For $250 you could get a Chieftain low d and a low F -($130. and $105. at the Whistle Shop)-that would even include the shipping.
I acquired the Burke composite from Steven and can back up his assertions. I’ll go a bit further and note that the sound, while rich and complex, is mellower than the metal whistles which sometimes have an edge to their sound.
The original poster wants a whistle that can be played quickly and this one can, but it relies on very good breath control to push it along. With it’s big pipe, windway and window, there’s negligible back pressure.
Keith, you always recommend Chieftains but you never tell us what they are better than. I, for one, would be a lot clearer about what you are actually saying if you told us what else you’ve played and precisely why you prefer Chieftains to them. Also I’d like to know how recently the Chieftains you like were made.
I just got my first Chieftain, a gold mezzo A, and the only other whistle in metal I would rate it equal to is the Burke Al Pro G, which I have sitting next to the Chieftain. The Burke is the smoothest playing whistle, IMHO, period. The sound is creamy smooth and pure. The Chieftain is almost as easy to play through the octaves and has a modest and pleasant amount of chiff. Personally, if I could afford it I’d have both (I’m borrowing the Burke). I have not played an Overton or Copeland. I have a friend that just picked up a Copeland (low D, I think), so maybe I can convince him I should play it
Mine is not an expert opinion, since I have not played every whistle out there. I haven’t played a Thin Weasel, Busman, Abell, but would love to. There’s just too many darn whistles out there for me to own, even at used prices. So, when an opportunity arises, I take that as an open door and go for it. Unless I think my lovely bride will not be too pleased of course!
matt
(go Keith!!!)
Oh and by the way, I can say that the Dixon low D is easy to play with no piper’s grip needed and under $100. The thick size of the Dixon gives it a nicer look than some of the other keys. Compared to the Howard low D I am borrowing, the Dixon is easier to play, and sounds as good, if not better IMHO that is . . . then there’s the Dixon low F, not as good.
Matt this is exactly what I want to see from Keith. I wasn’t being sarcastic but I am sceptical. Why keep recommending a brand in glowing terms and never tell us why it is better than its rivals and what features make it better?
Very few of us have played every or nearly every whistle out there. But informative recommendations are exactly like Matts. They tell the potential buyer just what the comparison is based on. Since Chieftains compete in the same niche as Overtons and perhaps Copelands, Howards and Reyburns, experience with these brands is particularly useful.
why thank you Womby!
Thanks for all the replies, guys. I’d have replied sooner, except our province just went through yet ANOTHER major power failure caused by bad weather. grumble
I’ve listened to a number of clips of different whistles, and I think I’ve narrowed it down a bit. I’m leaning towards trying a different key from D his time around.
I have some questions on specific whistles.
Albas - I like the sound of these whistles. For those who recommended the low C, how is it better than the low D? The recording of “Paddy’s Ghostly Rambles in the Park” on Clips & Snips sounds like there’s been some digital additions to the sound. How close is this recording to what the low C actually sounds like? (slow airs page, about 1/3 of the way down)
Burkes - I’ve heard in a number of places that the composite low Eb is an amazing whistle, but I can only find sound files of low Ds. Are these Ebs very different in sound from the Ds?
Overtons - In keys like F or Eb, is it difficult to hit the upper octave? I’ve heard that can be a problem in Ds.
Interesting . . .
Will O’Ban
Hey Wil, I was hoping you might chime in on this. The whistle I’ve got is an older Pro (Feb/00) and I was wondering is there might have been changes in the newer model (do you have the EZ or the Pro)? This whistle takes a lot of air in both upper and lower octaves, has medium or louder volume when played in a balanced way and the top of the upper octave gets louder and kind of “honky” (first harmonic gets loud in comparison to the fundamental).
I can say that the Dixon low D is easy to play with no piper’s grip needed
I have a Dixon low D and like it very much but piper’s grip is essential for me and my hands are not particularly small.
I would be interested in a low D which didn’t require piper’s grip. Does such a thing exist? after all the position of the holes cannot be messed with very much if the pipe is to stay in tune - yes?
Brian
Jubilee (http://www.bingamon.com) offers offset holes, small and medium hands models as well as keyed low holes. Some combination of the above should get you a low whistle that can be played with regular fingering. Just email Daniel at that site and discuss it. Reyburn (http://www.reyburnlowwhistles.com) also offers offset holes.
Jubilee (> www.bingamon.com> ) offers offset holes, small and medium hands models as well as keyed low holes.
That is a very interesting site with some weird whistles. I would like to hear opinion from anyone who has bought the low d. Not ready to shell out big money on a Reyburn yet.
http://jubileeinstruments.messianic-webhosting.com/pr-lowdrev.htm
Not ready to shell out big money on a Reyburn yet.
Must go practice my Ahava-Rabba scale now.
Brian
Well, I have that whistle you have linked to, the Jubilee Improved Low D PVC. It’s a hell of a whistle for the money and can be played using the regular whistle fingering (I still use piper’s grip with it since it’s more comfortable for me to hold the big tube). I would recommend it to anyone who wants to try a low D without investing a ton of money.
That being said, it’s still only a 24 buck whistle and you may be dissapointed in it since you already have the Dixon, a much more expensive (and by all accounts a very good) low D. If you really want to try a low whistle you can finger tip, email or pm [u]Daniel Bingamon[/u] to discuss your needs and go with one of his better models. They are not very expensive and you are more likely to get what you want.
I have a Jubilee AL 2004 S4 low D up for sale on this board. You can check out the pictures. I do have an extra tube I had Daniel make for me with offset fingering. It sounds very close to the Howard low D (brassP that I have. I also have a Dixon low D, which definitely has a different more mellow tone to it, and the fingering is just a tad easier. But the Dixon costs about twice as much . . . . Check it out, and PM if you are interested.
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=23788
matt