If you could only have three high d whistles . . .

walrii · Post by **walrii** » Sat Apr 23, 2005 8:15 am

Maybe I'm cheating but I tallied the various makers listed here and came up with the following. I set the price range break between "medium" and "high" rather arbitrarily at US$100. There were another two dozen or so whistles that got less than 3 votes each.

Whistle.........Votes.....Price

Burke..............9.........High (the low side)
O'Riordon........8.........High to impossible
Humphrey.......8.........Medium
Sindt...............6.........Medium
Hoover...........6.........Medium
Busman..........5.........High
Overton..........4.........High
Copeland........4.........High
Abell...............4.........High

OK, before everyone starts hollering about whistles being different and having different uses, let me say that I agree with all that. If and when I get ready to plonk down big bucks for a whistle, a) I will be a MUCH better player than I am now and 2) I will play, if possible, the contenders carefully with an eye towards the intended use of said instrument.

Being a newbie with the usual collection of cheapies and thinking about asking for a medium priced whistle for Christmas, I find the position of the Humphrey, Sindt and Hoover in the tally very interesting. FWIW.

Tommy · Post by **Tommy** » Sat Apr 23, 2005 9:24 am

Greenwood, Copeland, Freeman tweaked Mellowdog

rodfish · Post by **rodfish** » Sat Apr 23, 2005 10:10 am

Humphrey wide bore
Greenwood Blackwood
Burke wide bore brass (black tip)

The Humphrey sings!

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Sat Apr 23, 2005 10:17 am

walrii, keep up the tally---it is interesting.

StewySmoot · Post by **StewySmoot** » Sat Apr 23, 2005 1:13 pm

Chieftain
Chieftain (in case the first one wore out)
Chieftain (in case the second one wore out)

I listed 3 Chieftains because I like their playability, they are impervious to me (I perish fragiler instruments), and their sound, not to mention skewing the results of anyone who takes tallies

kevin m. · Post by **kevin m.** » Sat Apr 23, 2005 2:37 pm

Humphrey narrow bore 'just' intoned
Sindt
Busman (Olivewood or Tulipwood - it's neck and neck!)

BillChin · Post by **BillChin** » Sat Apr 23, 2005 11:34 pm

walrii wrote: If and when I get ready to plonk down big bucks for a whistle, a) I will be a MUCH better player than I am now and 2) I will play, if possible, the contenders carefully with an eye towards the intended use of said instrument.

Being a newbie with the usual collection of cheapies and thinking about asking for a medium priced whistle for Christmas, I find the position of the Humphrey, Sindt and Hoover in the tally very interesting. FWIW.

For those on a tight budget, a Hoover whitecap (the plastic part) is $20 new and fits many inexpensive bodies. Syn aluminums are sometimes described as a poor-man's Burke and are less than $40 new.

Another suggestion is to keep an eye on for sale ads here and eBay. Some of the makers have long waiting lists. A used whistle can save that time, and often times money.
+ Bill

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Sat Apr 23, 2005 11:58 pm

Hoover, Jerry Freeman-tweaked Shaw, and Busman.

corinthia · Post by **corinthia** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 1:28 am

- Overton
- Burke pro brass session
- A nice Walton's, to have a lower-end one in case I needed to bring it somewhere where it might be lost or stolen or something. Or just to have lying around the house.

walker · Post by **walker** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 1:33 pm

-Overton
-Busman(delrin or wood)
-one that I've not heard mention of- a WIDE-bore Burke composite-it is very sweet and can be played strongly

Chas Zee · Post by **Chas Zee** » Tue Apr 26, 2005 12:40 am

OK, I've recently acquired a couple of inexpensive whistles that make the top of my list:
1) Walton's Mellow D - this plays great, no adjusting required. The tone is a little breathy and very expressive.

2) Nickel Generation - Took 10 minutes to get used to it, then I couldn't put it down. Have an Oak that is better in some ways, but I keep coming back to the Gen.

3) Keeping this spot open for "whistle to be named at a later date."

Charlie

Jens_Hoppe · Post by **Jens_Hoppe** » Tue Apr 26, 2005 2:50 am

Sindt
Burke Pro brass session
Copeland

Azalin · Post by **Azalin** » Tue Apr 26, 2005 10:19 am

Hmmm pretty similar to Jens, I would go for 1) Tweaked O'Briain, 2) Sindt, 3) Narrow bore Burke, if something louder is required then I'll leave the session or play my concertina

Entropy · Post by **Entropy** » Tue Apr 26, 2005 12:46 pm

My Burke DAN and a self-tweaked Clarke Original are the only high D's I own that I would really miss. If I were going to pick a third on just reputation and looks I guess it would have to be either a Copeland or the new Sweetheart Pro.

markbell · Post by **markbell** » Tue Apr 26, 2005 1:33 pm

My old windway-squished Clarke original - we've been through a lot together.
Hoover CPVC
Since this is pretend, the third would be a gorgeous homemade copper beauty with a rich patina and wonderful sound. (It doesn't exist, in spite of my efforts)

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If you could only have three high d whistles . . .

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