Busman and others - What whistle do I want?

toddyboy50 · Post by **toddyboy50** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 1:01 pm

Hi all.... I'm looking for a high D whistle with, relatively speaking, mellower flute like sound qualities, not shrill (probably wood?)....low air requirements in both octaves, but loud enough for session. I have about a 3 year old Burke Al-pro that doesn't do it for me, and I'll be selling here as soon as I get something. Appreciate your all thoughts..... Tod

Loren · Post by **Loren** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 1:10 pm

Hi Tod,

I think probably a Rose or a well voiced Copeland might suit your needs.

Loren

JessieK · Post by **JessieK** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 1:20 pm

Hmm...loud enough for a session, mellow and not shrill. Gotta go with Abell on this. It is a very rare Copeland that is not shrill in the high end of the second octave. A Rose is generally too quiet in the first octave for a session. A Lon Dubh (little blackbird, available from Blayne Chastain at Whistle and Drum) is a terrific whistle and the blackwood ones are just loud enough to be session-ready, but the tone is pure and not QUITE as mellow as an Abell. So that's my suggestion.

Azalin · Post by **Azalin** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 1:23 pm

I agree with Jessie (hey, how is THAT possible? ;-D),

I borrowed an Abell from someone from the board, and it's my favorite session whistle for loud sessions. It's too loud to play in quiet sessions, unless you don't care disturbing better musicians around.

Redwolf · Post by **Redwolf** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 1:27 pm

Kinda depends on what you mean by "air requirements." The Busmans have a lot of back pressure, and at first you might think they require more air. What they actually require, however, is a bit more "push"...in fact, I find I use LESS air when I play my Busman (and thus often end up gasping when I play my "easier blowing" whistles.

In all other respects, I think a Busman would suit your needs very nicely.

Redwolf

slowair · Post by **slowair** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 1:57 pm

I just did a review on the Busman Black Delrin. You'll probably find it on page 2 by now.

Check it out.

Mike

JessieK · Post by **JessieK** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 1:58 pm

Az, Abells vary in volume (and purity) and can be tailor-made, to a degree. My favorite one is barely loud enough for a session (but is, just) and is perfect for the living room. But I have played, owned and sold Abell d whistles that were quite a bit louder, such as the one you have been playing.

chas · Post by **chas** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 2:21 pm

To Abell and Busman I would also add Grinter

Loren · Post by **Loren** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 2:30 pm

I actually think this is one of those situations where all the parameters of the posters request can not be fully met, so some compromise has to be made: If one wants that "Flutey" sound, then the cylindrical bore whistles won't really do it, including the Abells, much as I love 'em.

Which leaves Rose and Copeland whistles, which are about as flutey soudning as they come.I do however agree with Jessie's reservations - The Copelands can be shrill in the second octave, depending on the voicing, and most, but not all, of the Rose whistles have a weak bottom end that will get lost in sessions with any significant volume, so Tod.....

Take your pick: Flutey sound with weak bottom end, Flutey sound with loud, potentially shrill second octave, or well balanced but not particularly flutey sounding.......

Copelands are, by nature, whistles of above average volume, but if it were me, I'd call Micheal Copeland, explain exactly what I want, and give him a crack at providing it, that is if the flutey tone were a priority. It's not practical to sort through a bunch of Rose whistles to find one with a really solid low end, I had 5 or 6, and only one had enough volume on the low end for sessions.

Loren

toddyboy50 · Post by **toddyboy50** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 3:49 pm

Hi Loren and Jessie... thanks for all the great feedback.... thinking seriously about a lon dubh, copeland, or abell - what's the approximate wait on these?
Tod

JessieK · Post by **JessieK** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 4:04 pm

Lon Dubh should be immediate (I think Blayne has some in stock), Copelands can be found immediately (lots of places are now stocking them) unless you want to order one custom-voiced, and then the wait might be a couple of months (but they might be able to accomodate you immediately if you call), and for a new Abell, the wait is several months unless you can find one in a shop (the Grovewood Gallery and Acoustic Corner, both in Asheville, NC, sometimes carry them).

Azalin · Post by **Azalin** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 4:15 pm

Jessie,

Is the waiting time for a Copeland, which used to be almost a year, shorter now? Or is it just for the high Ds? I'm just curious, I think they're too loud.

JessieK · Post by **JessieK** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 4:19 pm

Yes, they tend to be too loud. They usually have some either finished or on the way to being finished. The wait is far less than it used to be, I think.

Zubivka · Post by **Zubivka** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 5:14 pm

Loren wrote:If one wants that "Flutey" sound, then the cylindrical bore whistles won't really do it, including the Abells, much as I love 'em.

Which leaves Rose and Copeland whistles, which are about as flutey soudning as they come.

Hmm... Agreed soundwise. However, contrarily to what I've read here a couple times, Roses do have a cylindrical bore--repeat--DO NOT have a conical bore.
Of wooden whistles, the only ones with a conical bore I'm aware of (which certainly is no gospel) are:
Sweetheart ("Professional" and its new "Kilhoury" blackwood variation) and, on our side of the pond, Bleazey, Swayne, Le Coant. The latter has a much more moderate cone angle (about half) than the others.
All of them share a fully wooden head, and could qualify as "flutey" each in their own way, though all have their share of reediness or trace of breathiness. None is a match on this respect to the (only, nickel-silver) high D Copeland I played. Unique sound for a whistle, IMHO, though its tuning was... perfectible.

The Rose, on the other hand, is just perfect. At times I wished "Mr Proper" could misbehave... Something like the beauty spot missing on a sculptural face?

Finally, there's also the Silverton, very close to the Rose, and cylindrical too, but with a strong low end. AND breathy at will, on demand, which makes its uniqueness--and ultimate scarcity since the maker retired.

Anyway--the nuances may be there, but one should feel the happiest person by playing any single one of these masterpieces, whatever their subtle differences

blackhawk · Post by **blackhawk** » Tue Mar 23, 2004 9:47 pm

Currently the best "bang for the buck" is the Greenwoods whistles by Davey Boisvert. They are as good as any whistle being made and only half the price of Abell.