I had given a brief review before in another thread, so I thought I would do one that is a wee bit more in length, now that I own one.
I am fortunate to live very close to the maker of Busman whistles. A fairer man you will not find. He is extremely knowledgeable and patient. Your satisfaction is his main concern. He wants to provide people with the whistle that they want. There’s no “artist ego” here. Needless to say, you are not only getting a great whistle in the Busman, but the best customer service possible as well.
Now to the whistle...
When Paul came to a session one evening, he had with him the prototype of the Black Delrin Busman in soprano D. He sat across from me and when he took it out, I was immediately intrigued. I was playing a bloodwood Busman that night. I asked Paul if I might try his new one. I did, and by the end of the first ten minutes with this whistle, I knew I would have one someday.
First, the appearance. The fittings are stainless steel. Brass is also available. The body of the whistle is a satin black. It shows no finger prints. It is a sleek, elegant design. Tis a thing of rare beauty.
It wasn’t long before I was contacting Paul to acquire the black Delrin...let me tell you why.
I love the Busman whistle. The sound is terrific. C natural is oxxooo. They are beautiful to look at. But the main reason I liked the Busman was the thickness of the tube. I have long fingers and find it easier to play the thicker whistles.
When I got my first Busman, I had only one reservation...I feared the wood. I had heard stories of how they can crack or split. You have to oil them, clean them...just really take care of them. Plus, there was the warm up time and the breaking in period for the new whistle.
When Paul showed me the Black Delrin, I knew that it was the right whistle for me. While it still needs to be warmed up like any whistle, all the other concerns were gone.
How does it play?
It is a Busman. It’s fantastic. Paul was kind enough to tweak it for me so that those high notes aren’t shrill. To me there is one simple test of a whistle’s ability. I must be able to play the tune Inner Light from Star Trek. If I can not only hit, but hold that third D, it’s a good whistle. The Busman Black Delrin is a good whistle!
How does it compare to others that I’ve played?
To me, it is not as loud as a Burke or Susato, but will certainly be heard in session.
It is louder, but not as pure a Sindt. It has just a tiny bit of breathiness or chiff, especially from middle D to the second G. At first, because I have played a Sindt for at least the last year, I wasn’t sure I would like that, but I think it adds to the character of the whistle now. Besides, if blown with a bit more attack, it lessens. And for the slow stuff, it’s a welcome addition.
The transition between octaves is easy. Like all the Busmans I’ve played, it requires a bit more push. Somehow, it doesn’t take more air, just more push.
There is certainly back pressure, but after the tweak, it was not enough to cause those high notes to be shrill.
It has a brass tuning slide which is a wonderful thing if you play in session.
The big question: How does it differ from the wooden whistles?
To my ear, there is no difference. It sounds just like Paul’s wooden whistles.
So to me, for my needs, the Black Delrin makes perfect sense. I don’t have to give it any special care, no oil, no swabbing out EVERY time. I don’t have to worry about humidity. I doubt I’d hurt it if I sat on it.
Overall, it’s a Busman. Same sound, same quality craftsmanship.
It’s just a lot more durable. It’s a Super Busman!
I have a feeling that when word gets around about the quality and durability, a lot of people will want one of these. Might even become the new standard for the industry.
Fortunately, it doesn’t take Paul as much time to produce them. There is no wait time in between steps. It still takes him the same amount of time to machine them though, so that’s why there is no difference in price. But I have to tell you, it does everything so well, it will probably be the only high D whistle you use. And because it will probably out live you, it may be the last one you buy.
Could this be an end to WHOA?
Not unless Paul starts making other keys.
Many thanks Paul. This is a fine whistle.
