Hello,
I am a new whistler. I currently own a Sweetone, which is merely ok, and I think it has some problems with its second octave above and beyond my own crapulence. I am looking at a nontunable soprano D, since I won’t be playing with a group, and I am a student so money does count. Out of Dixon D and Susato D, which would you recommend in terms of easier/better 2nd octave, breath requirements, tone, playability, etc?
Thanks!
Either is good, both have loyal fans, both have vocal detractors as well.
Which is true of almost any whistle.
I like both, myself.
Best,
–James
http://www.flutesite.com
Ah. I’m not trying to start a war, I just wanted to see if there was any consensus that one was better for beginners.
Thanks for your input!
While my Susatos have been sold to one of my band members, I have always respected the brand. I know Susatos have taken a lot of subjective heat on this board, which seems to be ameliorating, of late…They are well made, consistent, have reasonable air requirements, are in tune with themselves, and do not get lost in a crowd. Can’t compare the second octave, as I have never even seen a Dixon.
If you can convince Mack Hoover to sell you a whitecap, your desires, as stated in your post, will be met for a very fair price.
Best.
Byll
What’s a whitecap?
I haven’t played a Dixon, but I have two Susato D whistles. One is the small bore (SB) version, and the other is a very small bore (VSB). Of the two, VSB takes less air and has an easier second octave. The SB has a rounder, fuller tone, but can get uncomfortably loud on the second octave B and above.
I have two dixon Ds (tunable and nontunable) and a susato D (kildare). I recommend the dixon.
In my opinion:
Pros and cons of susato:
Pros and cons of Dixon
I am a beginner as well, and I have both Susato and Dixon D whistles – both a Small Bore and a Very Small Bore Susato D and a Dixon D. I would have to agree with James – all are good, and I don’t think you’d regret purchasing either one, unless you maybe accidentally poke yourself in the eye with it.
Here’s another tyro’s take on them: I see a kind of continuum that runs from the SB Susato D, which is pretty strong in the lower octave but takes some serious blowing when you get higher into the second octave, to the VSB Susato D, which doesn’t require as much blow on the top but which is noticeably softer at the bottom (but still not what I would call soft), to the Dixon,
which gives easier top end notes with less breath at the expense of softer bottom notes. None of these is bad – they are just different.
Initially, I started with the SB Susato, and I could get nice tones in the lower octave but had trouble hitting the high half of the upper octave without being asked to go outside. I found the higher notes easier on the VSB Susato, and easier still on the Dixon. But now that I’m starting to develop some breath control, I can play any of them with equal mediocrity.
My personal preference right now is the Dixon, and that’s the one I carry in my pocket for fiddling around and using to learn tunes on. I think the sound is a little more mellow, and it’s definitely quieter, which is important for me because I practice a lot in hotel rooms. (I think it mutes down better with a wad of blue tack.)
[ This Message was edited by: gonzo914 on 2002-10-02 22:15 ]
I have both a Susato kildare and a Dixon with brass tuning slide. The Dixon is loud, but the Susato is even louder, especially on the high notes. The upper octave is easier to reach on the Dixon. The tone is a bit more “woody” on the Dixon as well. Both are good whistles, but I think the Dixon, while more expensive, is a much better value.
There’s my 2 cents…
I have owned both and prefer the Dixon.
For a couple of bucks more get a tunable one.
A friend of mine that recently returned from Ireland said a lot of the pub musicians are using Dixons.
Doc
The Susato is a fine whistle for the money but it does take a good bit of air/pressure to hit the upper notes of the second octave, and these notes (high G/A/B) are very loud. As others have mentioned the quality control from one whistle to another seems very good and every Susato I’ve tried has been well tuned.
If you think you might like to play a more expensive whistle someday (Copeland, Abell, Overton, etc…), a Susato might get you ready, and in practice, for a second octave that takes more air/pressure to play cleanly (as many of the hand-made/expensive whistles do).
However, these high notes will probably drive you crazy for a while (especially if you play inside or in situations where you’re trying to be quiet).
I’ve got two Dixons (both tunable) in high D. They’re both great and fairly similar in sound/playability: mostly pure sound with just a bit of chiff, very sweet sounding second octave that’s not too easy/not too hard to hit (easier than Susato but harder than a Generation). Dixons are not as loud as Susatos but they are as loud as, if not a bit louder, than most cheap whistles. I think they’re the best whistle buy for the money available right now…kinda the “happy medium” whistle.
-Brett
i have a susato high d and a dixon low d. both are excellent. for a high d, i think that susato takes a bit more effort in the second octave but it sounds great when you get used to it.
the dixon low d has turned out to be better than i could have imagined for the price. i am a fan of both.
Thanks everyone!
I think I shall go with the Dixon, because I don’t want something too loud (I’m in a dormitory, I don’t want my hallmates to jam the whistle anywhere unpleasant), and because of the easier second octave. The Sweetone really shrieks on the upper octaves so I am thankful that this has not yet occured.
P.S. What is this whitecap? I was looking at Mr. Hoover’s website and I didn’t see it, plus I am sure the 20 orders are already alloted. Oh well.
A whitecap is a new design he’s got. Picture a hoover brass whistle with a headpiece made of pvc like his white whistles. The head is only slightly wider than the body, maybe a couple mm on each side. They sound like the brass ones but are much less likely to clog. I’ve got a hybrid whistle, a feadog body with a hoover whitecap head, and it’s my favorite session whistle. The guy I bought it from requested a spare head from Mack when he placed an order some months back, and put it on a feadog.
This is a whitecap:
[ This Message was edited by: avanutria on 2002-10-02 23:49 ]
Susatos are better than Dixons, IMHO. Susatos are louder, play better in tune, can play all the way up the second octave, and come in several colors and styles. I currently play a Susato low D, until I find one to replace it. I have played a Copeland low D, which was better, but it didn’t belong to me, and I don’t want to spend the money. I played a Burke low D AlPro, but the tone wasn’t to my liking, the low E was very weak, and the B was flat, a feature Mike purposely puts in. So I play a Susato low D until I receive my O’Riordan low D. I’m sure it will suit me just fine.
JP
Edit P.S. Hey Avanutria, is that a small volcano in the background? And is that you holding the whistle?
[ This Message was edited by: JohnPalmer on 2002-10-02 23:57 ]
Wow, that looks pretty cool! I don’t have a car here at school, but maybe I should start walking around like that!
On 2002-10-02 23:51, JohnPalmer wrote:
Edit P.S. Hey Avanutria, is that a small volcano in the background? And is that you holding the whistle?
Uh, no. On both counts. That is some mesa type thing in Colorado, and I am a female. The guy in the picture is another C&Fer. Didn’t you read the Grand Junction Festival Review last month? grin
-I like the VSB-D Susato, but haven’t tried a Dixon of any type.
-Brian
Avanutria,
I didn’t think it was you, but I was afraid to say. That’s Brian, right? (Nice tie!)
JP
Not a tie, that was part of his great kilt. Wow, you really didn’t read the thread…for shame! 
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?topic=6385&forum=1
[ This Message was edited by: avanutria on 2002-10-03 01:01 ]