Elf vs Park Every vs Dixon trad -- help choosing one please!

Whistle
1

I’m wondering if anyone can tell me a bit about characteristcs of the Park Every whistle and Sandy Jasper’s Elf Song, relative to say the Dixon Trad?

The story so far:

  • I started with a Clarke original. Loved the “sweetness” of the sound. But I keep the whistle in my bag, so the mouthpiece got pushed out of shape.
  • Tried a Feadog, it sounded awful.
  • Got a Clarke Meg instead, sounded so much better, though still without the sweetness of the original, and it felt a bit light for my liking. But it kept me going
  • Two years later, picked up the Feadog again and it sounded so much better now “it” had matured (they must be like wine, getting better with age :wink:
  • Another year later, got adventurous and got a Dixon trad. Loved it by comparison to the Feadog, the 2nd octave especially sounds so much smoother.

Sadly the Dixon has suffered an injury (cracked and chipped head): it sounds far worse than the Feadog. So I’m looking for a replacement. I prefer a metal whistle, not too light, plastic head, preferably dark coloured, so it’s not too obvious to anyone looking in to my bag.

I’ve read the reviews on C&F, and done a bit of searching (I need to buy on-line, for various reasons). Candidates so far are

  • Dixon trad,
  • Dixon High D Whistle with Brass Body. DX203D (what IS the difference between these two, in terms of sound/playability)
  • O’Briain New Improved High D Brass Whistle
  • Blackbird (wasn’t on the list before, made it there due to comments in some other postings here).

But I haven’t found any reviews of the Elf.

And I noticed the Parke featured on BigWhistle: it’s not dark coloured or metal, but if the volume control really does work as promised and the sound is ok, then it might just be a good thing to try.

Thoughts welcome … (including links to reviews of the Elf if I’ve just missed something!)

2

I am actually not that crazy for Elf whistles, but I do like the Feadog. I understand how you don’t like it, for when I was starting out, I did not like it either. Now I love it though.

But the Dixons, O’Brien, and the Blackbird are all great whistles. I don’t think you will be disappointed with any of them. What is your price range?

3

I am a big fan of the Parks Everywhistle, and Carey’s new version of the Walkabout is my current practice whistle (because my youngest kiddo doesn’t like having her brain pierced while I learn the high parts of a tune - I’m a slow learner :smiley: ) but can also hold its own playing with others. I highly recommend it.

I am not personally familiar with the Elf or Dixon. (for high D, session or band, I usually play a Burke DBSBT.)

Have fun with whichever one you decide on!

4

I cannot recommend the Blackbird highly enough. If you’re considering buying one and don’t have one, then I say just go for it. I stalled a while before buying one, thinking, “I’ve heard it’s good, but it can’t be all that special, right?” I was wrong. Seriously, the Blackbird is just that good. It’s a relatively quiet whistle, too, so if volume is a concern, that’s something to consider.

As for the Every Whistle, I have the Walkabout and I think it’s a wonderful whistle. It’s CPVC, so it doesn’t meet your metal requirement, but the tone ring does work to reduce the volume. Just spin it around and close off the window and the volume decreases (while simultaneously making the whistle more breathy). I use the Walkabout as my primary practice whistle so I can turn the volume down and not pester my wife and daughters with my horrid playing. The Parks whistles tend to be pretty sturdy thanks to their CPVC construction and they’re incredibly easy to take care of, to the point that you can literally toss them in the dish washer if they get dirty. The Walkabout is nice, too, because it breaks down into 3 pieces and you can also get a small black pouch to put it in. I carry mine with me everywhere I go.

I still plan to get a Dixon Trad (I hear nothing but good things, and obviously you had good experiences with them, too).

5

I think more accurately, YOU have improved over time…not the whistle. I hear this repeatedly from beginners or those on the road to learning whistle. Inexperienced players tend to blow too hard until they learn breath control, and Feadogs can easily be overblown, along with the Dixon Trad, making them sound terrible. Both require a light touch. So pat yourself on the back. You’re improving :thumbsup:

ElfSong testimonials: http://www.elfsongwhistles.com/Testimonials.htm

Don’t know what your price limit is but have you looked at David O’Brien’s telescoping high D? Very nice tone, excellent intonation, and wouldn’t be too obvious in your bag ($100): http://www.obrienwhistles.com/OBPvideo.html (click on “a Stowaway telescopic soprano D whistle”)

…or maybe Hoover or Burke.

6

I think that’s what she meant by the quotation marks and smiley. :slight_smile:

I have a Parks Every Whistle and it’s also probably my favorite. Granted, it’s not metal and light-colored, but the tone ring does work to both adjust the volume and the breathiness. I also like that it’s a wider bore and the finger holes are larger (or at least feel larger) than my other whistles.

Jason

7

I think you’re right, Jason. Can’t believe I didn’t catch that. But then a pat on the back doesn’t hurt. :slight_smile:

8

I have both the Dixon Trad D brass and the Dixon solid brass D whistles. With the warning that my skills and experience are limited I will proffer my opinion.

I like both whistles a lot, though I prefer low whistles. I prefer the solid brass whistle as I think it plays more sweetly, though the Trad may be a bit faster responding. I prefer the weight and solidity of the heavy brass whistle - the body will be around for a long, long time…

I dont feel up to using terms such as ‘chiff’, so II have rushed off a recording in which I use first the Trad, then the solid brass whistle. It may be an unfair comparison, though I did try to play the whistles the same.

And I made plenty of mistakes, but its not about my playing…

Hope that helps.

9

It’s hard to recommend one whistle over another. It’s really too personal of a choice. I have a Blackbird, Dixon Trad, Every Whistle, and did at one time have the Dixon brass. All of the whistles are nice, but each has a different voice. Depends on the sound you want. My favorite of those listed to play is the Every Whistle. The brass Dixon was given away because of the weight. It felt unbalanced in my hands and was too heavy for my taste. Possibly it’s been modified since I had one … that’s been a couple of years ago.

One person’s giveaway whistle is another person’s treasure … :slight_smile: Happy Hunting!

10

Don’t waste your time on an Elfsong. Dixon makes good whistles, but they are VERY easy to overblow. I haven’t played a Park, but I have several friends who love them. When he makes a Bb, I’ll be first in line. I don’t like D whistles much, nor C whistles.

11

Not to be a wiseguy, but whatever whistle you choose you might want to consider keeping it in a case of some sort. You seem to have trouble with damaged whistles.

12

I played an Elfsong once but it was in session and I couldn’t really hear it well enough to evaluate it, other than to say I didn’t like it as much as my Burke. And that is was heavy.

13

Hello!!

Well I have a Parks Every Whistle and a Blackbird. As others have said…the Blackbird is an awesome whistle. It does not require a lot of breath control and the 2nd octave is very easy to play in.

The Parks Every Whistle is a great whistle too. Right now it is my practice whistle due to it’s durability and the ability to control the volume. It does require much more breath control and it is less restrictive as far as air flow so I find that I am taking a lot more breaths compared to the Blackbird.

If I were to have to choose only one whistle…it would be the Blackbird.

Just my $.02

Rob

14

It’s not on your list, but I’d like to mention Jerry Freeman’s tweaked Mellow Dog. I have both it and a Blackbird. Contrary to what Rap4th has found, my feeling is that the Blackbird really calls for some significant breath control in the lower register. I’ve found the Mellow Dog to be much more forgiving - doesn’t sound as “pure” in the upper register as the Blackbird, but has much of the sound of the Generations/Feadogs/Dixons Trad.

Happy hunting.

Steve

15

Mary, if you’re still transplanted in Galway City, can’t you just walk over to Powell’s and try a bunch?

16

:confused: I’d say that the Blackbird requires a fair amount of breath control for the lower octave, because it flips up to the 2nd octave quite easily. But it takes hardly any push or breath-focusing to reach the high notes, and it generally takes very little air to play, so you can enjoy long playing long phrases. If you like sweetness in the high notes, the Blackbird is the best whistle for this, but if you like to blow your whistle with gusto, you’ll find its tendency to flip upward frustrating.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Parks Everywhistle takes a fair amount of air to play, particularly for the high notes. I like to play it when I’ve been playing my Generation Bb a bunch, because they both encourage me to blow with some vigor. But its high notes are nowhere near as sweet as the Blackbirds; in fact, they’re a touch raucous. This may be a skill issue on my part.. I also find this true of my Generation Bb… And i did also find the same true of my Clarke original, and you said you liked your Clarke…

I find the Dixon Trad somewhere in-between, perhaps a little closer to the Blackbird. Though it takes a bit more air than the Blackbird and its high notes are chiffier, the high notes are still comparatively sweet, not very raucous at all, and the whistle stil takes some breath control to keep the low notes from flipping up The trad has a breathier tone than the Blackbird – I’d say the Blackbird has a lovely blend of purity with a bit of chiff to make it interesting. while the Trad sounds a little bit more like a Clarke original, with a very similar touch of breathiness, yet with a slightly rougher, cylindrical bore sound.

I’ve never tried an Elfsong.

17

Yeah, I think rap4th was confusing breath control and breath volume.

The Blackbird definitely requires a good amount of control, but very little volume. I rarely, if ever, run out of breath on the Blackbird, but it does require a light touch or it’ll jump right up into the second octave. Hitting the highest notes on the Blackbird is incredibly easy.

The Parks whistles don’t require too much air, though more than the Blackbird, to be sure. You will have to blow pretty hard to hit the upper A, B, and C, though that can be said of most whistles.

Jerry’s Mellow Dog would be a good recommendation, too. For a good while, that was my favorite whistle, and it still ranks quite high on the list. I love its full, loud sound. I’ve used it more than once in a concert setting. Very little breath control is required, though, again, it requires more breath volume than the Blackbird. I did find myself running out of air in a section where I had to play the second octave A, B, and C in a song. I could manage, I just had to be very aware that the part was coming up and remember to breath before hand.

18

I own one of Sandy Jasper’s “Elf” manufactured brass high D’s, another high D in copper, and one of her manufactured C’s in copper, as well as two of her hand made Low D’s, in aluminum and copper, with shared mouthpiece.

IMHO her whistles are in a higher league than the others mentioned in this post, except for the Burke’s, with which they share equal high standing if not characteristics. Whether they’re her more expensive, custom made whistles or her unbelievably cheap ($35), powder coated manufactured whistles, all in brass or copper, her whistles are definitely high quality musical instruments for anyone into serious life time whistling. They produce a lusty or sweet, resonant, flute like sound from a half inch bore.

Sandy’s been playing whistles, flutes and piano since childhood and is a recording artist, teacher (she taught me), writer and publisher. She plays on stage with Will Millar, founder of the Irish Rovers. That’s her fantastic playing of The Blarney Pilgrim on her web site on one of her own whistles – probably her plain, custom made brass high D. Wandering Whistler has noticed Sandy’s craftsmanship and decorative talents in his review of her hand made whistles. She’s on Dale’s list. Her whistles sell successfully worldwide, either directly or through selected musical outlets. The enthusiastic eBay testimonials to her service and customer backup, as well as her and her husband’s likeability, show why this remarkably talented lady has such a loyal and increasing world wide following. If she weren’t so maddeningly modest she and her whistles would be even better known. (So I hope she reads this …).

19

Hi Keith! Well, I’m not sure how to figure out whistle leagues. :slight_smile: And as you know, I’m pretty open to all kinds. I hope they’re not like bowling leagues, because I’m as bad as Obama. A whistle’s just a whistle, if it does what you want. Most of the Irish players I see and meet are playing Gens or Sindts or Gen-type whistles. Even Sandy recommends Gens.

I’ve never tried an Elf (whistle, that is!). Unfortunately, that Blarney Pilgrim clip is played like a recorder not a whistle, so it’s hard to tell if it suits for ITM. The EnChanter clips by Gord Pollock are better, but are limited to GHB range, so no 2nd octave. Personally, I don’t want a flute-like tone in my high whistles, I prefer crisp and bubbly.

So I guess we need to wait for MaryC to chime back in. As a transplanted Kiwi in Eire, her expectations may be complex. The Blackbird, Dixon Trad, or O’Briain would all do nicely for playing Irish trad in Galway, and the Parks has other nice features, especially the 3-piece. I’ve played all of these.

20

Thanks folks, lots of information there. A few responses to your questions and comments:

Price range: kinda “reasonable-ish”. Strictly speaking I shouldn’t be spending on such a frivolous thing at the moment (the economy here is in a very bad way, work is in very short supply), so I’m thinking no more than the equivalent of E-50, including p&p.


That’s a good point: I play with mainly other adult improvers, and find that being able to hear myself is pretty important. So the relative quietness might count against it. The other things you’ve said lean me towards it though.



Ahh, I really don’t like wider bore or larger finger holes. (My hands ain’t all feminine and delicate, but they’re not large either).


Tell me about it! The 2nd got dropped on its head in the pub. Very tragic, and a case wouldn’t have helped. I’ve pondered cases: the Dixon comes with a plastic one, but people have said that they start to smell after a while, I can imagine fungi liking the damp environment. Any suggestions of lightweight, low-bulk but still protective casing material gratefully received.

More key info, ta. (I don’t have any issues with delicate breath control, but do with running out of breath. One more plus for the Blackbird.


Not if I want to try a Blackbird, Elf, or Everywhistle. I guess I could try a Shaw or a Chieftan, but they’re not what I’m after anyway. And I need to purchase on-line due to some complex details around credit cards and being overseas (don’t ask, it’s tedious!). Besides, I can get a Dixon from Bigwhistle or Hobgoblin, including postage, for less and from a RoI retailer. Gotta love the exchange rate and VAT difference!



Ahh .. that’s what I’ve been hoping for, someone to say nice things about these!




Adding it all up, unless someone posts something drastic here in the next day or two, I think I’ll order an Elf and see how it goes. I really like the look of 'em (from piccies on-line) - no shiny silver or brassy stuff, and if the sound is even vaguely flute-like, I’ll probably like it.

Might think about the Every sometime in the future if circumstances change and I have more money and less time when I can practice out of earshot. Ditto the Blackbird if the Elf really doesn’t do it for me, but it will take some months to come to that I think.




Many thanks for all the comments.


Mary