Tell me about a Bb whistle

devilplayer · Post by **devilplayer** » Tue Nov 18, 2008 11:22 am

I am considering a new whistle key to work with. My husband likes to sing in Bb and Eb and I like to sing in F. Being that I own D and C, we struggle a little. Now I would like to tap into my congruous nature and tidy up the marriage a bit (can I say that in a public forum?) and pick me up a Bb whistle.

I would like to hear from players of the beasts and get your input before I just get caught up in WhoA on a whole different scale. (ha)

Thanks.

Shelly

Feadoggie · Post by **Feadoggie** » Tue Nov 18, 2008 11:37 am

Get a Generation Bb. It's a good whistle and it's affordable so just buy one. No WHOA involved. Not much more to say about it.

If you do get the WHOA itch, there are a lot of Bb's from which to choose. I play a couple of Burkes which I like a great deal. I also like the Water Weasel Bb. There are many other good Bb whistles too. In fact I can only think of one Bb that I have owned which I would caution you against buying - the standard bore Susato Bb. I don't think they are even made any longer.

Feadoggie

narrowdog · Post by **narrowdog** » Tue Nov 18, 2008 12:02 pm

Hi
I'd have to agree with Feadoggie the Generation Bbs are pretty good
you could also check out Mack Hoover's whistle pages sitehttp://www.mackhooverwhistles.com/
he made me a really nice Whitecap Bb

breqwas · Post by **breqwas** » Tue Nov 18, 2008 12:28 pm

+1 for a Gen

I like brass ones more :)

PhilO · Post by **PhilO** » Tue Nov 18, 2008 2:37 pm

Never met a Bflat I didn't like. Favorite is the O'Riordan Traveler, without any doubt, but they are for the most part not currently available. If Pat ever opens his lists again, get one from him direct; if not, there are too many good Bflats availablle to pay the going market price for an O'Riordan.

The Gen is probably the best value out there and really good. The Susato is also very good value and I like it a lot.

Water Weasle is terrific but again largely unavailable.

Burkes and Sindts are very good as well.

I have a nice Copeland, but I don't think it's worth the price differential in that key.

Oh heck, just go out and get a Gen and a Susato.

Philo

Whiddler · Post by **Whiddler** » Tue Nov 18, 2008 3:57 pm

I have a gen Bb, which is fun and sounds nice. Your fingers get spaced slightly farther apart and it takes a little more air, so you won't immediately be able to play it as well as a D, but it won't take too long to adapt.

Borderpiper · Post by **Borderpiper** » Tue Nov 18, 2008 5:48 pm

I have a beat up old generation Bb and I love it. my girlfriend has a susato and it's nice too.

Bb is one of those keys that I've never got round to buying expensive whistles for because the cheap ones sound great.

Jerry Freeman · Post by **Jerry Freeman** » Tue Nov 18, 2008 6:25 pm

I wonder if anyone can comment on Guido Gonzato's Bb whistle.

Best wishes,
Jerry

MTGuru · Post by **MTGuru** » Tue Nov 18, 2008 7:13 pm

Jerry Freeman wrote:I wonder if anyone can comment on Guido Gonzato's Bb whistle.

It's a nice whistle.

Feadoggie · Post by **Feadoggie** » Tue Nov 18, 2008 7:21 pm

Jerry Freeman wrote:I wonder if anyone can comment on Guido Gonzato's Bb whistle.

Jerry, I played the GG tour whistles recently. What I like about them is the voice. It's a nice, strong, clear voice. The Bb played well over most of the range. I found myself having to push hard though to hit the top of the second octave with any consistency. That may just be me and my technique from playing mostly Burkes and my own whistles lately. Tuning is fine but I did have to adjust my input to what the whistle required. I couldn't play as aggressively as I like right off. Guido is aware of this and is making adjustments on newer whistles. Hole size and spacing were comfortable. I have a couple of Guido's high D's, so I am accustomed to the design. The fit and finish is fine provided you buy into the low tech concept. The latest tubing is pretty nice. I wish I had access to the same pipe here in the US. Guido is doing a good job and he keeps improving things as he receives feedback. So, it's another option for a Bb.

I would still start with a Gen Bb as a first option in this key. The price/performace ratio is too compelling.

I do like Susato whistles in general so don't take my comments above as a condemnation of all Susatos. I did check on the Susato site and they do still offer a Bb in the small bore as well as the medium bore. I've owned two of the small bore Bb's. One was unplayable and I still have it. The second small bore Bb Kildare was a nice whistle but a little weak at the bottom, IMO. I also owned/played a medium bore Kildare for a couple years and that was a good whistle. That's just my taste.

Feadoggie

Ballyshannon · Post by **Ballyshannon** » Tue Nov 18, 2008 8:03 pm

There are several recommendations for Gen Bb but breqwas was the only one to specify a preference between brass and nickel. Anyone else have a preference..and why?

Tim2723 · Post by **Tim2723** » Tue Nov 18, 2008 9:28 pm

Another Gen vote. Brass and nickel? Get both and choose your favorite. They're affordable.

anniemcu · Post by **anniemcu** » Tue Nov 18, 2008 9:39 pm

Gen Brass, mostly because it's the one i've got. It's my favorite key - not too high, not too low... very comfortable key for playing and listening.

chrisp · Post by **chrisp** » Wed Nov 19, 2008 3:23 am

I bought a Bb Gen when i was in England at the Sidmouth folk week. There was a pot full of them to try, and nearly all of them were pretty good players. I bought a brass one, it sounds lovely and i play it often.

The two previous Gen Bb's i bought in Norway are not at all like the one's i tried at Sidmouth, they are nearly a totally different instrument. I have tried many different gen's at my local music shop and haven't found one as good as the many i tried at Sidmouth. Do Generation have only one factory, does this explain the difference? Maybe it's just the year they are made, perhaps a mould change or something?

But yes, the gen Bb i have is a very nice whistle, i love it.

Jerry Freeman · Post by **Jerry Freeman** » Wed Nov 19, 2008 4:03 am

chrisp wrote:I bought a Bb Gen when i was in England at the Sidmouth folk week. There was a pot full of them to try, and nearly all of them were pretty good players. I bought a brass one, it sounds lovely and i play it often.

The two previous Gen Bb's i bought in Norway are not at all like the one's i tried at Sidmouth, they are nearly a totally different instrument. I have tried many different gen's at my local music shop and haven't found one as good as the many i tried at Sidmouth. Do Generation have only one factory, does this explain the difference? Maybe it's just the year they are made, perhaps a mould change or something?

But yes, the gen Bb i have is a very nice whistle, i love it.

As I mentioned in another thread, Generation appears to have retired one of the three mold cavities in their Bb tooling. The other two cavities produce consistent whistleheads, but the one that seems no longer to be in use was worn out and producing bad ones. It would be common to find mostly bad Bb Generations in a store that allows customers to try the whistles, as the good ones would sell first, and then the bad ones would sit there, in which case the store wouldn't reorder, since plenty of whistles remained in stock.

Best wishes,
Jerry