I just got a new Dixon Trad and it does not play well. It takes barely any air to over blow the octaves. The low register is extremely weak and takes an amazing amount of control to make it sound. I’ve read some good reviews about this whistle so I decided to purchase. Anybody else have these problems with the Trad? Did I get a dud? It is about 45% softer than a Sweetone. What could I do to remedy this issue?
Take it back from where you bought it and get another.
Hi
Not what I wanted to hear as I’ve just ordered one, but it doesn’t sound at all like the descriptions I’ve seen of the Dixon Trad. First of all, check there’s nothing inside the whistle! When I bought my 5.1 speaker system, it sounded terrible at first. Turned out there was a wad of bubblewrap stuffed into the bass reflex port…
Regards,
Owen Morgan
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I haven’t tried messing with it yet, but it is really unplayable. It makes a bad Gen sound great (not exaggerating). I am not impressed, but it was only 25 bucks. Nothing has beaten my Feadog C head on a Walton’s Mellow D body yet. I am eagerly awaiting a Sindt. I doubt I will have the same problem with the Sindt as I did with the Dixon. The windway on the Dixon is very small too. Maybe this contributes to it’s meek volume level. I may try to tweak.
Hi
I’d suggest contacting Tony Dixon before doing anything at all. From all I’ve heard he stands by his whistles and will not let a bad one stay out in the wild for long.
Regards,
Owen Morgan
Yacht Magic
Anchored in the lagoon, St Maarten
My new blog.
Click here for my latest reported position. (Use the satellite view.)
I picked up a nickel trad last week.
Its easy to overblow, but I’d hardly call it unplayable. Once I got used to it it really goes.
Its somewhat less loud than a nickel Oak but not much and I can lean into it a get more sound if I need.
I also find that its tone is a little less complex than my nickel Oak.
(I’m using the Oak as a reference because thats what I have thats close and nickel… and many people have them)
If you haven’t been playing long then I could see where you might have a little trouble with it.
It takes some control.
You might want to look to see if there is anything clogging or if the blade is messed up but honestly there isnt much to them. Its a head and a tube.
If you don’t find anything its more than likely not the instrument.
Send it back and ask for another. Don’t cut it… or send it to me. 
Yeah like Aanvil said, the Trad is a pretty simple instrument. While there is not much to go wrong, it is possible that the head, which is molded ABS plastic didn’t come out quite right. Assuming there is no debris or plastic flashing in the airway, I’d contact Tony Dixon about it. The Trad that I had was very easy to play and get a nice tone out of. The kind of problem you describe is very rare for Dixons.
I’d agree with giving Tony, or whoever you bought it from if you bought from a retailer, a call for a replacement…my Dixon trad is easy to play and has impressed two whistle players I know who have recorded with local bands and are good trad players (they wanted to get one themselves).
Some whistles are less forgiving than others…although I’d personally say my Dixon trad practically plays by itself. However, have you had someone else give it a go?
As for volume - it’s not super loud, but whistles carry better than you think and mine is fine in a session with 10-12 other musicians.
Eric
Hi joe13531,
From what you say, there is definitely a problem with your trad. The key factor being that it is quieter than a sweetone - this is not typical of the Dixon Trad.
My advice would be to ask the vendor for a replacement. If the vendor refuses, get in touch with Tony via his website http://www.tonydixonmusic.co.uk/ .
It is true that all whistles have a degree of variance within any specific make and model, however, I have found Tony’s whistles to be remarkably consistent. My intuition is that the one you have has been damaged somehow.
Hope this helps.
All good advice. That doesn’t seem typical of the DT. There are people who don’t like the sound, but I’ve never heard anyone describe them as hard to play.
Tom
I just got a nickel Dixon Trad last week. I find that the low e and d are really sensitive and really easy to overblow therefore making them quieter than the other notes. Other than that I really like everything else about it. The 2nd octave sounds really nice to me, not ear piercing at all. I’m debating on sending it back in exchange for another. It sounds to me that through the several descriptions that I have heard that there is a little inconsistency in these whistles so maybe I already have a good one. How picky should I be for a $30 whistle? If I play it easy I can control it fairly well.
Mike
Please keep in mind that the Trad is a tunable instrument. If you are playing it right out of the package, you may find it hard to play because it may not be in tune.
Almost all Dixons are easy to over blow, on the bottom two notes especially. You don’t really blow into a Dixon, you breathe into it. Tony did redesign the aluminum model not too long ago to adjust for this, giving the whistle a stronger bell note. But the Trad can be tricky. You can’t blow hard into it.
The Trad is not a loud instrument either. I don’t think it was meant to be. There are other Dixons that do that.
So try tuning first, check the mouth piece to make sure nothing got in there and you should find the whistle to be a real nice player. I have yet to find a whistle that plays better in the upper second octave than the Trad. I recently sold most of my whistles because of financial problems. I kept four whistles. The Trad was one of them.
Good luck.
Mike
Sorry for the double post!
I think the problem may be solved. It looked like there was some debris in the windway, which I removed and now it plays better. Lovely sound, but still on the quiet side. It will be a good “do not disturb” whistle. Very easy to play and requires virtually no air. I think I do prefer a whistle that requires more breath though. The Trad is a great finesse instrument and is even in all the registers. Does the small windway contribute to the small sound? Just curious.