David O'Brien Whistle Review

JessieK · Post by **JessieK** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 11:18 am

CHIFF FIPPLE wrote:
JessieK wrote:And, in my not-so-humble opinion, the Alba does not have the pure tone that the O'Brien does have. It's the pure tone that makes this amazing.
How would you know

If that is a serious question, I know because I have played Albas that belonged to other people.

waitingame · Post by **waitingame** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 3:13 pm

JessieK wrote:
CHIFF FIPPLE wrote:
JessieK wrote:And, in my not-so-humble opinion, the Alba does not have the pure tone that the O'Brien does have. It's the pure tone that makes this amazing.
How would you know

I have to agree with Jessie. I had a couple of weeks with the nickel D that's currently on a European tour, I also own C and Bb Copper O'Briens and have a Copper Low D on the way.

I also have an Alba Q1 and an Alba SE -both of which are fine whistles. But because they're fine whistles certainly doesn't stop the O'Briens from having a truly great sound.

Stacey's right, of course credit where credit's due. She makes very fine whistles but then so does David O'Brien.

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 5:17 pm

I was quite amazed at the fact that the ones I got played at all, due to the unique blade design (which, as you mention, isn't a blade at all).
This stuff always makes me cross. I thought up the Q1 A year ago and have now made and sold 350 of them.
The Q1 has no sharp blade.
Even the great Bloomfield has one and reviewed here on C&F
The way the whistle is made is the same as our Standard tuneable whistle
I am not so much unhappy about the copying thing, but more about Credit where credit is due.

Ah well, I apologize about that, Stacy. It's the first time I've ever seen a whistle made that way, so it's new to me

But hey, if you wanted to send me Q1 to review, I wouldn't turn it down

jkrazy52 · Post by **jkrazy52** » Sat Jul 17, 2004 1:38 am

Wanderer wrote:
Ah well, I apologize about that, Stacy. It's the first time I've ever seen a whistle made that way, so it's new to me

But hey, if you wanted to send me Q1 to review, I wouldn't turn it down

ditto!

I have the nickel-plated O'Brien now. Wish I could afford to compare it one-on-one with the Q1. David, I love the changes - the mouthpiece is much nicer than the one on my copper whistle. I predict this will be one of my favorite whistles to play. Thanks, again!

~Judy

CHIFF FIPPLE · Post by **CHIFF FIPPLE** » Sat Jul 17, 2004 2:02 am

JessieK wrote:
If that is a serious question, I know because I have played Albas that belonged to other people.

This mabe so Jessie

but like computers cars and most things thse days unless you have the latest one you cannot compare a 1999 laptop to a 2004 lap top same with a Ford.
We are always updating the product, if we find something that makes it better in it goe's if we find away to make them faster we do!
I was not Dissing O'Briens whistles just stating my opinion, I am allowed one you know even on C&F

DaveAuty · Post by **DaveAuty** » Sat Jul 17, 2004 7:11 am

I have tried David O’Brien’s and Alba whistles, I think both are pretty good. My only problem with them is the price, compared with a music shop whistle. I do appreciate that to make a half decent whistle takes time and dedication etc and that doesn’t come cheaply.

I can go and buy a “Generation” a “Sweetone” a “Susato” or any other off the shelf whistle for a lot less than the price of an O’Brien or Alba and usually they will suit my needs regarding tone, loudness, tuning etc.
The only time I personally would buy an expensive whistle is if that whistle offered me a substantial upgrading of sound quality, such as a John Sindt whistle.

Dave.

JessieK · Post by **JessieK** » Sat Jul 17, 2004 8:21 am

CHIFF FIPPLE wrote:like computers cars and most things thse days unless you have the latest one you cannot compare a 1999 laptop to a 2004 lap top same with a Ford.
We are always updating the product, if we find something that makes it better in it goe's if we find away to make them faster we do!

Good point, and said in a nice way! Stacey, I would be happy to do a fresh, un-biased review of one of your whistles. If you want to send me one for review, let me know.

dwinterfield · Post by **dwinterfield** » Mon Jul 26, 2004 5:37 am

I also have one of Dave's copper D whistles. I got it a month or so ago from e-bay. Since I've only been playing forf 6 months, I don't have a whistle collection to compare it to. It does tend to clog a bit. Any advice about clogging is welcome. Having said that, I very much like its feel and sound. It is a bit breathy, but I like that. My only other $10+ whistle is a susato and I like it, but it is very assertive. The O'Brien whistle is more musical. I'm waiting on a burke whistle.

All in all, as a new player, when I took Dave's whistle out of the package and put some air in it, I instantly felt like a better player. Works for me. I plan to get a nickel one soon.

dubhlinn · Post by **dubhlinn** » Mon Aug 02, 2004 7:57 am

The Whistle currently touring the U.K. has been sent off to the next and final name on the list,a fellow from the Netherlands.
I really enjoyed it and will post some more comments when the tour is finished.
Thanks David.

Slan,
D.

glauber · Post by **glauber** » Tue Aug 03, 2004 9:12 am

I've just listened to both clips on page 2 (Jessie and Dave), and i'm surprised how different they sound. I tried one of these whistles, and it sounded more like Dave's than Jessie's. I will definitely try varying the angle of blowing, tonight, but i'm wondering if there is a lot of variation between different whistles. It seems too much variation to explain just by playing/blowing style, IMHO.

g

dubhlinn · Post by **dubhlinn** » Tue Aug 03, 2004 10:32 am

Good point Glauber,
Having played the O'Brien whistle currently doing the rounds I think that the variation in tone might have more to do with mic/recording quality than anything else.
Daves clip was ,to me,very true to the tone i was getting.Maybe Jessie was having a bad day.

Slan,
D.

OBrien · Post by **OBrien** » Tue Aug 03, 2004 11:15 am

I heard a lot of people try my whistles at a recent festival where I was selling them, including members of several of the bands performing there. I noticed that technique variations had much to do with the breathiness of the sound produced. Playing with the whistle more perpendicular to the body and with more of the beak in the mouth produced a clearer sound and playing with the whistle more parallel to the body and less of the beak in the mouth produced a windier sound. This is not to criticize one techinique or the other. Some might consider it an advantage to be able vary the sound by changing the postition of the whistle.

I offer a 30 day guarantee, with a full refund, no questions asked, if a buyer is not satisfied with the sound or appearance of one of my whistles. After that, I do free repairs, maintenance and refinishing for as long as you own it.

Sorry that this post has become commercial, but I felt I had to respond.

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Tue Aug 03, 2004 12:30 pm

O'Brien wrote:I heard a lot of people try my whistles at a recent festival where I was selling them, including members of several of the bands performing there. I noticed that technique variations had much to do with the breathiness of the sound produced. Playing with the whistle more perpendicular to the body and with more of the beak in the mouth produced a clearer sound and playing with the whistle more parallel to the body and less of the beak in the mouth produced a windier sound. This is not to criticize one techinique or the other. Some might consider it an advantage to be able vary the sound.

I can affirm that I noticed the same effect in the whistles I got for review. I tend to be a more "parallel player", so to get the most out of this instrument for review, I had to try to check that habit.

JessieK · Post by **JessieK** » Tue Aug 03, 2004 1:01 pm

glauber wrote:I've just listened to both clips on page 2 (Jessie and Dave), and i'm surprised how different they sound. I tried one of these whistles, and it sounded more like Dave's than Jessie's. I will definitely try varying the angle of blowing, tonight, but i'm wondering if there is a lot of variation between different whistles. It seems too much variation to explain just by playing/blowing style, IMHO.

dubhlinn wrote:Daves clip was ,to me,very true to the tone i was getting.Maybe Jessie was having a bad day.

Actually, I believe Glauber was saying just the opposite. Not speaking here of playing ability (my clip was not to demonstate that - I wouldn't dare), but Dave's clip sounded like a more breathy whistle than my clip, even though I recorded mine on a totally crappy computer mike (the hole on the monitor, not even an attachment) with a background air conditioner buzz. It seems obvious that Glauber was saying this, not that I was having a bad day. It was a great day, actually, as are most days in my life.

glauber · Post by **glauber** » Tue Aug 03, 2004 1:54 pm

Yes, i thought the whistle sounded better in Jessie's clip, especially in the first octave. I need to try the playing angle theory at home, will let you all know what i find out.