Got My New Whitecap Feadog

Whistle
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Hello Folks:

About two weeks ago I received my Hoover Whitecap on a Feadog barrel. What a joy! The Feadog I had originally purchased was… let’s see, nice but shrill. It tended to squeak, was loud in an obnoxious kind of way, like a friend in a party that talks loud and everybody around can hear the conversation (especially when you want more discretion). The Whitecap Feadog that Mack sent me was like sending that friend to finishing school. Now the Feadog has nice manners, is very responsive and well behaved. This one has become my daily whistle. It is incredible to hear the difference between this Whitecap Feadog and my other cheap whistles (Oak, Waltons). I think I’ll be ordering another Whitecap, this time on a Clare two-piece body.

The Whitecap makes it incredibly easy for me to play the first octave without squeaks and squawks. I know that as a beginner I might be inclined to blame the whistle rather than my ability, but it was a night to day difference in tone, clarity, and ease of getting the notes. The second octave is also easy to get. In fact, the note that gives me the most trouble is C-natural. I was used to this fingering: OXX-OOO, but find that in this whistle I have to use OXX-XOX in order to get it best. I also have to send a bit of a stronger air stream. So more breath control is needed.

I had read that Hoover Whitecaps were quiet, but this one is not that quiet. Certainly not as loud as the original Feadog I had, nor as the Oak, but not whisper quiet either. It has nice volume. The sound is less “bright” but “rounder” or “fuller” than the other whistles I’ve mentioned. To mix metaphors again, this is an urbane whistle with a hint of maturity where the Oak, the Waltons and the original Feadog were teenagers or brash 18 year-olds.

The Whitecap on the brass body looks quite nice. Here is a picture of it:

Here’s a detail of the fipple:

This has been a wonderful find, and has added enjoyment and ease to my whistling experience. I don’t even want to touch the other ones. Compared to this Whitecap, the Oak is positively beastly, the Waltons is cranky and obstreperous. I wish I could have the same ease of playing with my Dixon tunable High D, but that one requires a bit more skill than I have.

Thanks to all those who recommended a Hoover Whitecap. The recommendations were right on target, including how nice a chap Mr. Hoover (chatted briefly via electronic mail), not to mention the trust placed on the customer. All in all a wonderful experience!

N.

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You used the word obstreperous. I love you.

This post makes me even more excited about recieving the one Byll was kind enough to send me.

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This was my experience exactly (my Whitecap went onto a black Feadog tube), and this is why I always say that there is no reason for a beginner–especially a relatively isolated beginner like me–to suffer with an unresponsive whistle. There’s enough to learn without having to cajole sounds from it that it should be yielding up willingly.

The second octave is also easy to get. In fact, the note that gives me the most trouble is C-natural. I was used to this fingering: OXX-OOO, but find that in this whistle I have to use OXX-XOX in order to get it best.

My narrow-bore Burke is the same, and I’ve found that it’s actually a useful thing when going between Cnat and second-octave D. It’s particularly nice to be able to cut the Cnat with the middle finger of your right hand.

This has been a wonderful find, and has added enjoyment and ease to my whistling experience. I don’t even want to touch the other ones. Compared to this Whitecap, the Oak is positively beastly, the Waltons is cranky and obstreperous.

I have a Whitecap on order for my Oak tube. I couldn’t send it in for a fitting, as it’s out on loan. I tried to tweak it, but wasn’t very successful.

I wish I could have the same ease of playing with my Dixon tunable High D, but that one requires a bit more skill than I have.

I’m afraid I don’t like my Dixon tunable very much. It was my first whistle, and I liked the timbre well enough at first, but found it a bit touchy to play, and not all that well in tune with itself. (The transition from high D to C# in Sally Gardens is bad enough that it bothers even me, and I’m not picky at all.)

The recommendations were right on target, including how nice a chap Mr. Hoover

Yep.

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Thank you for the nice review of the Whitecap. It should hold me over for a bit while I wait for my Whitecap to get here :stuck_out_tongue: