I’m looking to get a tunable D whistle (among others) and am wondering about the differences between the various Dixon’s available – there is the thin walled “D” with a tunable head ($27), the solid brass body ($93), and the polymer whistle with a brass tuning slide ($51).
Any feedback appreciated. For basis of comparison, I’ve got the usual bunch of Generations in various keys, all with the poster putty in the head, a Clark conical high D (the black one with the wooden fipple plug), an Overton tunable in A, and a MK Low D. You can guess which one I like the most…
Just a beginner, but I have the “thin walled” Traditional D and another you don’t mention, the all polymer tunable D. The one comment I would make with confidence is that they require some breath control for the bottom notes. You can overblow those notes pretty easily. When I switch from my Parks Every Whistle to my Dixon D’s, especially the Traditional D, I have to hold back a bit on the amount of air I’m imparting. I’ve read similar comments in other posts here.
Similar to the thick walled brass DX203 you mention is the Dixon thick walled aluminum DX006D which I have and it is not quite as expensive as it’s brass brother, however, it is one of my favorite whistles in my high D collection. (I applied the blue stick tack tweak to the DX006 with a noticeable improvement.)
Those 3 Dixon whistles have some differences in sound. Which you would like better is a personal decision. I’ve owned all three … still have the Trad and the tunable polymer with the brass tuning slide. The brass was too heavy, felt unbalanced, and took forever to warm up. Didn’t even try to sell it – gave it to friend in a warmer climate, who liked it. The Trad has a more traditional (Generation-like) sound; the polymer is a little purer in sound … to my ear. Your mileage may vary.
Every one can have different experiences with whistles. In my case, the Trad has more volume; the polymer has a smoother sound, but can’t be pushed as much as the Trad. The tuning capabilities of both are more than sufficient. I favor the polymer over the Trad, but that’s more just my personal choice in sound. Both are very good whistles. The brass is a good whistle, too. It just felt awkward in my hands.
… I should warn you that I’m much more into playing mountain dulcimers now than whistles, so take my advice with caution.
No kidding! I’ve played dulcimer since I was little (being a Ritchie with roots in eastern Kentucky and Jean as a cousin sort of made that inevitable). I play in an Irish/Folk group now, and picked up the whistle a couple of years ago, and play it a lot now. Being diatonic like the dulcimer, I’ve found that learning songs on both helps a lot.
