Who has played one? What’s the scoop? I saw on Steve Power’s webpage that Cillian O’Brian is now using Mk III heads and Feadog bodies for his “Improved” cheapos. Are the Mk IIIs in stores? If I order from Steve or Thom, can they tell what they are sending me and how will I tell a Mk III head from a Mk II (which I won’t buy)?
Hi Bloomfield,
I’d like to know for sure too, but…
I think the Mark II has the bump on the blade, and the Mark III has none, is slimmer in profile, and mine are made of slightly darker green plastic (on the Brass body, the Black body has a black fipple).
I base this presumption on the fact that I bought a brass Feadog D in a shop in Dorset last year, and it had the bump blade. Then when I returned and bought another in the same shop in early February, it had the slimmer non-bump fipple. I took this to show they had a new batch delivered, and the old style was no longer being shipped.
I believe the Mark I had a strong following, and people regret its passing. I wonder how long before we look back on Mark II with such warm nostalgia?
I don’t know about the new Feadog fipples, but I bought a black Feadog about three months ago and it’s been my favorite whistle ever since.
I’ve been thinking about this since we had a like/hate Feadog poll a while back. I recently went to a local music store and they had a bunch of Feadogs on hand. Looking closely at the fipples, they very much resembled the picture of the BAD Acorn fipple in this thread:
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?topic=989&forum=1
For this reason, I advised my sister against getting one–I was afraid they were a bad model.
My black Feadog fipple looks very much like the Oak fipple in the picture on the right, except it doesn’t have that little vertical wall sticking up. The whole fipple, looking at the whistle held sideways, is very smooth and almost straight horizontally. Maybe this is why it sounds so great.
Cees
On 2002-02-26 12:20, Cees wrote:
My black Feadog fipple looks very much like the Oak fipple in the picture on the right, except it doesn’t have that little vertical wall sticking up. The whole fipple, looking at the whistle held sideways, is very smooth and almost straight horizontally. Maybe this is why it sounds so great.Cees
Cool detective work there, Kiirsi! My Black Feadog is of the same style as yours, and the new brass Feadog with Darker green head also. The older Brass Feadog is like the Acorn head, too big for itself. oddly though, it doesn’t play too bad & that’s why I went back for another.
I had a Nickel D Feadog with a black head that I never liked, which is partly why I advised Mimi against them, but the Nickel C with similar style head is actually very nice with no bum notes.
Thanks!
[Just had to write one more post to make my hundredth post!]
MC Transatlantic Whistle Detective Agency - no case too small.
[ This Message was edited by: Cees on 2002-02-26 12:45 ]
Just for the record: I only ever see Feadogs with a black head (no, that’s not true I saw a blue one last week in Ennistymon)on nickle (I actually think it’s more like stainless steel) are we all talking about the same thing here?
Hi Peter,
I got 3 Feadogs from Steve Power @ Shanna Quay last year, and they all had black heads; one was an all black body, and the other two were D & C nickel bodies.
The ‘all black’ is the slim Mark III head, and very nice both to play & in looks. Cees has the same whistle, and we both like it.
The nickel D I never got on with; the body doesn’t have the same feel of quality as a Generation, the head was Mark II fat-kinky, and the blade was slightly damaged as well. I’ve since transplanted a spare Blue Generation head onto it, and it’s an OK spare, but still not my first choice.
The C was much nicer, and is my first choice C. It has the fat-kinky head, but the slim mouthpiece fits very nicely between the lips & the air requirement is very gentle compared to other Cs of my acquaintance. So 2 out of 3 wasn’t bad.
However all the Feadogs I’ve bought in England (specifically Cilla & Camilla, not a whistle shop, in Beaminster, Dorset) are Brass Body, Green Head.
Maybe the green head is for tourist/overseas sales? It does look better on the brass body than a black head would.
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[ This Message was edited by: Martin Milner on 2002-02-27 05:51 ]
The standard fitting for Feadog Brass whistles is a green head. The coloured whistles all use black heads. The standard fitting for the nickel bodies is a black head, too.
All new Feadog stock uses the MK III head. Some stockists may still carry mark II in some ranges. I, personally, changed all my Nickel stock to MK III when it came out, as there had been a problem with old stock and the 2nd octave E was flat.
Steve
p.s. (Martin, remind me about the dodgy D you got from me when you come over 
[ This Message was edited by: StevePower on 2002-02-27 05:38 ]
So…Let me get this staight,The old head had the little lump, the new head has no lump
What if I just ground the lump off, Would that make it sound like the new Lumpless head ? (Believe it or not I’m serious)
Dan
On 2002-02-27 05:41, Graphics Guy wrote:
So…Let me get this straight,The old head had the little lump, the new head has no lump
What if I just ground the lump off, Would that make it sound like the new Lumpless head ? (Believe it or not I’m serious)Dan
Nah, the lump was just an identifying feature, I don’t think it affects the tone at all. The kink in the head would seem to me to be much more important.
I do have one Green D head in the Mark II style that doesn’t sound bad, so for me it’s a caveat rather than a total avoid. Try B4U buy!
Check out Cees’ picture link, that picture painted a thousand words!
Thanks …Got it
Dan
Based on transplant experimentation I have done at home, I have concluded that I do not much like the Feadog head on a nickel body, whereas, I like them ok with brass.
I would like to try out an Mk III Feadog, but, knowing I am likely to prefer the brass, does anyone know of a source for the Mk III in brass?
Sarah
On 2002-02-27 10:19, aremnius wrote:
does anyone know of a source for the Mk III in brass?
Sarah
Yes, you’re reading one
Steve,
I’ve had two Feadog whistles. The first one was a complete dud. The one I got last summer was at some Irish importer here in the states. They had 3 boxes of Feadog whistles. As I was sorting through, I found several whistles (about 8 C whistles and 2 in D) that had different fipples in the bottom of one box. I snaged one of each. Sounded nice (much better than the other one). When did Mk III heads start production? If it was after August 2001, then I may have Mk I fipples. How can I know?
On 2002-02-27 14:16, Mark_J wrote:
Steve,
When did Mk III heads start production? If it was after August 2001, then I may have Mk I fipples. How can I know?
As I’m typing this, I’m reading a ‘flyer’ from Keynote Music Sales (who make the Feadog) entitled ‘Product Update’, announcing the Mark III Feadog. Unfortunately, it’s not dated!! I’m pretty sure I got this flyer about late August or even September of 2001.
Actually, I remember calling Keynote from the shop, when Jessie Kislin came to visit Ireland, because it was she who spotted that my Nickel Feadog’s were ‘off’. Keynote told me that a new model was on the way, during that call. So, if we go back through the archives and find out when Jessie came…no, I’ll call keynote, it’ll be simpler!
My best guess, for now, is that any Feadog’s bought before August 2001 (either by the customer or the retailer), will be MK 1 or 2. Imported ones bought in August are not likely to be MK 3 (but don’t sue me, it’s only a guess).
You can tell, as others have mentioned, by the shape of the mouthpiece. The MK 3 doesn’t have a bump!
Steve
[ This Message was edited by: StevePower on 2002-02-27 19:06 ]