Review: Reyburn High D and Low D

[dDave]

Howdy,

I ordered a high D/C set and a low D standard bore from Ronaldo Reyburn and have been playing them a couple months now. Below are my impressions of the high D and low D. I haven't played the high C tube enough to really review it, but in general it is very similar to the high D. I might even prefer it to the high D.

As many other people have noted, Ronaldo is very responsive and easy to work with.

Best,

Dave

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Reyburn High D

Construction:
The brass tubing is fairly thick walled. Significantly more so than a cheapy whistle, not as heavy as my SZBE. Substantial in the hands, which is a feeling I prefer. The whistle exhibits a high level of craftsmanship.

Compared to older pics on chiff and fipple, the labium ramp angle seems to be a touch sharper, though Ronaldo says he hasn't changed it. The windway is curved and tapered.

There is a new shape to the mouthpiece. The thickness of the beak has been turned down, and has a stepped appearance now. think I prefer the previous aesthetic of the mouthpiece, but Ronaldo mentions he does this for playing comfort. The stepped down beak is in fact very comfortable.

The tuning slide is well constructed and the fit is snug and secure. Mine had been brazed on the headpiece tubing at a slight angle, though. It's canted back a 1/2 degree or so. Initially, it bugged me a bit since it makes the whistle appear to have a very slight kink in it when viewed from the side. Ronaldo immediately offered to correct it, but since it does not effect playability in any way, I chose to not bother. In fact, it's actually kinda grown on me.

Tone
The whole reason I bought this set was for the tone. Dark, slightly reedy, full and rich. Absolutely lovely.

Volume
This whistle has power, and to spare. The low D is at a pleasant volume and of course, the volume increases as you climb the scale. This is a whistle that has some horsepower under the hood, and it seems to runs best at high RPM. The volume of this whistle seems to almost be on a logarithmic scale. The octave D is powerful, and each successive note gets louder, to the point where I am unwilling to play the high B or above without earplugs. In fact, I get the sense that if you were to get in the fourth octave somehow, that this whistle would launch itself into low earth orbit. Session whistle indeed!

Playing Characteristics
Hole spacing is comfortable. The octave jumps are solid and predictable, if a little more aggressive in the high upper register than I am used to. That "logarithmic scale" I mentioned earlier makes the first octave and a half easy and predictable to play, but I feel I need to "bare my teeth and go for the jugular" a bit in the upper end of the high register. Wind requirements follow a similar pattern.

Ornaments on the D, E, F# low register notes seem just a touch slower to respond than some other whistles, although they are still very acceptable. Everything is very crisp once you get past low G.

Tuning
No issues blowing this whistle into tune.

Summary
I really enjoy playing this whistle because of the gorgeous tone. I feel this is a whistle that is going to take some time to tame. In retrospect, I might have been better off with the narrow bore high D (and I plan to order one eventually), but should I ever need to cut a swath through a session, I've got the proper weapon for the job.

Reyburn Low D

Simply sublime. 'nuff said.

[dfernandez77]

Nice review. Thanks for sharing your opinion.

[King Friday]

Man I really want one of those low D's!

[Congratulations]

Man I really want one of those low D's!

I have a wide bore low D, and it is lovely. The only low D I'll even touch.

[King Friday]

I'm about to put my current low D on Ebay to try to finance one. It wouldnt sell here.