Can anyone describe the difference between the vibe and the regular low d?
I’m due to get one on tour here in the next little while. I’ll report on it then.
I haven’t played a regular Alba Low D, but have played a Low F and the Vibe. The Vibe has an easier reach than the Low F. I only used a modified piper’s grip … just the bottom hand … on the Vibe. It’s a nice whistle.
I too found it very easy to play and also a bit easier than my Alba Low F. It was definitely much easier to play than my Howard Low D, partly to do with the hole positions but more to do with the size of the holes.
Patrick
Sorry to be so ignorant ,but what is a vibe? I looked on the Alba website and couldn’t find anything!
Cheers!
Nate
The Vibe is the Low D in the Q-1 series.
Go to the Gallery http://www.albawhistles.com/gallery/index.php and you will see it… It appears in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th images… looks like a giant of her original Q-1.
Thanks for all the help!
It said on the website that it sounds more like uillaenn pipes…that could be interesting!
Is there a tour going in the US?
I would still like to try a Q1 soprano if anyone could part with there’s for a week or so!
Nate
Actually, according to the site, there’s a “regular” Q1 Low D as well and the vibe “is not in any way a replacement for our Standard Low D but more to complement it.” There seem to be spots on the order form for the standard, Q1, and Q1 vibe. That’s why I’m not sure what the differences are.
The ‘Q-1’ is the original high D… The ‘regular Low D’ is not the Vibe… the ‘Q-1 Low D’ is the ‘Vibe’…
Stacey had a video on YouTube playing her new Q1 Vibe Low D. She was playing a slow air and it was quite “Uilleann pipey sounding”. I just checked for it and it went away.
When I emailed her about the Vibe she said it had good back pressure and was very expressive and as loud as her regular low D, but with better dynamics. That’s saying something as I have owned the regular D and it’s a very fine whistle.
I’m not sure about that…look at the site http://www.albawhistles.com/whistles/index.php
There’s separate order info for a standard low D, a Q1 low D and a vibe low D (on the “other instruments” page), but I guess it’s not al that important anyway.
There is the:
Q1 Soprano
Q1 Low Tenor D (Vibe)
Q1 Low C etc
and the regular Low Tenor D
Of course you could email Stacey if you have further questions. Good Luck.
Well, I tried to order a Q1 Vibe, but for some reason, they’re charging 30 GBP for shipping to the US for that model. Interestingly, the “Q1 low tenor D” on the other page is only 10 GBP shipping. I hope this is just a website error.
Well, I did finally get to test-drive the ‘Vibe’… It is very nicely made, as Stacey’s whistles are, and has a nice sound, but I was unable to do any justice to the trial because it requires just enough more arm stretch (although the hole spacing was not much more than the Howard I have, the length from fipple tip to the start of the holes was nearly an inch and a half longer) that I couldn’t manage to keep the holes covered to play enough to make any real assessment. What I did get out of it is a very nice sound, and that it was not loud, but I sure wish I could have played it fully. I feel very pouty right now. 
Some of the other folks on the tour will likely be able to give you a better assessment.
On the Alba site it says that the Q1 Vibe has a very Uilleann pipey sound.
It is on the “other instruments” page at the bottom, on their site.
Lyn
Thats it I have done what I can to make it easer to understand, the postage is worked out as a mandolin and not a whistle 
just order from the whistle page. 