Inexpensive whistle with a Burke-like sound?

Abe · Post by **Abe** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 6:32 pm

Well I'm back to looking at learning to play the whistle again....its one of those things I've always wanted to try but never have. It leaves my mind for a few months and then I'm right back here reading the forums. =)

Anyways....I'm still really interested in learning to play a low D and I love the Burke sound. However, I'm having a hard time swallowing the $240 for one. It was recommended to me before to get a high D (since they are cheaper) so I can see if this is something I will really enjoy and stick with but even the Burke high D is still $170. So....back to my subject line...what inexpensive whistle would you guys recommend I pick up?[/i]

Tucson Whistler · Post by **Tucson Whistler** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 6:37 pm

There's an O'Brien set that is for sell on the forum. $80 gets you 5 great whistles. I would get them, but I just bought one.

JordanII · Post by **JordanII** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 6:44 pm

Tucson Whistler wrote:There's an O'Brien set that is for sell on the forum. $80 gets you 5 great whistles. I would get them, but I just bought one.

Actually it's 4 whistles.....

Tucson Whistler · Post by **Tucson Whistler** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 7:20 pm

The set that canpiper is selling has 5 bodies, that makes it an even better deal. I wish I had to money for it. I like the O'Brien I have a lot.

JordanII · Post by **JordanII** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 7:22 pm

Tucson Whistler wrote:The set that canpiper is selling has 5 bodies, that makes it an even better deal. I wish I had to money for it. I like the O'Brien I have a lot.

Oh, I didn't see that one. I saw one that had 4 bodies and cost $80.

benbrad · Post by **benbrad** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 7:31 pm

You might want to try a Syn whistle. They are often refered to as "the poorman's Burke" They are very good and are very reasonable. I think they have gone up a little but I bought a C/D set for $40 about a year ago.

Adrian · Post by **Adrian** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 8:36 pm

benbrad wrote:You might want to try a Syn whistle. They are often refered to as "the poorman's Burke" They are very good and are very reasonable. I think they have gone up a little but I bought a C/D set for $40 about a year ago.

I agree that the Syns are similar to the Burkes. I had a D/C/Bb set but traded them recently as I already had the more pure toned Burkes. Personally I'd save up for the Burke and meanwhile play the superb Feadog nickel D and C at a fraction of the cost.

crookedtune · Post by **crookedtune** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 9:28 pm

Jerry Freeman's "Mellow-Dog" is very Burke-like at a low cost. The Burke is a bit better, IMHO, but from a price/performance standpoint, the Mellow-Dog has 'em all beat. If you do it, spring for the C/D set, for about $50. You won't regret it.

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 10:16 pm

Hoover.

Mack's whistles are as close to Burke in sound in in the way they play as I've found.

Syn is good but doesn't sound like a Burke to me; it's louder, and the top octave isn't as sweet.

O'Brien is very good but has a different sound than a Burke, more complex, with more chiff popping in between the notes.

--James

Doc Jones · Post by **Doc Jones** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 10:27 pm

I'd agree that if you like a Burke you'll likely also like a Syn or Freeman Mellow Dog.

Doc

jemtheflute · Post by **jemtheflute** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 10:50 pm

Can't say as I have ever played a Burke or know what one sounds like, but I just wrote this as part of a post on another thread, and thought it seemed relevant and might be helpful here!

IMO, if you take the time to search out a good Generation, mixing and matching heads and tubes to find a good combo, you'll still get one of the best whistles available - and without otherwise tweaking it! Try a dozen in the shop (2 octave D and G arpeggios, slurred octaves up the scale, C nat cross fingerings, a tune or two), discard the squeakers, buzzers, reluctant octave shifters, obviously out-of tuners etc., take the best 6, which shouldn't cost you more than about £24/$50, take 'em home, boil the kettle and melt the glue holding on the heads in the steam, clean out the residue, then systematically swap them around to find the best combo. There's your good mid-range whistle. Keep the second best combo for spare, give the other 4 to your kids or whatever. You'll have as good a whistle as you could get for that money or a fair bit more, i.e over £100/$200. It should have a clean, sweet, responsive, "real whistle" sound, easy over the full two octaves and up to G in the third, quick under the fingers. The only thing it won't have is the "body" you get to the sound of a good wooden whistle and some of the decent plastic/acetal types.

I played (and still have) such a Gen for 20 odd years, never really wanting anything else (despite increasingly seeing/hearing other whistles over the years) except a Jonathan Swayne boxwood high D after I saw and tried one in the late 1970s. I eventually could afford one and got the contact to order it and have had it for about 4 years. Wow! But I still love my old Gen and use it for certain specific things, like some silly polkas that go into the third octave where my Swayne is too loud/piercing and also not very happy at being pushed to go there.

swizzlestick · Post by **swizzlestick** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 11:04 pm

peeplj wrote:Hoover.

Mack's whistles are as close to Burke in sound in in the way they play as I've found.

I have seen Hoover Whitecaps and Blacktops compared to Burke whistles several times before.

Based on my experience with two whistles, a Burke D aluminum narrow bore and a Blacktop on a Bingamon body, I also find these on the same end of the whistle sound spectrum. Personally, I like the Hoover sound the best although the Burke is a little less demanding when it comes to breath control. It's hard to describe the difference. Let's just say that my Hoover seems a bit brighter and sweeter in the upper octave.

I cannot comment on Syn or O'Brien whistles. Much as I like Mellow Dog whistles, I think the Hoover is closer in sound to the Burke.

Adrian · Post by **Adrian** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 4:11 am

peeplj wrote:O'Brien is very good but has a different sound than a Burke, more complex, with more chiff popping in between the notes.
--James

Ooo! That sounds like a whistle I need! Thanks.

Abe · Post by **Abe** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 6:30 am

crookedtune wrote:Jerry Freeman's "Mellow-Dog" is very Burke-like at a low cost. The Burke is a bit better, IMHO, but from a price/performance standpoint, the Mellow-Dog has 'em all beat. If you do it, spring for the C/D set, for about $50. You won't regret it.

I just looked up some audio clips of the Mellow Dog and I really like the sound (and the price=). Are the only places to buy Jerry's whistles on Ebay? Also, I found them there but didn't find a C/D set is this no longer offered?

CranberryDog · Post by **CranberryDog** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 8:43 am

Abe wrote:
crookedtune wrote:Jerry Freeman's "Mellow-Dog" is very Burke-like at a low cost. The Burke is a bit better, IMHO, but from a price/performance standpoint, the Mellow-Dog has 'em all beat. If you do it, spring for the C/D set, for about $50. You won't regret it.

I just looked up some audio clips of the Mellow Dog and I really like the sound (and the price=). Are the only places to buy Jerry's whistles on Ebay? Also, I found them there but didn't find a C/D set is this no longer offered?

You can get them through Doc Jones: http://www.irishflutestore.com/newsite/ ... .php?c1=58 have fun. Cyril

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