A while back I got a Feadog Pro and, to be honest, I don’t like it at all. I’ve been told that if I put it away and come back to it later (after more playing), I will find the beauty in it. I’ve already found the beauty in the other whistles I have, so who wants a Feadog Pro? I’d like to send this to someone who’s been wanting one or someone who knows someone who needs a whistle. And, I don’t mean to sound cheap, but I’d rather not have to spend a bunch on shipping, so it probably has to go to someone in the US. Anyway, Let me know if you want this.
I have a Feadog Pro that I always considered to be nothing more than an inferior Oak-alike with a terrible upper register.
Out of frustration I filed down the blade a wee bit and now I quite like it
Not as good as my Oaks but I would no longer hesitate to play it in public.
I didn’t like the upper register either. I thought about doing a little tweak, but I didn’t want to mess it up. A lot of people said they really like them, so I figured it would be better to pass just pass in on.
OK. I have had this whistle for a few days now. I also have a new job, so there has not been an opportunity to play as much as I would like. Consider this an ongoing experiment.
I have been wanting to try a Feadog for some time, but the local shops don’t carry them. (Except for Whistle and Drum, but that a good distance north of here.) When Marisa made her generous offer, I jumped at the chance.
First impressions. There is a good healthy jump to reach the second octave and the necessary pressure seems to vary quite a bit from note to note. If you don’t get it just right, you end up in the middle ground with a nasty squeak or squawk. (This probably reflects as much upon my playing ability as this whistle, but I don’t see this in other D whistles I’ve tried.)
I have read that a Feadog is like a good Generation, but the upper octave sounds very raspy and rough compared to the Gen D I keep around. The lower range is closer to the Gen, but it has a brighter, fuller sound.
I like to fill in the head cavity below the windway on most whistles. Sometimes I end up taking it back out, but in this case it seems to strengthen the bell note a bit and make the upper notes easier to hit. (Or maybe I am just getting used to the whistle.)
Overall, I would say that my favorite whistle, a Hoover, has no chance of being displaced. but I can see how some would go for this. You can vary the loudness and some of the raspy sound with breath control. I suspect this is because the windway tapers a lot. Not that I notice a lot of back pressure.
This is one good looking whistle – the chrome body and black top are a nice combination. I am going to keep it around to see if it grows on me. If not, you will see a future posting here for a free whistle.
However, if you could do away with the raspiness, the Feadog is a nice sounding whistle indeed. Fortunately this can be done, but it involves tweaking the fipple a bit.
I’m with you there. My favourite high D is still the Feadog I bought- well, I can’t remember when I bought it, maybe in the early 80’s?
It has the strange angular green top.
It is a quiet whistle, too quiet for sessions or outdoor playing.
But for nimbleness negotiating the range, for ease and sweetness in the upper register, I’ve yet to play its equal.
I use it for recording and for playing in a mic.
Its intonation is spot-on. (Yes I’ve packed the head and carved a hole or two.)
My favorite whistle this week is an Oak head on a Feadog brass body. Oak uses Feadog tubes but only in chrome. I prefer the brass only because it isn’t as slippery and so is easier to hold steady. Oddly, the Oak head was just a hair too small to fit the brass tube. I would have thought the brass tube would be smaller by a few thousands of an inch than the chrome rather that the other way around. I polished down the brass tube and now it fits nicely.
I’ll put in a vote for the Feadóg Pro. I have two, and I like it. Typical Feadóg sound, slightly aggressive, lots of chiff, very responsive, good volume. A bit more of each than the standard nickel Feadóg. The tube is also heavier – 0.50 mm vs 0.40 mm thick – with a nice solid feel. The holes have slightly sharp edges. I filled the windway cavity, and don’t find the upper register problems or breath problems that some have described. A nice session whistle.
Being a newb, I was apprehensive at picking one of these up. I figured at least I had a whistle I could play in a year or so- a sort of aspiration.
I have been playing a generation and a Walton. The Feadog, even in the hands of a beginner, just sounds better to me. a clearer tone, and as stated above, a little more aggressive sounding. I think I can play this all the time and it doesn’t need to be something to look forward to.
They are very similar; both require some breath control to play well. Both require some time to get used to. (Also, a hint: both play better when warmed in your hands for a couple of minutes before being blown.)
The high G in the second register takes special attention on these whistles…it can be played very sweetly and purely, but you will need to spend some time with the whistle to get it to do that.
To me, Feadogs and Susatos are very similar…very consistent whistles, very well made, very well in tune…and both sound horrible in the hands of a player not yet able to control them.
