Hello,
I’m wondering if anyone can give a first-hand description of a Tilbury aluminum high D? I’ve tried to look back through past discussions, but have only found limited info - I’m especially curious about how others might characterize the sound and back pressure? (Although I understand that written sound descriptions can be highly subjective and potentially confusing or even contentious, but I’d still appreciate any first-hand opinions and reviews...).
I mostly play a Killarney nickel D and a Killarney brass Eb (if that helps for comparison), and I do like the back pressure of both, as well as the tone, but I recently gave the high D to a friend and am considering trying a new whistle instead of ordering another Killarney (which I’d be happy to do, but I’m always curious what else is out there).
Thank you all for any opinions or advice.
Tilbury Whistle Reviews?
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Sedi
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Re: Tilbury Whistle Reviews?
IMO they are very, very good. But more free-blowing than the Killarney, as the windway is much larger. That being said however -- Chuck Tilbury is constantly reworking the design and I am not even sure how the whistles, he makes at the moment, do play. My slightly older aluminium model is just lovely however.
And Chuck is a nice guy -- he was very helpful, when I wanted to make my own whistles and gave me good advice.
He needs to update his website though. The current models he makes don't look like that anymore. The tuning slide has been reworked. And he makes them in brass nowadays, I think.
They might look a bit like a "wide bore session model" but they do play more like a Walton "Mellow D". More "traditional" than they might look. And one more interesting fact -- Chuck told me, he based the design on an old O'Riordan whistle.
Oh -- just remembered, I posted a comparison video to YT a few years ago:
https://youtu.be/fUjlTJFoGso
And Chuck is a nice guy -- he was very helpful, when I wanted to make my own whistles and gave me good advice.
He needs to update his website though. The current models he makes don't look like that anymore. The tuning slide has been reworked. And he makes them in brass nowadays, I think.
They might look a bit like a "wide bore session model" but they do play more like a Walton "Mellow D". More "traditional" than they might look. And one more interesting fact -- Chuck told me, he based the design on an old O'Riordan whistle.
Oh -- just remembered, I posted a comparison video to YT a few years ago:
https://youtu.be/fUjlTJFoGso
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Narzog
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- Tell us something.: Can play several instruments at an unimpressive level. Currently most interested in whistling with a side of acoustic guitar.
Re: Tilbury Whistle Reviews?
Tilbury whistles are good if they are what your looking for,. I feel like they are a little more specific or niche than some others. And Chuck is a good guy, you can easily email him if you have any specific questions. In my case they did a few things I'm not a fan of. Also the model keeps getting changed. I'm a brand loyalist so I got my C as my first not cheapie, didnt really know what I liked, got the D and Bb, then decided they arent my preference haha...
Also to my knowledge his current model is the ones on the site. They have the old fat o ring tuning slide back (vs the thin no o-ring one you may have seen), but the mouthpiece has the delrin tip and inner now which is newer than the all metal.
-They have great tuning.
-Look super clean with the nickel finish, which you usually need to pay a lot more for
-The tone is good, relatively pure but not bland. But this keeps changing with every model. The all metal was more crisp, the new model is a little more stuffy.
-They are very free blowing. So less air efficient. The New delrin high d is more air efficient than the older model though. The windway is bigger on the Bb and down so those use a lot more air.
-They overblow very easy in the low end. Giving a quieter low end. But the high end is still loud.
-The D shaped windway can have moisture issues. I'm a very wet player though. Washing the inside with toothpaste generally fixes this one on most whistles, so I wouldn't worry too much about this one.
-They generally go for a reduced finger spacing. The last hole is usually closer and small. You can especially tell if you look at the Bb.
Personally I like a strong low end which gives a more balanced volume between octaves. Which usually always comes with being harder to overblow. And on the bigger ones, I'd want more back pressure to save air. And my hands are huge so I don't need closer holes. But if you like any of those things, then they are possibly more specific to your wants than some other whistles. A lot of players seem to want easy over blowing, and short finger spacing.
Also to my knowledge his current model is the ones on the site. They have the old fat o ring tuning slide back (vs the thin no o-ring one you may have seen), but the mouthpiece has the delrin tip and inner now which is newer than the all metal.
-They have great tuning.
-Look super clean with the nickel finish, which you usually need to pay a lot more for
-The tone is good, relatively pure but not bland. But this keeps changing with every model. The all metal was more crisp, the new model is a little more stuffy.
-They are very free blowing. So less air efficient. The New delrin high d is more air efficient than the older model though. The windway is bigger on the Bb and down so those use a lot more air.
-They overblow very easy in the low end. Giving a quieter low end. But the high end is still loud.
-The D shaped windway can have moisture issues. I'm a very wet player though. Washing the inside with toothpaste generally fixes this one on most whistles, so I wouldn't worry too much about this one.
-They generally go for a reduced finger spacing. The last hole is usually closer and small. You can especially tell if you look at the Bb.
Personally I like a strong low end which gives a more balanced volume between octaves. Which usually always comes with being harder to overblow. And on the bigger ones, I'd want more back pressure to save air. And my hands are huge so I don't need closer holes. But if you like any of those things, then they are possibly more specific to your wants than some other whistles. A lot of players seem to want easy over blowing, and short finger spacing.
-
Sedi
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- Tell us something.: Practice, practice, practice. You're never too old to learn.
Keep on fluting.
---u---o-o-o--o-o-o--
-----------------------
Re: Tilbury Whistle Reviews?
Interesting -- I didn't know, he returned to the older design. I like the sleeker design that I have. I am not really up to date about the current models. I remember that Chuck wanted to switch to brass at one time -- don't know how that turned out in the end.