So, my dad (on fiddle) and I (on whistle) have agreed to play a few tunes for St. Patties day at the bar where I work. He has a pickup on his fiddle, but doesnt have a lot of experience with micing a whistle. Any advice? We talked about going acoustic, but it’s a fairly large open room with paneling and it gets noisy. I play a sweetone, which of course is not the loudest whistle, but it’s my favorite.
I’ve probably tried or been forced to use every type of mic out there at some time for playing whistle live. We could talk about dynamic versus condenser, wired versus wireless in head worn, clip-on, strap on, over the ear, and other formats. But I think using a simple dynamic mic like a Shure SM58 (or similar) on a boom stand is your best bet. They are somewhat ubiquitous for vocal use anyway. Check out Youtube videos like this one for placement.
The Sweetone will work out fine. I’ve played Sweetones on stage and have seen a fair number of touring players use them as well.
Feadoggie
I rather doubt that we will not… (so difficult to avoid "I’m shure we will.) 
Still having a SM58 around is never a bad thing.
These work for me.
Thanks Feadoggie, that helps. My husband suggested a headset type arrangement (wired, I think) but i think that would be uncomfortable for me. Now, there is a real band playing later on that night, and they’ll have their gear set up so I can probably just use their stuff. I assume they use dynamic mics, because condenser mics in a noisy inside setting would just be silly, but going on that assumption: when you play whistle into a mic, do you want to get right up close, like when your singing, or stand back a little?
Denny- is that a microphone attachment so you can adjust it more easily? I does seem like you would want the mic coming sort of down from above a little, rather than pointing more up at you like when singing…
Also, I have a cold right now, so my breathing is a little screwy. How much do I have to worry about my breath being heard in the mic? I’ll have very little chance to test all of this theory out, so as much detail as I have to work with before sound check the better. Of course, I could have thought of this days ago, but that kind of forethought doesn’t run in my family.
Yeah, it depends on the headset. I wear glasses all the time these days and headset mics and spectacles do not usually get along well together.
I do have a few Audio-Technica head worn (headset) mics that I used a lot in the past - ATM73 and ATM75 models. Both are cardioid condenser mics. They do a better job of catching the full frequency range of a flute or low whistle than some of the micro headsets do, IMO. There’s also an A-T Pro-08 headset around here someplace which I’m not as fond of.
The advantages of the headworn mics are that you can move around on stage as you play instead of being tethered to the mic stand. And since the mic is on your head the general proximity of the pickup element stays close to the noise making part of the whistle (or flute as the case may be). It’s just as convenient for players of multiple whistles and flutes as the mic on a stand is. When you use mic that clips on the whistle or flute, like the ATM35, Pro35 or ATM350, you have to re-mount the mic every time you change keys or pick up another instrument.
The disadvantage of the headworn mic, besides comfort, is that it is always there and you have to be aware that you are always “on”. There’s no stepping back from it. You can’t “work” the mic. So it’s not always the best setup for a high whistle but works better for a low whistle, IMO.
Feadoggie
Get as close as you can on the low notes, stand back a bit on the second octave…
It is an alternative to a boom. It screws to the top of the stand (where the mike holder would go) and then the mike holder screws to the other end.
Mine is 18" and black.
I just used a pair of those to replace my kitchen sink faucet!
them good too! 