Over a year ago, my husband ordered a Sindt A and Bb for me as a gift. A month or so ago, I gave up on the Sindts and decided to order something I could get sooner. My husband emailed John Sindt to cancel the order, and I ordered a pair of Burke composites. The A arrived Wednesday afternoon; the Bb will take a few more weeks. So far, no problems.
Then yesterday afternoon, a package from Sindt whistles appeared in my mailbox, containing the Sindt A and Bb! Apparently the order cancellation wasn't received. Now I have in my home a Burke composite A, a Sindt A, and a Sindt Bb. Unfortunately, neither my whistle use (especially for an A) nor my income justifies owning two expensive A whistles at this point in my life, so I need to choose which one to keep and which to return.
They are both really nice whistles, very different from each other. There are some things I prefer about the Burke, and some I prefer about the Sindt. Just from a mechanical standpoint, I find the Sindt easier to play: the narrower diameter tube is easier for me to hold, and the stretch between the fingers of the right hand is slightly, though noticeably, smaller, so it's easier to make the transition from the D whistle to the A. I suspect that is something I'd get used to and it may become a non-issue on the Burke with practice. The Sindt easily plays the third octave A (i.e., two octaves above the bell note) and two notes above it in the third octave. I can get the third octave A on the Burke but it needs a big push of air, and I'd have to work hard to get notes above that.
But of course, you're all going to tell me I need to choose based on the SOUND, of course. The sounds are very different. The Burke composite has a woody, flutey, breathier tone. (One friend who heard it Thursday night said it sounded like a r******r
-- but don't hold that against it!) The Sindt has a more traditional whistle-y sound. I play a tune on one and think "oh yes, definitely this one" and then play a different tune and think I like the other one better. At this point, I think I prefer the flutey, breathy tone of the Burke for airs and slow tunes, but the Sindt for faster tunes. I guess I need to decide what I'm more likely to play on the A . . .So please, send suggestions, questions I should consider, etc. Tell me what to do, not that I'll do it -- I may realize that what I really want is the opposite.
(And don't tell me to just keep both; as I said above, neither my whistle use nor my income currently justifies that.)One thing I want to do is get a better player than me to play both so I can hear them both from the other side of the whistle. ErikT? Are you willing? I know you love your Sindt A; you can compare and see if you think mine is as good. Jennie, if you want to try these, you'll need to get yourself to Fairbanks soon!
IMPORTANT QUESTION: To protect ErikT from the head cold I have that won't go away, what's a good way to disinfect a whistle that is safe for both whistle and human? I know warm soapy water doesn't hurt whistles -- is that sufficient?
I don't have an English pound coin, but I find an American penny works just fine. I flip it, and if I find myself looking at the result and flipping again saying "ok, best 2 out of 3", and then "best 3 out of 5" , etc., I know what I already decided. That's kind of why I asked people to tell me what to do -- so I'd realize what I didn't want to do.
