I am a newcomer to the world of tin whistles. Right now, I am looking for my first whistle, in high D. However, there are so many choices and that really confuses me. After doing plenty of research, there are some whistles that I found to have pretty good reviews and I just can’t decide on which one:
Susato Dublin S series
Susato Dublin V series (if someone can compare the loudness and blow needed for the Susato S and V to recorders, that will be great)
Generation Nickel (the reviews really varies, don’t know who to believe)
Clarke Sweetone (Is the C really off? If so, I am not planning on this one)
The sound of an instument is my primary concern. The second thing I will look is the appearance, to me, Generation Nickel looks the coolest. By the way, I have been a flute-player for 10 years and I also play alto recorder, Yamaha YRA-300 series (hope these will make my whistle learning easier). Any input will be greatly appreciated.
How about a Freeman-tweaked Generation? That way you could get the the cool Generation blue-top/nickel look, but be guaranteed to get a whistle that’s been professionally tweaked to sound like it should. He really does guarantee satisfaction with his whistles, and his customer service is legendary, so it’s really a no-risk maneuver.
I joined this forum 3 1/2 years ago, and started my WHOA journey that has only recently slowed down. My first whistle was a Jerry Freeman Mellow Dog. It is a great whistle for anyone to own. I’ve bought, sold and traded many whistles in the mean time, but I still have this one. It would be a good choice.
I’ll add my vote for the legendary Freeman Mellow Dog. It is still one of my all time favourites.
If you do want to buy a Gen D then my advice is don’t get an untweaked one this early in your whistle career as you have a very high chance of being disappointed. Ideally you need a box full of Gen D’s to work through so you can find a good one. So, save yourself time and money and buy a Freeman tweaked one.
Seems like Freeman Mellow Dog is highly recommanded. I checked it out on ebay, listened to all the Freeman’s D whistles, they sound very good but I think he put the same mp3 for all the D whistles. Can anyone tell me the differences between a Freeman Mellow Dog and a Generation Nickel D?
Jerry can speak for himself (he comes here often), but I suspect that he had the same tune played for all the D whistles and that if you listen carefully, you’ll begin to hear the subtle differences between the performances of the various whistles.
Again, Jerry can give you the details, but generally he uses a non-Generation head, tweaks it and then adds his own body for the Mellow Dog and merely tweaks the head of the Generation Nickel D.
Neither one is very expensive and both are good. Get one of each and learn to love them both.
as a brand new whistler (been playing 3 or 4 days ) and classical flute player, I love my mellow dog. It’s really really easy to play and get a nice sound out of. Now playing something that sounds irish instead of classical… that’s challenging.
Regarding the whistles you were originally inquiring about,
The Susatos are great whistles but not very easy for a new player to control. You might want to avoid those until you’re a bit further along.
Generations can be wonderful but aren’t always. For what it’s worth, the last several I bought were all fine. I can attest that there are (or at least were) bad Generations out there, having bought a handful of completely unplayable ones through the years.
A lot of players start with Clarke Sweetones because they are inexpensive, readily available, and have the reputation of being very easy for a beginner to play. I think that’s true, but I do think that the tone is a bit uninteresting compared to some other whistles; I have noticed that people who start with these are usually playing some other brand of whistle after a few years. Your mileage may vary.
One of my favorite makers hasn’t been mentioned here yet: Mack Hoover makes wonderful whistles, not super expensive, very easy to play, with a lovely sound and responsiveness.
Thanks Steve Bliven, I noticed the differences now. Mellow Dog, Blackbird and tweaked Generation D are all good whistles to me. It is hard to decide. I am thinking a Blackbird but I haven’t made the final decision yet. The cost is one of the things I have in mind. Including shipping, a Blackbird cost $42, a double of my budget. So I am still searching for alternatives.
well, if you got to put the cost of shipping into shomething, you might consider just buying two whistles at the same time and saving on later shipping costs. you’re going to want a couple of whistles. maybe a C and a D. one to leave in your car, backpack, or porch and one to leave where you practice. if you have opportunities to kill time, you’ll want a whistle handy.
Funny Story
I was traveling for work and brought two whistles (Generation C & Bb) with me to play at the hotel’s indoor swimming pool. Talk about acoustics. One of my co-worker friends asked me why I brought those two whistles because she knew all the instruments that I played. I slid the one inside the other and said that they pack really well.
Now just pack some putty in the bell end of the C whistle, hold down the top hand holes of the Bb, and you’ve got a nifty slide whistle. Really, I just tried it.
I just returned from the Mid-Atlantic Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann fleadh where I was able to benefit by watching a large number of people try my various whistles.
By far, the majority chose the Mellow Dog over the Blackbird. I’ll post more detail about the two whistles when I can get a chance tomorrow.
There are players who prefer the Blackbird, to be sure, but they are not as many as prefer the Mellow Dog. A Mellow Dog is easier to start with, btw, if you’re not an established player.
They are not all so photogenic as me, but some of them perform pretty good!
(Specially if they been to the Jerry Freeman finishing-school of fine whistles!)
Lotsa talk about Mellow-dawg Vs. Blackbird … Well, sure! There’s a lot to be had if the bore is wide enough .. but tradition is not for nothing .. and the narrow bore, once mastered hath charms .. beleive moi
1. Susato Dublin S series
2. Susato Dublin V series
I myself don’t care for the way that high Susatos play. Many people coming to whistle from a non-traditional background, such as “classical” flute or recorder players, seem to prefer Susatos. This dichotomy exists, I think, because “classical” woodwind player’s entire approach/style is so different from the traditional Irish style. An example of this is when I was talking & trying whistles with a Hollywood session recording pro flute player. I said I didn’t like a certain whistle because of the harsh “break” between the octaves. He said that’s precisely what he liked about that whistle. I myself feel that a smooth transition between the octaves is the hallmark of a whistle/flute that’s voiced properly.
3. Generation Nickel (the reviews really varies, don’t know who to believe)
The reviews vary because the instruments vary so much. When I started playing whistle in the 1970’s all these modern designer neo-whistles didn’t exist and for the key of D all that existed were Generations. So you want to play whistle? You begin a Holy Quest to find the best-playing Generation you can. And no doubt about it: the best Generations play very very well. I still prefer the Generation C I’ve had for around 30 years over ANY C whistle I’ve ever tried at any price. By the way, back then, all serious whistle players played brass Gens, not nickel. The quality control at the Generation factory seems to be virtually nonexistant and you may have to play through dozens of them to find a really good one.
(if someone can compare the loudness and blow needed for the Susato S and V to recorders, that will be great)
Whistles and recorders are voiced so differently, and play so differently, that I don’t think comparisons of any value can be made.
I myself would go for a Freeman Tweaked Feadog. It’s an amazing-playing whistle, very special in my opinion. The Freeman Tweaked Mellow Dog is very nice too.
Thanks PCP, Ive been looking at the freeman whistles myself, liked the mellow dog but my ‘go to’ whistle has always been a Feadog over the years. Ive had a few susato and I like them for their clarity and volume though they take an awful lot of air and need getting used to. But for a loud drunken session there is nothing like them for setting the pace and keeping drunks on tune! :-)But seeing as how, for me, whistle is not an instrument I ever really played very much I dont want to spend big bucks especially after forking out for my C 1/2 set and Bartolex 7 string Classical Guitar!.
Ive just bought a freeman Feadog. 30 $ delivered. Bit easier on the old bank balance than the UP!
Does anyone know why there is no Mellow Dog on Freeman’s listing on ebay?
Also, I heard about Dixon Trad have some good reviews too, are they in any way comparable to Freeman tweaked?
I have both and love both for different reasons. The Dixon is quieter and has a ‘smoother’ sound, especially in the upper octave. The Freeman is slightly ‘raspy’ or more ‘chiffy’ in sound which has a slightly more cutting edge to it.
HTH
) and classical flute player, I love my mellow dog. It’s really really easy to play and get a nice sound out of. Now playing something that sounds irish instead of classical… that’s challenging. 
