I have read good things thus far about the Dixon Trad whistles however I would like to hear comments about the Dixon poly whistles (one piece, two piece, etc . . . ). I tried a search but didn’t come up with too much.
Also, can someone recommend a good cheapie that has a more mellow, perhaps quieter tone for those practice days whereas not to disturb the family too much? Thanks all.
For practice, there are several mutes described on the forums.
Oflyoyd, In some ways, the Dixon Polys (both 1 pc and 2 pc) are similar to the Trad. The basic windway design and tone are similar. The Trad has a brighter more ‘mettalic sound’. I actually prefer the Pvc’s more mello tone myself. Also the Pvc model with the brass slide has a nice functional and good looking tuning slide as opposed to a movable fipple like on the Trad. The Pvc also has a very easy to hold larger diameter tube size.
I believe if you do a search, SlowAir did a nice review of the two piece model.
Much has been said of the Dixons tendancy to overblow on the low d (bell note). The Pvc models I have are not too bad on this if you just give them the breath pressure required (not much). You would have a problem with overblowing if you try to play the bottom notes louder than their normal volume.
As far as volume goes, the Pvc Dixons are medium to low. Meaning slightly less than a stock Generation in the first octive and maybe slightly louder than the Gen in the second octive.
The Trad has the advantage in two areas (imho). The volume balance is a little more even than the Pvc. The lowest notes stronger while the upper about the same. Also the accuracy of tuning is a bit better on the Trad.
If you are looking for one of the quieter “cheapies”, the Sweetone or even the Clarke originals are low to mwdium in volume also. Both are very different from the Dixons in tone and character.
DreamOgreen