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Glad the whistles arrived safely. I think I was the the tour stop ahead of you.

For reasons having nothing to do with these whistles, I had less time to spend with them than I would have liked, and I used most of that time on the low D. I liked the tone very much–breathy and mellow, I’d say, just what I’d look for in a low whistle. The intonation seemed fine to my ear. I found the hand position very comfortable, easier than on the loaner Susato that is the only other low D I’ve played. I was particularly pleased with the second octave, a smooth transition from the first, and it wasn’t necessary to play it loud to get the upper notes. The edges of the tone holes felt a little sharp; I wouldn’t have minded a smoother finish there, but it was certainly no big deal. I think David is offering a good value here.