My Dixon D is a fine whistle overall, but it’s finnicky about the second octave E for some reason and squeaks very easily. I don’t have this problem with my Waltons D, my Waltons Little Black Whistle, or even my Clare (not that I play it much). Has anyone else had this problem with a Dixon D? Is it just me?
~ Thornton
I’ve got a Dixon high D and a Dixon Low D. I’ve played the low much more than the high so I’m not sure about the performance of the high. I have noticed that the second octave E on the low is very finnicky. Sometimes it will play real clean. Somtimes I can’t get it to go up to the second octave and sometimes it just “goes crazy” for lack of a better term. It has made it hard for me to want to play it for others because it’s unpredictable. I think I have attributed some of the behavior to moisture problems. I’m currently experimenting with the Jet Dry technique and it seems like it’s helping some but not completely.
Joe
I had the very same problem with one of my
whistles (Not a Dixon though) … I found a pretty nifty trick that actually worked …
I took a small amount of play-dough and squished it up through the hole, then carved off the remnants, and TA-DA!! it seems to be fine. Go figure.
I think the slight rim of play-dough on the inside of the whistle that’s left creates a false ‘thicker wall’ … one drawback though is that the second octave E is EEEEEEver so slightly off by about 7 cents instead of 3… not enough to bother the band I play with. So I suppose it is effecting the ‘placement’ too. Oh well… it’s still fun to pick up and play at times… just for the fact that’s its so rigged to get it to work! 
Here’s to really strage ideas from the depths of a flaky man’s mind!
Well, Back to work!
John
[ This Message was edited by: McHaffie on 2001-11-07 16:17 ]