I just got another replacement from Music Sales Corp. That they say is supposed to be fine. I have played it for five minutes and there is no numbing, no bad taste. I shall play it throughout the day and let you know if that changes.
I think the key to getting a good one is to order from them or to ask your local shop when they got their shipment. I don’t know the exact cutoff but I bet that anything after January is fine.
Now I gotta tweak it.
That’s good to hear. If I ever get an Oak whistle, I can have new confidence. I was always pretty susceptible to poison oak and poison ivy. I don’t recall ever getting a poison sumac rash, however. Seems like poison ivy and poison oak are more common.
Please keep us posted! I have 2 bad ones and wouldn’t mind getting one I could actually play!
Tery
I’ve played it for a whole day and no nastiness. If you want an Oak, now’s the time to buy.
Fresh ones can be had from Music Sales Corp. in the U.S. 845-469-2271. Or online at musicsales.com. A very nice person named Jennifer has been working with me all these months.
is vindicated
I TOLDS YOU THERE WERE GOOD OAKS! I TOLDS YOU!!!
Our family got over poison oak when our chickens ate all the plants right down to the ground and we ate the eggs. Nobody gets it after that.
whoops…the whistle. Hey, I can buy one of those as a local store is carrying them. Worth it?
I have an Oak that I’ve had for I guess close to a year now.
I got lucky–no tingling, no numbness, just a great whistle.
I love the Oak–it has a fantastic sound and is a great player. It does require good breath control though, so it may not be the best whistle for a brand new player.
I think the Oak is far and away the best of the inexpensive whistles.
Best,
–James
I like the Oak. It has a nice whistle sound (I sometimes call it “hooty” at the low end). I find that they need tweaking thought. Clear the windway and do the sticky tack thing.
As for whether it’s safe to buy in the store, I’d say that unless the dealer got a fresh shipment, they are likely the older ones which were often bad.
I’ve had an Oak D and an Oak C for over 2 years, and never encountered any of the problems mentioned by others on this board. Am I just lucky?
And the Oak is definitely one great whistle!!!
~Larry