What should I get? Nothing in the very high price bracket and not a Dixon as I have one and love it but I would like to play a different C to get a different sound.
John Sindt
What price range are you thinking of? I know you have an Elfsong…is that the price range, or are you thinking lower? I’m wondering because my Elfsong C is very nice, and if you like Elfsongs already, getting a C (or a C tube for your mouthpiece) might be one route to consider.
As far as the lower end whistles go, I’m no help at all…the only other C I have is a MEG, and I’m not at all impressed with it.
Redwolf
The Susato C is actually a very nice instrument available for under $20.
See if you can find a Walton Golden Tone C. For about $10 you’d have one of the best IMHO. Silkstone PVC C is surprisingly good too, the best of that line IMHO. For a bit more, I agree with Tom about the Sindt.
Philo
I’ve got to agree with Philo on the Walton Golden Tone C. He gifted me one a while back and it is really, really nice. (Thanks Philo!)
jim
Ditto on the Waltons Golden Tone but they are now hard to find. Which reminds me of the frustration I feel about Waltons refusal to recognize this community or the Unique Role of the Undisputed. They could KNOW that they were making one of the best C whistles around and that it was an ODD DECISION to discontinue it if they would bother to COMMUNICATE WITH US!
I tried for years and gave up in about 1999.
If you can’t find a $10 Goldentone: Sindt or Burke Aluminum.
Many people feel that the C whistle is the weakest key in the Copeland line, but I’ve never played one.
Dale
[ This Message was edited by: DaleWisely on 2003-01-02 21:54 ]
Depends what new sound/feel you want to experience in your whistle. My Dixon C is somewhat in the middle of the chiffiness, breathiness, clearness/pureness of tone scales.
So do you want an even clearer/purer toned whistle? Or a more chiffy whistle with the ability to respond faster and stronger to ornamentation? If the former, there are lots of pure whistles to choose from. If the latter, it would be wonderful if you could find a good C Gen whistle. I have one (as well as a horrible one). The way Gens “pop” and gurgle when you ornament is really great. I use my Dixon C in church for worship music, but the Gen C for Irish trad (admittedly trad’s not something I play often).
I second the Susato C–it’s inexpensive,
it’s in tune, it lacks the shrillness
of the Susato D, and it’s a sweet,
strong whistle.
How about a Hoover? I have a cpvc one made by Mack that is sweet, just a little chiff and on the quiet side. You might even try one of his new whitecaps. I have Bb and it is excellent.
Frank
Another cheap alternatice to a Generation is a Feadog C.
I have one with black head & nickel body, which is remarkably nice. The air requirements are low, but the tone is smooth. I got mine through Shanna Quay.
How about a Water Weasel, or even beter, a WW set? You get a head, plus bodies for C,D, and Eb, in the $100+ range. A great combo for travelling, hiking, etc.
I’d recommend a Burke composite C. Light as a feather, and a wonderful “woody” sound.
If you can’t get a wooden whistle (which incidently you really MUST do) The Composite Burke is the next best thing.
I’d also agree with Paul on the Water Weasel.
Now for the disclaimer:
Yes, I have a Burke C for sale right now in order to pay for a flute that got finished earlier than anticipated. But the above statements are my true (unfinancially motivated) opinions. I’ll be getting another Burke C very soon. 
Doc
On 2003-01-02 21:52, DaleWisely wrote:
Many people feel that the C whistle is the weakest key in the Copeland line, but I’ve never played one.
Dale
\
I know I’ve heard mixed reviews of the Copeland C whistles too Dale, but I’m telling you man, the Nickel Copeland C I sold to Jessie is one of the best whistles on the planet, I kid you not. I keep begging her to sell it back to me, but she swears it’s never gonna happen…That’s the problem with selling whistles to someone who really knows their stuff, hmph!
Anyway, I know Mike and Jim have worked hard on consistency recently, so I wouldn’t be afraid of trying a Copeland C.
Just my 2 cents.
Loren
On 2003-01-03 06:53, brewerpaul wrote:
How about a Water Weasel, or even beter, a WW set? You get a head, plus bodies for C,D, and Eb, in the $100+ range. A great combo for travelling, hiking, etc.
The problem here is that the WW D is vastly superior to the C, so if you get a combo it is likely to stay set up for D, and thus be inconvenient for C. I’d hesitate to recommend the WW C anyway – it’s easily my least favorite WW. (Thin Weasel C, on the other hand, is the Greatest Whistle Ever.)
For a vaguely similar reason I hesitate to recommend the O’Riordan C – I have one, but since it’s part of a combo, I almost never play the whistle with the C body attached. In that case, I think the C is probably better than the D, but I haven’t played it enough to be comfortable recommending it – the D is one of my main whistles and so the C sits on the sidelines 99.9% of the time. To much hassle to change whistle bodies in the middle of a session.
No one here has mentioned the new Delrin head Reyburn C. It is a real sweetie!!!
A nice soft sound, not piercing at all with plenty of volume. I’d go for this one.
Constance
Hi Selkie,
Have you considered a Sweetone? I think it would have a different sound to a Dixon. I have one in C which is reasonably good, I like it better than my other 3 C’s, a Gen, a Clarke Orig and 2p Susato. The Sweetone would be cheap, next up would be a Clarke Orig, certainly different sounding from a Dixon. Or a Shaw, again different sound to a Dixon.
Cheers, Mac
I can’t play a sweetone or a Shaw as the metal line at the back hurts my thumbs. I have arthritis. I have gone for a cheap Walton’s C for the moment until I find one I like.
I have a few Cs, but my two favorites are my first whistle, a Clarke classic C and my Sweetheart blackwood C. The Clarke is for sentimental reasons as much as anything, but the design really does work for a C whistle. Very nice. The blackwood Sweet was a lucky deal on this board. Man, I wouldn’t trade that whistle for anything less than a decent car.
I hesitate to say it, but you might also try an inexpensive recorder if you want to play in C. I have a Yamaha and now an Aulos. Both are good recorders and both play very well, at least for a total recorder-tyro like me. And you get the option of playing other keys.
-Patrick
Susato C