O'Brien Rover: Blackwood or Delrin?

CapnDistracto · Post by **CapnDistracto** » Sat May 12, 2007 7:31 pm

I know the CP by Mr. O'Brien was made only recently regarding the Delrin model, but I was wondering if anyone had any personal experience with his Rover series of whistles. Specifically I'm looking at the Delrin rover he showed off in the recent CP. It looked fantastic, and the clip on the site sounded very sweet, but I couldn't tell if there was some loss in tonal representation due to what appears to be some volume normalization and reverb.

I had looked at the wooden Rovers before and the rosewood model got me especially interested, but I'm afraid that I'm far too scatterbrained to take proper care of a nice wooden model. I was able to get a good idea of the blackwood's sound from the very helpful video posted on his web site, so I'm wondering how the Delrin would differ.

Thanks in advance!

-Matt

jkrazy52 · Post by **jkrazy52** » Sun May 13, 2007 2:52 am

I bought a delrin Rover for my niece for Christmas ... and naturally had to play it before wrapping. IIRC, the tone was sweet, with just a hint of a rasp. I had mentioned that my niece liked a gentler slope to the mouthpiece than the Rover he toured, so David was kind enough to change the top to match my request. He's a fine person to deal with.

CapnDistracto · Post by **CapnDistracto** » Mon May 14, 2007 10:28 pm

"Rasp" is something that confuses me here. It sounds like you mean it in a positive way but, if you could elaborate that would be great.

Mr. O'Brien has been very helpful and patient with any questions I've directed his way, and as such my next request isn't really of a technical nature, more just looking for opinions. I've mostly set myself on the delrin rover because I don't quite trust myself to be mindful of proper care of a wooden whistle, but that may be because I've never had to think about it before.

Anyone up to convince me of considering stepping up to the blackwood model? Or alternatively, warning me against early mistakes made in the first time adoption of wooden whistles?

Thanks!

-Matt

jkrazy52 · Post by **jkrazy52** » Tue May 15, 2007 12:13 am

Matt, I do mean 'rasp' in a positive way in the O'Brien. Everyone has their own definitions, with meanings within meanings and it's hard to exactly discern what is really meant. I use "rasp" as just a little bit of an 'airish' tone, as opposed to a pure (no rasp) Burke-like tone. Kinda like a gen but with no where near that much hiss. Just enough to make the tone intriguing. (Your milage may vary -- my terminology is based on 'my' playing. )

I picked the delrin Rover for my niece over blackwood only because she hikes a lot. The delrin is better in that situation. The Rover that was toured was blackwood and great. Blackwood is not as hard to care for as you might think. With the blackwood Abell I have, I'll just shake out any excess moisture and pop it back in it's spot in the whistle holder. I store my whistles vertically, moisture can drain. It gets oiled whenever my other wooden instruments get oiled ... infrequently. I'm not an expert at whistle care and someone else can give you better information on "proper" care.

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Tue May 15, 2007 4:42 am

Wooden whistle care is not difficult at all. Most importantly, never leave a wooden instrument of any kind in an exceedingly hot place like a parked car with closed windows on a summer day.

Other than that, swab it out when you're done playing, oil it once in a while. No biggie.
The Delrin Rover should sound VERY much like the Blackwood one and as it's been pointed out if you're going to take the whistle on outdoor trips like hiking, boating, synthetic is definitely the way to go. Also good for pub sessions where the whistle is likely to roll off of a table...

CranberryDog · Post by **CranberryDog** » Tue May 15, 2007 9:06 am

brewerpaul wrote:Wooden whistle care is not difficult at all. Most importantly, never leave a wooden instrument of any kind in an exceedingly hot place like a parked car with closed windows on a summer day.

Other than that, swab it out when you're done playing, oil it once in a while. No biggie.
The Delrin Rover should sound VERY much like the Blackwood one and as it's been pointed out if you're going to take the whistle on outdoor trips like hiking, boating, synthetic is definitely the way to go. Also good for pub sessions where the whistle is likely to roll off of a table...

Let me chime in on blackwood. I agree completely with the above comments. I have played blackwood GHBs (several different GHB sets) for 25 years and nary a crack with just modest care. The only gotcha is how well the blackwood was seasoned to begin with and I would guess that Mr. O'Brien uses A one wood. Best, Cyril

dfernandez77 · Post by **dfernandez77** » Tue May 15, 2007 10:01 am

jkrazy52 wrote:Matt, I do mean 'rasp' in a positive way in the O'Brien.

O'Briens in general, all that I have played, have a bit of a husky voice. I've been pleased with the character of every one I tried.

In fact, this little discussion has prompted me to buy a narrow bore brass from David. Been eyeballing one for a while now.

scheky · Post by **scheky** » Tue May 15, 2007 11:01 am

I've still held off in hopes that David will manage a narrow bore brass rover......

CapnDistracto · Post by **CapnDistracto** » Tue May 15, 2007 2:44 pm

Thanks for the responses, guys. I definitely plan on dragging it around any number of places, so delrin is really sounding like the best option for me. I could always buy a blackwood, too...

... once I get my car paid off.

Again, thank you all. The C&F community is always incredibly helpful.