The Hoover narrow bore is very quiet and just great in the high register. Is the traditional bore still on the quiet side?
Hi,
I have a traditional bore Hoover and it is the quietest whistle I own (next quietest is a Clarke Original). So, yes it is a quiet whistle, but not as quiet as the narrow bore.
–
Keith
I agree completely with Keith. I own 5 non-tunable aluminum Hoovers - from D down to G…
These are all traditional bore instruments. My other whistle set is by Mike Burke…The Hoovers are quieter than the Burkes, but in no way are they too quiet to play with a band, in public. The Hoovers back up vocalists and fiddles very nicely. Mic’d, their beautiful, sweet tone is exemplary. Mack sent me a relatively inexpensive narrow bore to try, called a ‘whitecap’. It has the same sweet sound that all of his whistles enjoy, but is significantly softer…
Cheers
Byll
Talk to Mac about your specific needs–I’ve read more than enough posts to believe that he can make you the whistle sound you want.
Lisa
To describe the volume think of the narrow bore as level one, trad bore as level two, Generation as level three, and Susato as level four.
That may not be strictly accurate, but I have both the narrow bore and trad bore as well as a Generation and a Susato, and I think the foregoing is a reasonable estimate.
The sound and playability of the Hoovers is however, unmatched by the other two. 
If you have questions or concerns, talk to Mack. He is very helpful, and a very nice guy.
Peter: Your four tier volume estimate is not only clever, it is accurate. Possibly using this tiered system would help all of us in future comparisons.
Cheers.
Byll