I know this topic has been discussed before, but…I am on a SERIOUS budget (I work in education) and would like to buy a low D whistle.
I don’t care for my high D Susato, so I’m not considering one of those. What makes of ECONOMY-priced low D’s have you liked and how much are they?
Thanks,
[ This Message was edited by: paulsdad on 2002-07-08 18:21 ]
I’m a fan of Howards, but there are
other relatively inexpensive low Ds
that folks here like and I never played.
I’ve heard Dixons are good and cheap, but I’ve never played one. I agree with you about a Susato low d, but my best advice is to save up and buy an Overton.
I like my Howard, too, for the most part. The upper octave B is weird (has to be played like a C#, 00000X), but except for that, I do like it a lot, and it was only $105. It takes very little breath.
My first Low-D was a Dixon. Very nice whistle. Nice tone Dale describes it well as “mellow breathy”. It’s a very easy whistle to play. My only complaint was it was too quiet for my needs (playing with fiddles). If you’re only serenading yourself or playing solo I think you’d be very happy with it.
They run about $49 form the whistle shop.
Doc
I agree. Best of the cheapies is the Dixon, but if you can save a bit, go Overton. If you’re not too keen on your Susato high D don’t even go near the low D! The Susato high D is pretty good in comparison to the low D
One caveat about the Dixons - If you buy the non-tunable version it may be out of tune. I bought the $49 non-tunable Dixon and it was incredibly sharp, and increased in sharpness going up the scale. The B note was a quarter step sharp. I was disappointed and sent it back. You may be better off saving for a different whistle.
I like the Kerry Low D ($64 at The Whistle Shop). The holes size and placements are better than the Howard. I added some teflon tape under the mouthpiece to eliminate buzzing. As is, it is tunable to the flat size (but I cut a 1/4 of an inch off the tube from the mouthpiece side so it is tunable both flat and sharp). I find that you can play faster on the Kerry than other low Ds and that it has a good tone comparable to it Kerry Pro and Chieftains cousins.
Joe
I play both a Colin Goldie Overton and a Dixon non-tunable low D and, though the Overton is far and away my preferred instrument, the Dixon is no slouch at less than a third the price. If you are looking for something to learn on (or you are playing solo or with players who can tune to YOU) the Dixon is perfect. It’s breath requirements and hole size and spacing are quite friendly. Tony (Dixon) is a great guy with an excellent reputation as a craftsman.
Ian
Dixon tuneable low D.
For trying/learning low whistles and playing solo or with a small number of people it’s unbeatable for the price.
I have a Dixon tuneable low D and a Kerrypro
in D. They are at the opposite end of the price spectrum. The Dixon will do all you want at 1/3rd the price, until you want to get seriously noisy/dirty/what-ever 
Wanted to voice support for both the Dixon and the Howard.
The Dixon is by far the easiest to finger of the low D’s I own.
The Howard has a sound that I’ve never heard duplicated by another low whistle. It’s truly beautiful, and I find myself constantly going back to it. It is, however, a bit more difficult than the Dixon to finger, mostly due to larger holes.
You’ll not go wrong with either whistle
Best of luck!
-Mark Sackett
Thanks for all the helpful responses!