So I’ve been playing for four months now and have a Freeman tweaked Sweetone (which I love) and a Generation (which is just middlin’, but I got it to silence and appease the roommates). Much as I love the Sweetone I would like to get a good cylindrical bore whistle as well. I have decided to get either a Dixon Trad or a Mellow Dog, both being within my price range and both being well reviewed as good starter whistles. Price is a factor and the Dixon is slightly less expensive so I am leaning towards it, but I also know that Jerry has a very well respected full satisfaction guarantee (which is also important). Ultimately, though, it comes down to sound and playability. I want a whistle that is very easy to play. I was wondering is someone who has both would be kind enough to post the same song played by the same player on each whistle so that I can compare the character of the whistle without the variable of the song or musician interfering. Additionally, if anyone has strong feelings about the ease of playability for a beginner of the trad vs. the mellow dog I would be interested in that too (respectful, please. Don’t bash anyone’s whistle). I will probably end up getting both eventually, but for now I can only afford one.
BTW: Does anyone know if the optional C tube for the Mellow Dog is a standard Feadog C tube or one of Jerry’s tweaks?
The question is - why to switch? I think that Sweetones are very good whistles. Do they lack something? Or is it just “try something else”?
I love the Sweetone and absolutely intend to keep using it. I just want some variety and I also suspect that Clark style whistles (ie. conical bore) have some unique playing characteristics. I want to have both a conical and cylindrical whistle so that I can compare playing them and avoid any playing habits distinctive to one or the other. I also admit to a touch (alright, a big touch) of WHOA. I want to have two excellent whistles that are nonetheless very distinct from one another.
That’s WhOA alright But don’t worry - it’s more fun than pain…
I can really recommend the Dixon Trad - it was my favourite whistle for quite some time. But why not go for a Blackbird? It’s a great whistle, and since you know Jerry’s work, you know that you won’t be disappointed.
The Dixon is very easy to play (responsive while not prone to squeaking) and has a round, direct sound (never sharp, though - even slightly dark in the lower octave, which I like very much) and medium chiff; the Blackbird has similar playing characteristics, but a considerably clearer, livelier sound with slightly more chiff - especially the second octave is sweet and clear like no other whistle I own except maybe the Feadòg, but that’s verging on sharp if not played with very good breath control, even the Pro. Both whistles have a usable bell note; but the Blackbird offers a little more presence, can be louder and makes reaching the third octave a lot easier. Additionally, it needs a little less air.
I won’t say anything *against’ the Dixon (it’s worth its price, hands down), but there’s a lot to say for the Blackbird. The price tags should be comparable - but I’m in Europe, things (prices) seem to be different here.
Finally, if you need a - potentially - quiet whistle, look at Carey Park’s Every Whistle… (but that’s not in your budget - yet).
I haven’t played the Dixon Trad, but I’ve heard great things.
I have a set of Jerry’s Mellow Dog in D/C, and for a while those were my favorite whistles (at the time, I had a Sweetone D, Sweetone C, Susato VSB D, Oak C, and the Mellow Dog D/C set). The Mellow Dog is a really great whistle with good volume and easy playability.
That said, I have to agree with MoonMind. Jerry’s Blackbird is simply amazing. That’s my top whistle these days, though it is a close match with the Syn set I picked up. I find the Syn D and the Blackbird have incredibly similar sounds.
I can really recommend the Dixon Trad - it was my favourite whistle for quite some time. But why not go for a Blackbird? It’s a great whistle, and since you know Jerry’s work, you know that you won’t be disappointed.
From what I understand reading the Forum and Jerry’s description the Blackbird requires a lot of breath control in the first octave and is not recommended as a beginners whistle for that reason. Please correct me if this is incorrect. It is promoted as being optimized for the high birdlike notes of the 2nd octave, and that’s just not what I’m looking for right now. I prefer lower haunting melodies to jaunts into the upper registers. I’m sure I will get a blackbird eventually, but it isn’t what I’m looking for at the moment.
I have a Walton’s Mellow D that sounds and plays wonderfully. The only tweak I did is fill the fipple cavity with sticky-tack. It plays easily, has a nice round full tone in the first octave with a strong bell note, good volume, very good balance between octaves, good intonation, and a really nice second octave and high end. For the $ it’s a surprisingly good whistle and comparable to some of my more expensive whistles…and better than some. It doesn’t take a lot of control or push to play in either octave, so would make a good beginner whistle and beyond.
Tony Hinnigan did a video review of the Mellow D and was astounded by how well it played and sounded. To quote Tony, “This is a miracle of modern science. I cannot believe that for (the low price) you can turn out a whistle of this quality. I’m gonna get one straight away”.
No, I’d say that’s not really correct. There’s a kind of clarity to the overall sound of a good Generation whistle, and the Blackbird is optimized to bring out that component of the tone across the entire range of the whistle, not just the 2nd octave, while preserving chirpy chiff. The fact that the registers are well balanced is not a disadvantage.
The Blackbird is not particularly kind to overblowing. But the Dixon Trad (which I also recommend) also needs a delicate touch. And the trade-off is that the Blackbird has a bit more trad character. Anyone who can play a Generation should be able to control a Blackbird with little difficulty.
Full disclosure: I was directly involved in the development of the Blackbird. So it does reflect my own tastes to some degree.
The Blackbird is not particularly kind to overblowing. But the Dixon Trad (which I also recommend) also needs a delicate touch.
and in a thread last Dec. Jerry says:
If you find that the Blackbird takes more breath control than you like, then the Mellow Dog is the whistle that I designed specifically not to take as much breath control.
Then it sounds like, at least in terms of breath control, the Mellow Dog is the most tolerant. Of course, breath control is not the sole determinant of playability, it just happens to be one I am week in at the moment. I have trouble tounging low D or dropping from the 2nd octave to low D and E even on my tweaked Sweetone, which is reputed to be one of the more tolerant whistles.
I would still be interested to see if someone could post comparison pieces of the two whistles.
As MTGuru says, that’s a characteristic of most whistles. When I first got my Mellow Dog D/C set, I had to get used to it as well. I hadn’t been playing for very long, but pretty much had control over that on my other whistles. However, it didn’t take too long for me to get used to the Mellow Dog, and it’s now become an easy player (especially with the C body).
That said, I haven’t tried the Blackbird, so don’t know how it compares. Both have gotten some serious love here on the forum though.
But don’t worry - it’s more fun than pain…