I wanted a quiet whistle I could play while the kids (or wife) are sleeping. So I ordered the Dixon SV which arrived today. Major disappointment.
First the plastic is very oily which makes it very slippery. It’s really hard to hold.
Second, it’s just barely quieter than my Guido Stout (loud version) which is not really that quiet at all. I wish I had a normal Dixon to compare it to as I really expected this one to be much quieter.
I then tried some poster putty on the window and that made it super quiet. That’s how Dixon should have made it in the first place. It doesn’t sound bad like that. But what’s the point of getting a quiet whistle when I have to put putty on it to make it quiet?
I recorded a tune with it, with and without putty. The one with putty seems louder only because I had the mic gain turned up higher. so you can’t judge the volume by the recording but you can judge the sound of the whistle.
In the one with putty, the clicking you hear is my tongue hitting the roof of my mouth. I had to turn my mic sensitivity way up and so you can imagine how quiet it is.
I’ve never returned a whistle before but I’m seriously considering returning this one. It’s not quiet at all and the fact that it’s very oily is really awful. My fingers are slipping off the keyboard as I write this. perhaps washing it would take some of that oil off..
I bought one of these several years ago when Big Whistle had them on sale… had them add it to an order for something else. It wasn’t that quiet, it wasn’t oily, and it wasn’t anything I’d recommend to anyone either. I cut it up to fix one of my son’s toys, if I remember correctly.
Thanks for the recommendation on this one. It was a lot more expensive and silly me thought I could save some money with the Dixon. At least with the generation one knows what one is getting with the metal body and the head design.
I wonder how much return postage would be.. doing the math to see if it’s worth it to return it. It’s around 12 euros and probably 3 to send it back so that would leave 9 euros..
I suppose I should add that I find the Shush Generation to be quiet for a whistle. Apparently there are some practical limits to the amount of quietude that is achievable
I thought I’d update the thread to say that I’m really taking a liking to this whistle! the slippery plastic wore off with some use. It’s very very responsive. I can play very fast with it and ornaments sound crisp. It’s quite comfortable and takes very little breath. I really like the tone which is similar to my Guido D, it’s a soft pure tone. I haven’t checked if it’s in tune as I just use it when practicing quietly but so far I really like it. I’m quite surprised.
Only downside is it’s less loud than a normal whistle which would make using it for recording more difficult (would have to boost mic gain). Other than that it’s a nice one. For 10 pounds.
I can’t really comment on the Dixon in question, though I own a couple of them and like them quite a bit, but I think it’s more important to state that if you need a quiet whistle, look at Carey Parks’ offerings (http://parkswhisltes.com). I own several (Every and Walkabout - and even Alto), and the so-called “tone ring” gives you the ability to make them as quiet (and, at the same time, breathy or smooth) as you need them. And they’re great whistles to play, too - if the tone ring’s open, it’s got a strong and clear tone (not as bright as some, but really quite expressive), if it’s almost totally closed, the whistle can be played well enough, but is next to inaudible even in the next room.
FWIW, the Walkabout is a great travel companion (but it’s not as if most other whistles weren’t…).
You can always put a make shift Parks Tone Ring on your Guido Gonzato.
I did.
Just get a piece of PVC (about 1/2 inch dia. or 12.7mm) cut it wide enough to fit over the fipple window and split it. Voila!
Doing this allows you to turn the volume down to almost nothing, although it flattens the notes some,
and it won’t hurt your GG whistle in the least.
Or maybe it was to reach a minimum order, I can’t remember.