I agree with Jerry Freeman’s MellowDog. Just a great whistle.
I highly agree - I recently purchased a MellowDog from Jerry 
and gave my poorly self-tweaked Generation nickel “D” to one of my sons - The sound is marvelous, it is easy to play and it will only set you back a little over $40.
I am a beginner also, so take my recommendations with a grain of salt, but I think that most people will agree that you can’t go wrong with a “Freeman Tweaked”!
j3rry@tc3n3t.n3t to contact Jerry Freeman (replace the threes with e’s).
Being a newbie myself can some one explane the differance between a Clark Sweetone and the Meg? I’ll be darned but they look like the same thing to me! Just different prices.
They are the exact same design. The difference is in manufacturing:
Megs are made in China out of cheaper materials, and is therefore
a less expensive whistle. They seem to play the same, but somehow
my Megs feel … cheaper in my hands (I don’t know how else to
describe it).
I also vote for the Sweetone in D. I’ve been playing the same one for the past 6 years. Most of the plating is gone from the exterior and the inside is a little rusty, but it still sounds great. I’ve played it in church and in a couple of competitions.
You can get them from Elderly Instruments for about $4. I do have a Susato D whistle which I play sometimes. It has no chiff, and is a lot louder than the Sweetone. Its upper octave higher notes tend to be a little shrill.
When I play in public I usually choose the Sweetone.
Paulsdad
Hello again,
Thanks very much for all of your input and recommendations.
I decided to go with the ‘tweaked by Jerry Freeman’ Generation whistle.
I’ll let you know how it goes!
~m
Bingo. Save yerself some time and buy a flute immediately. 
Hey Greg,
Sorry, he didn’t say. But I would imagie that the key would be soft and sweet, like ‘The Rose’ for example.
If you’re thinking “between $10 and $150,” then get yourself about 3-4. My absolutely favorite inexpensive D whistle is the Clare – I’ve never had one that didn’t play well out of the box, with just the sticky-tack tweak. As with Congrats, I’ve never met a Sweetone I’ve liked, but that’s just me, get one of those, too. Oaks are a little more difficult to play, but are very different from either of the above. Ditto classic Clarkes. Get one of those or a Susato or a Generation. Or if you’re open to new keys, get a C Walton’s. Absolutely the best cheap whistle there is.
Total for 3-4 of the above is $30-50 from the Whistle Shop.
Although I’ve seen some controversy them both elsewhere on the board, I have been very happy with my Walton LBW D and Susato C whistles. I have Clarke C and D whistles, as well as a Generation D (I’ve been trolling the bargain basement!). I wasn’t DISpleased with any of them, but I really like the tone on the Walton and the Susato. I find I don’t play airs on anything but the latter, and hardly ever play them on the former.
I would like to second the recommendation above for Bill Och’s instructional book and recording.