Hey all,
I’ve been whistling for about 2-3 years now. I’ve had a Dixon Trad, which is pretty good, however I’m looking for something a bit better, mainly because I want to start recording some tunes. What are some good, affordable options as a step up from this whistle? The high-end whistles on C&F main website go for 200+, and I was looking for something in between the Dixon Trad (30$) and 100$.
Any suggestions?
On a rare occasion you might find a pre owned Snidt whistle for $100.00.
John charges $130, including shipping, for a new one.
IMHO there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a Dixon Trad. It’s my main whistle and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
What do you think a more expensive whistle will give you that the Dixon doesn’t?
Volume maybe?
As I said I’m recording. My Dixon Trad isn’t in pitch with stuff like guitars, and the volume between the lower and upper octave is so dramatic that I have to compress the hell out of it in order to stabilize the volume, which isn’t the best for getting a good sound.
I’m not a pro or anything I’m just seeing my options.
A few free thoughts for you, BlackFire_ … 
o Not to belabor the old point, but a change of D whistles is best considered a move sideways, not up, regardless of price. Money buys you something different, not necessarily better, especially in the right hands.
o In my experience, the Dixon Trad is one of the best-tuned whistles, with excellent ET intonation, and easy to control. If you don’t find that so, then a different whistle won’t necessarily solve your tuning problem.
o A volume difference of 20+ dB or so between registers is normal for any D whistle, including the Dixon, Sindt, Burke, etc. They all record best with some compression and, of course, breath control. And they all record well in my casual experience. My Trad gives ~15 dB between the bell D and upper notes, less than some more expensive whistles.
Good luck in your quest!
The reviews for the Dixon Trad have been consistently positive, but not as loud as some would like. If your interested in trying a whistle known for being very loud, try a tunable Susato -S- series Kildare model at $43. People seem to either love them or hate them. BUT you will still have the volume differences in registers that MTGuru outlined above.
^WHS^
That’s what I would like to have said but couldn’t have put it so well. Thanks MT.
Thanks guys, you saved me some $$$$. I might buy a Susato in the future but I’d never get it in high D, because I think my ears would explode.
Mellow dog
Reminds me of an advert for some kind of gasoline where they buy a guy’s car, change the fuel in the tank and then sell him back the car at a profit. I’m sure we could arrange a similar service with whistles 
I’m really loving the Dixon Trad. With the Trad, my Freeman MellowDog and my Nickel Feadogs I have all the D whistles I’ll ever need.
In fact, I’m gonna order Dixon Trads in all the other keys available. Such a nice whistle to play.
Get a plain old wooden-fipple Clarke. Best whistle on the planet, don’t let the reasonable price scare you away. Be authentic, and play a REAL tin whistle!
Yes, there’s a place for the Clarke original, too. But it just doesn’t have the bite and clarity that many people prefer.
You’ve received some good advice here. Particularly from MTGuru and Ted. Whistles are not necessarily better depending on price. I own damn near every D whistle that I’m aware of including Burke and Copeland. I play my Freeman Mellow Dog and Freeman Nickel Generation D or Blackbird as much as any of the others. They’re not better nor worse, just different. If I want clean I pick up the Burke. If I want a universally playable whistle that does most things well, I pick up the Mellow Dog. The tweaked Generation is pretty hard to beat and I carry a Parks just for fun. Except for the Burke and Copeland all these are under $60, some of them are half that.
I own the Dixon Trad. I don’t play it much. Not because I don’t like it. It’s a nice whistle. I just like the others more for what I play. It’s a personal choice. And that’s what yours should be as well.
Don’t spend more money hoping you’ll get a “better” whistle. Spend more money because the whistle is the one you want.
Takes too much air for me. The windway-mash never works quite as well as I’d like on the Original, and for some slow airs with loooooooooooong notes an untweaked one takes more puff than I can fit inside me.
I love my Clarke, I have it in C though. It’s very different from all my other whistles, I call it my “owl” whistle when I play with my buds cause it doesn’t have the same bite when you hit a note.
I’ve been playing electric guitar for around 5-6 years now, and with that 90% of the time better = more expensive as long as you’re buying stuff to suit your tone. Sometimes I forget that whistles are different aha
I started with a Dixon Trad, and still play that a lot. If you want to step up to a louder whistle with a more mellow tone at a reasonable price, then I’d strongly suggest an Impempe whistle.
Here is a link to a review on C&F, which includes some clips (not from me!)
https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/the-impempe-whistle-review-recording-and-photos/40567/1
The Impempe is $60 plus shipping, and for just a little more money you an get a D/C set as a custom order (same mouthpiece with an extra tube) – which is what I got.
I think the Dixon Trad and the Impempe are definitely the best value whistles out there – though I haven’t nearly tried them all! I have around 8 whistles now, including some much more expensive than this, but I still mainly play the Dixon when I’m looking for a traditional, chiffy sound and the Impempe when I want something with more of a pure and resonant tone.
Hiya fellow tooters,
I’ve been lurking mainly & posting sparsly to this board over the years. I must say that I’m impressed by the comments made here. After nearly seven years of trying new “expensive” aka “high end” whistles, I still find myself reaching for my Freeman whistles and the Dixon trad. in particular. For all around play and particullary in sessions (the sound stands out and I hear it better making it easier to play) I’ll take the tweaked cheapies and the Dxon any day. My view is if you want to upgrade your whistle the only way to do it is to upgrade your whistle playing…IE practice more.
Chef P