Hi, i’ve seen the pics of the Mk ii.5, which has a hump. I wasn’t able to find a review about one being played. We all know about version mk I being preferred. I have the other models I, II and III and wonder if it’s worth tracking one down to round out my collection. I do like to play my whistles, not just look at them so I was looking for a playing review.
I’ll probably get one if it’s reasonably priced, but mostly I thought the mk ii.5 might deserve a little love and a thread of it’s own. Though it seems to be mentioned in passing and there’s probably a reason for that, lol.
Thanks, Lisa
I have one and can only speak to that sample of one. I didn’t care for its sound, it was loud and not pleasant to my ears. I don’t know how the rest of them are but mine was a dud! I have all four models and liked it the least.
I tweaked on it and now have a pleasant sounding whistle. I tried many tweaks but nothing really helped until I put a small 1mm thick piece of plastic under the wind ramp. I was able to position it so that it now is not as loud as it had been and has a nice mellow sound. Almost as good as the MkI…almost.
As it came originally it was not very good but now I enjoy playing it.
I say it with the caveat it’s based on a sample of one: Definitely not their best effort.
But things can vary, I have, for example, at least one Mk I (if you want to call it that) that I’d happily part with and I wouldn’t have a very high opinion of the Mk I if it was the oinly one I had.
Is handing a whistle to a dog as a chew-toy a part of your usual tweaking regime, and does it work?
Better the outside than the inside. I bought a feadog mk 1 McCullough Pigott. When i got it, the leg of a tiny toy doll was shoved up inside of the mouthpiece, smooshing the windway shut and greatly damaging the plastic. I could of cried. I was able to use a fingernail file to open it up, but it’s still rough. The whistle surpsingly sounds pretty good, but just that. Pretty good. My mk II (no bump) sounds better than either mk I’s that I currently have, which are good, but not magical. I do have two more mk I’s on the way, so I’m hoping to finally hit the jackpot.
My sample size is very small, two Mk1’s that I really like, and a Mk2 (no bump) that I don’t.
I’ve never had a bump Mk2.
I will say that my earlier Mk1 (darker green with bite marks!) plays a tad better than the slightly later one (lighter green).
Richard,
I’ve finally acquired a second MkI. Luckily it was made by McCullogh, Pigott as my first Mk I was made by Teo. I have to agree that the McCullogh one (darker green head) plays just a bit better than the Teo. But both are outstanding whistles and had I never gotten the McCullogh I’d been extremely happy with the Teo version of the Mk I.
There does seem to be a tiny difference in the two Mk I’s. It’s more apparent in person but I’ve tried to take a picture that shows the holes in the Teo version are just a tiny bit smaller than the McCullogh. Would you take a look at yours and see if your two are different?
Also, the far right whistle in your picture looks like a Mk III to me and not a MkII. It has the same head as my Feadog Pro and I believe the Pro is a MkIII.
My Feadog I’s:
I’ve finally acquired a second MkI
There was one on ebay ion the past two weeks or so, it didn’t sell for €3 (it was the postage that had the sting in its tail)
my first Mk I was made by Teo.
Just for the record, Teo, stand for Teoranta : ‘limited.’ So Feadógs are made by Feadóg Ltd.
Squeakie,
Here are a couple of pictures of my MkII.5 (tweaked). I tried everything I knew of to make it better. Putty in the head, dulling the sharpness of the leading edge of the wind ramp by filing and filing off the hump on the wind ramp. Nothing worked. It still sounded bad to me. I then attached a small piece of plastic about 1mm in thickness under the windway and kept moving it forward and backwards until I got the sound I wanted. I did not file a bevel on the plastic piece I just left it squared off from the scissor cut. I’m NOT suggesting you try any of this if you get one just that this is what I did. Luckily I didn’t ruin it to where it wouldn’t play at all.
Close up to better see the plastic piece:
This is what I noticed in the difference between the two MK I’s that I have.
Left is Feadog Teo, right is Pigott.
The windway is clearly bigger on the Feadog Teo.
Interesting, so the darker green ones were made by a different firm?
Unfortunately I’ve carved the holes on my dark-head Feadog.
Yes you’re right. I see the differences in the head design now that you point it out.
I found a Feadog Pro I didn’t know I had, it does have the same head as that green Feadog, though black. So that’s the MkIII head?
Yes my two are exactly like your two, the lighter green head has a much higher windway.
Yes, I believe the darker green headed MK1’s were made by a different company. I claim no great knowledge of the timing and details of the events when they changed over from McCullogh Pigot to Feadog Teo. I just know that the several Mk1’s that I’ve seen with the darker green head had stickers that said they were made by McCullogh Pigot and the lighter green ones by Feadog Teo.
That far right whistle of your sure looks like a MkIII to me.
Here are a couple of pictures of mine:
(Left to right: MkI, MkII, MkII.5 and MKIII)
Notice the MkIII Head is straight going from the barrel back towards the windramp; whereas, the others slope up. Also note that at the top of the wind ramp the MkIII is realively flat where the others peak out with that little bit sticking up)
(Top to bottom: MkIII, MkII.5, MkII, MkI)
Hi Squeakie,
I agree there is a slight difference in the two.
The differences in my two Mki’s are not quite as pronounced as yours but when I measured the width of them, the tunnel you blow into has a difference of about a 0.5mm. (9mm for the McCullough and 9.5mm for the Teo.) Both of mine are about 1mm in height.
Thanks to everyone for the pics and input. Like others, I find the Feadog whistle mouthpiece history very interesting.
Now someone with a 3D printer has to figure out how to replicate them the I and II
Nice whistle rack, Tx!
Thanks, I put that together with some scrap lumber leftover from a woodworking project. It suits my needs. 
This thread has had a benefit for me: I found a Feadog Pro (black top) I didn’t know I had, and when I played it I found out that it’s a better player than my Feadog Teo Mk1 (brighter green top).
I had been using that Feadog Teo Mk1 top on a Generation Eb body for the Eb slot in my roll.
Now it’s the black Feadog Pro top on that Generation Eb body, which plays great.
About whistle racks, when I was going around doing school gigs with a folk trio I wanted something that would show of all the whistles upright in one straight row so all the kids in the audience could see them. I found a wood necktie rack in a charity shop for a couple dollars, it’s piece of hardwood around 3 inches wide and 2.5 feet long with a row of 20-odd narrow wood dowels sticking up. I clamped it to a school-provided 8-foot table with a couple C-clamps for each show, it looks good and can’t fall over.