Which one are better Dixon or Susato?
My Dixon (soprano D) has a very weak 1st octave. Low D is so weak it’s basically unusable. Intonation is terrible. The 2nd octave bears practically no relationsip to the 1st octave. I never play this whistle any more. My Susato (soprano D) is much better. Strong 1st octave. Stable bell tone. Intonation, though a little twitchy (a few notes need a bit of breath adjustment), is far superior to the Dixon’s. The upper 2nd octave of the Susato is a little shrill and piercing but is fine for loud sessions and outdoors. Overall, I’d say the Susato is a much better whistle than the Dixon.
Better? Neither is better just different. I’ve owned a variety of whistles from both makers. I’d say they both make good whistles. Depends on what you personally prefer.
Susatos are very consistent in build quality. Playing character varies from key to key based on the bore diameters, IMO.
Dixon build quality has varied across the dozen or more I’ve owned. All but one were good players.
Feadoggie
Possibly the Dixon I have is just a lemon. But other players have noticed the tuning issues I mentioned above (see the Dixon review on the Wandering Whistler site).
I think a Dixon is a great whistle when you are first starting to learn, but the one I have also has some tuning issues, so I never found it very useful when trying to play with others. I’ve not encountered many Dixons in sessions, but that may not really mean much… your mileage (and your session!) may vary.
I’ve had several Susato whistles, and I’ve found them to be good whistles, although they can be hard to learn to control. I’ve encountered several Susatos in sessions. I’ve heard a few players who play them beautifully, and unfortunately I’ve encountered quite a few players who have no clue what a Susato is really supposed to sound like or what to do to get it there.
–James
^^WHS^^
I like my Dixon Trad D. Admittedly it’s quiet in the lower octave but is not shrill in the upper octave which I believe Susato’s have a tendency towards. I use mine at the local sessions and have had no comments on tuning or intonation issues. I haven’t noticed any myself either.
Depends on what you’re after.
I should add that the one Dixon I owned that was not a good player demonstrated abysmal, irreparable tuning. The others were good but I picked them from stock-on-hand in most cases. Try it before you buy it (if at all possible). Dixon offer a lot of different models/materials at the moment. And they make whistles in a lot of keys. It would help a lot if we had some understanding of which model and key you are interested in purchasing to narrow things down to a decent comparison.
Also I don’t think you can judge all Susatos on the reputation of their standard bore high D (which I actually like in the right circumstances). The Susato standard bore and small bore high D whistles are like apples and oranges in comparison. The lower Susato keys are then pomegranates compared to their high whistle counterparts. What are you looking to purchase?
Feadoggie
Thanks for all opinion. I play the KPros but I need opinions for my friend Marcin Ruminski from Shannon band (shannonband.com) He looking for a low C and D made of derlin because he often plays in frosty weather.
Ok, low D and C. I have owned Dixon tunable polymer low D and C whistles. You can use the search and find previous posts here on both whistles. I like the polymer low D. It is a decent beginner low D, IMO. I did not get on well with the Dixon polymer low C. The finger stretch was just too uncomfortable for me even with piper’s grip but I have smallish hands. Both are fairly quiet whistles and need a mic to be heard in most band situations. Neither of these were delrin, are not particularly hefty and need to kept away from high temperatures (they can warp, etc) . Dixon does make a low D based on their three-piece delrin flute with the conical bore. I own the delrin flute but never played one with the whistle head. You can search for reviews on that one (DX030 for the flute, DX030WHD for the whistle head). I do not actually see a low C in the Dixon catalogue at present in any model.
I’ve owned the Susato Kildare whistles in keys from high E down to low D but have not owned a low C. I preferred the Susato low D over the Dixon low D/C. The Dixon is easier to play, IMO but the Susato has a lot more character. The BH2 hole on the low D Susato is very large and can present problems sealing the hole for some fingers. Volume is good on these but not loud, IMO. Breathe requirements are lower on the Dixon low D compared to the Susato low D. Again, these are not delrin whistles but molded ABS (?). It’s is quite durable but not as rugged as delrin might be (if that is what your friend is looking for). Both Susatos and Dixons will fair better than aluminum whistles in cold weather. I played Chieftains prior to moving to the Susatos for that same reason. The Susato having a deeper voicing window is better in windy conditions than the Dixon but you could aways rotate the head on the Dixon. These are just my opinions and experience.
Mike Burke makes a composite low D which has made from parts machined from delrin with tubes made of a wood fiber and epoxy mix. I play one of those and like it (as well as the aluminum model). That’s another alternative to a metal low D. At this time he does not offer a composite low C. He does make an aluminum low C which has a delrin lined mouthpiece as do all his whistles. The delrin helps mitigate the condensation problem one has with all metal whistles. The aluminum body still gets cold. I also own/play one of these Burke aluminum low C and I like it as well.
Hope that helps.
Feadoggie
I like Dixon whistle’s.
www.tuxedomusic.com
Whenever I’ve compared Susatos & Dixons of the same key, I’ve found the sound of the Dixon far more pleasant. The Susato Kildare is louder, but there’s a strangled, goose-farting-in-the-fog quality to the voice that doesn’t appeal to me. I find the Dixon sound cleaner, brighter.
Just me, I guess, but I never found a Susato I could even stand, let alone like. I’ve had only one Dixon - a Low D convertible (I only have the whistle head). I liked it, but its not the best ever seen for reach and I can’t enjoy playing it any more and will soon be posted for sale.
I have a Dixon DX012 Low “D” and I really like the sound of this whistle but the reach is not that easy for me. The Tony Dixon Trad Brass “D” is really a great whistle.
www.tuxedomusic.com