David O'Brien Whistle Review

[glauber]

OK, i tried, and i didn't find much variation by changing the whistle's angle, but on the other hand, i found the whistle less breathy than i had yesterday. Maybe it's getting used to me...

Here's a half-arsed rendition of The Burnt Old Man, to show the sound i'm getting now, and to compare with the other 2 clips:
http://glauber.name/music/obrien/BurntOldMan.mp3 (just 94KB)
Sorry about that, folks, i usually play this better, but it's late and i'm still not used to this whistle, and it's throwing my timing off. This is just to show the sound, ok? I picked a jig that stays a lot on the first octave, because i think that's the biggest challenge for this whistle. The second octave is much easier.

And i took time to listen to the 2 other clips again, right now i don't think the difference is that big. I think it's just a playing style thing. Jesse's recording was a little "compressed"; maybe the level was too hot. I think that caused the fuller sound.

I actually like the sound of this whistle. It's on the soft side, probably too soft for me, but if you like soft whistles, you may enjoy this one. I'm not supposed to be doing reviews before the end of the tour (bad Glauber! bad Glauber!) anyway, so i'll shutup now.

I wish i had time to re-record the same jig with my current favourite whistle, the O'Briain. But it is late, and i am a burnt old man. So later, dudes!

g

[anniemcu]

Adding my two coppers here...

(edit 2) And I get to give mine without guilt, LOL, because I *am* the end of the US tour... take that glaubie!
(end of edit 2)

I have had the pleasure of 'babysitting' the O'Brien Tour D whistle, nickel plated copper with a clear lucite fipple, this past couple of weeks.

I love it.

It is a totally different sound from my other pennywhistles. The sound is sweet, in tune and just a little breathy - I like that very much.

The tunability is a big plus, and it *stays* in tune as well (as long as you don't pull the stunt of taking it apart and managing to put the body back in upside down.. cough...)

I love the looks - it has definitely been turning heads with the distinctive clear fipple, and the copper showing through the holes and window to contrast and complement the nickel plating; the heft of it - solidly built; and the ease of play - two full clean clear and true octaves plus.

It does tend to clog a little, but that's easily taken care of by a good 'thwap' on the thigh, LOL (or any number of other theories that have been discussed on this fourm, and I won't pretend to know much about)

It has so impressed people here that a friend with a music store is planning to carry them and one of my whistling friends is ordering a set.

I was so loathe to let go of this one, that am in negotiations with Dave to keep it and get a set of the rest of the key bodies to go with it.

The individual whisltes sell for US$50. I would definitely suggest the set - The price is not bad at all, considering the set encompasses four keys - Bb, C, D, and Eb - with one head and the four interchangeable bodies. .. so at US$85, it is a good deal. I am looking forward to meeting the rest of my little whistle family.

(edit 3)
I am very impressed with David's guarantee as well. I was wondering what I would do to protect the finish, as the nickel is wearing thin in a couple of high-contact spots on the whistle (this one has been around!), - He will replate when needed for the life of the whistle. In fact, with the 30 day money back guarantee, and the lifetime service, It's very reassuring. I would have been hesitant to spend the money myself if I had not been able to try the whistle, so, for me, this is a great point. (I have not been able to consider purchasing high end whistles, so I don't know if this is standard or not)
(end of edit 3)

My thanks to David for allowing me to participate in the tour, and for being so gracious with me in our talks.

Of course, now I'm going to have to make *another* whistle case...

(edit 1)
Several people have talked about the head of these whistles (both pro and con), so I paid some closer attention to my own. I did not find the mouthpiece uncomfortable at all. One advantage of the Lucite Fipple is that it is not cold even when the metal of the whistle is.

I did note the sound changes depending upon the angle and position in my mouth, but I have noted that with other whistles I play as well... or rather, I've noted it in *my playing* of other whistles. I think that in *my* case, it is more the player and less the whistle that has the inconsistancy.

I do find it more breathy if I tilt it at a more tight angle. This may possibly be due to the shape of the head, and the 'no-blade' design, but I believe it is more the interference of my lip, and the sensitivity to the pressures of mouth shape adjustment. If I keep it well into my mouth, past my lips, it seems quite consistant to me.
(end of edit 1)

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edited thrice for additional information:

[trisha]

Posting a little early in the "get-to-know-you" phase for this whistle but I've found, at least with my whistle, that the amount of breathiness has nothing to do with the angle of holding the whistle, but everything to do with the amount of beak in my mouth...the minimum is very breathy, as much as possible, clear and pure, and all stations in between.

The beak on these is very similar externally to the Grinter beak except that the Grinter has a neat simple concave curve whilst the O'Brien has a wiggle in the line. Apart from the psychology of hurting mouth/lip with a metal mouthpiece of this shape cf wood, the Grinter rests comfortably on the bottom lip due to this curve. Not a direct comparison as my Grinter is a Low F, just a thought.

Trisha

[glauber]

I agree with Trisha.

To add my impressions: i like the way this whistle is built. I like big heavy whistles, and if this is what you like too, go for it. The price is a steal. The sound is rough and trad. At first i could only get very weak and unfocused sounds in the first octave, but that got better as my familiarity with the whistle increased. It's not a particularly easy whistle to play, but it does sound nice, and for this price, it's sure worth a try.

[dubhlinn]

I had the pleasure of playing this whistle on its tour of Britain/Europe and found it to be a lovely instrument.
It is great to handle and very well balanced.It will test your breath control but that is a problem that is easily overcome with good old fashioned practice.
As regards to the tone or,if you like,the character of the whistle well I should not really comment on that because the accident I was in about eighteen months ago has damaged my hearing to a much greater extent than I had previously thought.It was pointed out to me recently that in conversation I regularly interject with "pardon","sorry...",etc. and have taken to standing with my ear close to the speakers mouth in order to keep up with the crack.
However ,what I did hear from this whistle was ,as Glauber has said , a rough and very trad sound which I enjoyed very much. My passion has always been for high whistles like Eb and F but that is just my own preference and is not meant to detract in any way from this whistle.
For such a well made whistle with its very pleasing tone the price is a giveaway and I would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone .It will give much joy and do wonders for your breath control as well.
David,many thanks for the tour and keep up the good work.I will be in touch soon to purchase one or two of these fine instruments (while I can still hear the damm things!)

Slan,
D.

[greenspiderweb]

I might have stumbled on to an explanation about sound changing depending on playing angle. I was curious to see if I could get a high D to sound different if held out or down. The only time it sounded differently is when it had moisture in it, and held staight out gave a chiffy tone. Down, without clearing produced a clear tone. But when I cleared the windway, it sounded clear at either angle.
Congrats on your whistles, David, they sound like a hit! Good luck with them.