Does anyone know when ‘mass production’ of Feadog (and similar Irish Whistles) was started and if they had been making whistles for a while before that??
This type of whistles are modeled after Generation, aren’t they? Generations used to be made of all metal, and at some point in the mid 20th Century went to plastic mouthpieces, I think. Feadog brand (name taken from the Gaelic for whistle) came along much more recently. Hopefully someone, with more knowledge than I, can post to this thread with more and better information.
Perhaps Feadog will make a history page when it gets its web site up and running. The site is under construction. See
http://www.beautybath.ie/
The McCullough Pigott Manufacturing Ltd. made the first Feadog whistles. If the hear-say I have heard is true, they were at some point sold to Feadog Teo. If this is true, Feadog Teo used the original McCullough Piggot injection molds.
My evidence for this is that I have one old Feadog that says McCullough Pigott Mfg. Ltd. with green & clear stickers. It is my second favorite cheap whistle behind an old “four cornered fipple” generation. It has a truly marvelous sound and has a great volume ballance. I also have an old Feadog Teo Feadog that is nearly identical (same mold, same stickers with only a change from “McCullough Pigott Mfg Ltd” changing to Feadog Teo. It is nearly as marvelous, but the finger tube has some quality that makes the upper end of the second octave less in tune. The McCullough Pigott has some signs of being hand tuned. I am the original owner of neither of these, the M-P whistle has a crack running down the fipple blade which un nerves me and makes me play it less frequently.
After that era, the Mk 1 head joint came out. It is nice but not at the same level of sound quality as the old ones. A Mk 2 fipple came out and was quite possibly the worst whistle I ever paid for after the “Williamsburg” whistle I got for $5 at Williamsburg. After lots of folks complaining about the Mk 2, The Mk 3 came out. I don’t have one of these yet, but I hear it is better than the Mk 1.
That’s all I “know” about the Feadog. All subject to interpretation and to revision by more knowledgable sources.
Cheers