There was a rumur that Generation was working on a Low D. Has anyone heard any more about that or is it still just a rumor?
Joe
They should work on getting their high d right first. I imagine a raspy low d sounding like fingernails on a chalkboard. I wonder if they’ll need to be tweaked.
Tony
Low-d’s are generally 2-3 times as expensive as the same maker’s high d. If Generations followed the same economic model, you’d have a Generation Low-d for about 10-15 bucks. If they played at all they’d sell by the hundreds.
I do have the impression that
Generation is coasting…
I would be surprised if they’re
working on something new–can
you imagine what a low D of that
design would be like?
Basicly it’d be like a Howard or Kerry whistle wouldn’t it? Although the quality would be lesser.
B~
Hey all, i have just run into problems with both my Generation whistles, anyway, Brian Lee made a comment re the Generation low D would be of lesser quality than a Howard. Im in the process of getting a Howard low D, and im wondering after Brian’s comment that he doesn’t think too highly of them.
Please advise me whether Im wasting my money. Does the Howard match up favourably against most similar priced low D whistles???
Regards Andy
Andy,
If you’re getting a “new” Howard Low D (Manufactured in the last year or two) you should be fine. The older Howards had a mouthpiece that didn’t play so well.
Overall the Howard is a nice sounding Low D that’s relatively easy to play, if you have wide/large fingers. If however you’ve got small hands and or thin fingers, you’re likely to have a LOT of trouble sealing the holes on the Howard which are rather large.
If you don’t have fat fingers, skip the Howard and buy a Dixon Low D, which costs even less than the Howard I believe.
Good Luck!
Loren
On 2001-08-10 07:34, andy wrote:
Please advise me whether Im wasting my money. Does the Howard match up favourably against most similar priced low D whistles???
I had a Howard (sold it two weeks ago). I liked it but my “Bernard Overton” Overton, Copeland, and O’Riordan Low D whistles are more than I need. All of the nicest things I liked in my Howard are also found in my O’Riordan like the chiff and “woody” tone(although the O’Riordan has lots of other nice characteristics).
I talked to a professional musician (pipes, hammer dulcimer, whistle, etc.) He does not like the Howard (compared to his Copeland), but thought that it gave owners a lot of bang for their buck ($80 for the Howard at Celtic Fire in Mass. v. $409 for the Copeland). Thom Larson has the Tony Dixon whistles for under $50 non-tunable and $70 tunable. My Howard was only semi-tunable. You could only flatten the pitch. You could not make the pitch sharper than concert pitch unless you used a pipe cutter to shorten the tube. I was happy with my Howard for over two years. I sold it to a friend near NYC. I may miss it at times, but there are always other whistles to take its place. I’m not buying a Dixon any time soon only because I am buying NO whistles for as long as I can bear to do (a flute and guitar motivate me to do so).
While the Howard is not a bad choice, I think a Dixon would be a good and cheaper alternative to the Howard. Ask other folks about the Dixon whistles, though. Loren has already done so and Loren goes through low whistles like a hot knife through butter. 
[ This Message was edited by: Mark_J on 2001-08-10 09:49 ]
On 2001-08-10 07:34, andy wrote:
Brian Lee made a comment re the Generation low D would be of lesser quality than a Howard. Im in the process of getting a Howard low D, and im wondering after Brian’s comment that he doesn’t think too highly of them.
Regards Andy
Hi Andy,
First off, I wasn’t meaning to downplay the quality of Brian Howards work, especially as I’ve never had the opportunity to play one of his low whistles yet. The point I was going for, was that Kerrys and Howards both have plastic mouthpieces, and that’s how I assume Generation would go about with theirs as well. Similar in craftsmanship is all. Though as many have commented already, Gen.'s are notorious for having poor quality control. Does that clear it up a little?
Clear as mud…I know!
Bri~
Mark wrote:
“Loren goes through Low Whistles like a hot knife through butter”
Hmm, well I have owned one or two I suppose
I guess I should have made it clear that I have owned both the Howard and the Dixon tunable - still have the Dixon in fact.
Of the two: I think the Howard sounds better and is more in-tune with itself, but the size and spacing of the tone holes make it unsuitable for beginners with average or small hands, IMO.
The Dixon OTH is, as Mark mentioned, more tunable, and the holes are spaced so anyone can play one easily.
I guess it’s horses for courses as usual…
Loren
P.S. Mark, I’m still waiting for those new Overtons to arrive…Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock… I may very well go mad if they don’t arrive before the weekend.
[ This Message was edited by: Loren on 2001-08-10 10:12 ]
1133715
I’m hoping a Burke low G and low A show up when I get home today. Otherwise, I won’t enjoy my weekend (as much). If they do show up, I’ll put something on clips and snips. (15 more minutes till I leave work.)
Tony
Hmmm,I wonder how a generation low D would sound with a susato head? I want one! 