Hey, Everybody!
A whistling friend just knocked my socks off! He sent me a set of Syns in C and D, and a Jerry Freeman tweaked Generation Bb! I am astounded!
I will always remember his generousity and plan to name all my pets after him from now on (children are no longer an option from a few years back, I’m afraid)!!
If you have considered buying a Syn, keep ON considering! I have read that they are called “the poor man’s Burke” and that fits with these Syns! Both the C and D tubes are SWEET, extremely responsive, forgiving, absolutely no buzz at all, UTTERLY in tune on all notes, and, above all, QUIET! These are not whistles for a crowed noisy room, but most of us don’t play a lot in crowded, noisy rooms. I wear a left earplug because my left ear is sensitive (my right eardrum is tough–figure THAT out)! But I can leave even the earplug out if I want to with these whistles.
And that Generation Bb–Jerry Freeman’s tweak makes it sound like a custom whistle! I have been critical of Generations before (I bought and eventually threw away a D after trying to tweak it myself). But the Jerry Freeman tweak makes me see why Gens used to be a legend. I’ll never run them down again–at least the tweaked ones!
If you are considering a better whistle and don’t have a lot of bucks, these are options that you should consider.
And to the giver of these whistles: you TOTALLY ROCK!! The Lord will reward you!!
I’m still convinced that the Syn sets are the best value on the market in the “pure” category. And Erle’s other whistle, the Black Diamond, may be the best value in the “traditional” category. (Uh-oh, I hope this doesn’t start a heated debate about categorization). 
Enjoy!
Erle makes a nice Whistle. I would say that the Black Diamonds are my fave Gen style High end Whistle, I chose it over a Sindt. I found the Sindt nice sounding and one of the most beautiful Whistles I have played, but it was way too weak for my tastes.
The Burke and Syns are similar, but I find them to have major differences. Like the Burke is more even throughout the registers. Although, yes the Syns are a great value.
hey i have a SYN high D and i was just wondering if anyone else had a problem with the high A and B notes they seem to have a hard time staying the the uppper octave, i can hold them, but pretty much have to blow pretty hard and the notes come out really loud. I’ve been thinking it’s just breath control problems but i’ve been practicing with it for a month now, and can hold the notes at a lower volume for about 5 seconds then the note breaks down into the first octave, and all the other notes are easily attained just the last three in the second octave are a bit touchy. I have a feeling it’s just me, but just wondering what other SYN owners thought. Other than that problem it’s a really nice whistle and i love the tonality of it.
I’ve never had that problem, but actually I play my C and B tubes 99% of the time.
I wouldn’t call it a problem, exactly, but both my Syn D whistles do need a bit more oomph for the 2nd octave A & B. I think this is a bit more noticable on the older of the two whistles (about a year older than the other, old enough that there’s no etching on the tube).
It follows the head, not the body, BTW. And I agree with blackhawk - even with the older head the C, Bb, and A bodies don’t seem to need as much push at the top of the 2nd octave.
Good whistles, though. I’m hanging onto mine.
I agree with the last two posts. This is probably why the Syn is often cited as people’s favorite C whistle, but not their favorite D or above. Using my D and Eb bodies, I have to push pretty hard and hold it pretty carefully to get a clean top couple of notes, and it’s a bit louder than the other notes. The C seems not to have this issue. (Not to exaggerate — it’s easily managed with a bit of practice, and it’s a great whistle regardless of key).
hey thanks guys, so it’s not totally my fault, i like to hear that 
but yeah, i can make the upper high notes but they’re pretty loud and require a lot more air than anything else in the second octave, but the rest of the second octave sounds sweet and pure and that’s why this is my favorite whistle, except for any songs that have those last three notes of the second octave, then the song becomes overly loud at that one point. I guess with more practice of breath control i’ll finally master it, but atleast it’s nice to know it’s not completely my fault. Thanks a bunch guys
Actually, IMHO, that’s the situation with any whistle. I own Gens, Feadogs, Waltons, Burkes, Sindts, have played most of the rest, and I have to wear earplugs on the top two or three highest notes on any whistle. The Syn is the gentlest on the ears of all whistles I’ve played, while still retaining the beautiful tone.