Hey guys,
I ordered a C/D Mellow Dog Freeman set off Ebay but not sure if or when I’ll ever see it. That said, if it comes to the point of things getting canceled is there a good alternative in the same price range/quality for a similar set (or individual whistles)?
I’m just starting out here, so not looking for a $100+ instrument… at least not yet or until I actually learn to play and get better 
I really like the “Oak” whistles or the Feádog “Pro”. Another really nice affordable whistle is the Parks “Ghost” whistle. The Waltons “mellow” D is also great (my experience with the standard model was not as good however).
at a slight price increase (around $30 USD last I checked), the Dixon DX-Trad is a nice and easy place little whistle.
Thanks for the feedback!
Are these the whistles you’re referring to?
Oak:
https://www.amazon.com/Music-Sales-14023877-Oak-Pennywhistle/dp/0825603285
Waltons Mellow D:
https://www.amazon.com/Waltons-Brass-Mellow-Whistle-Intermediates/dp/B000VPFOFK/
Feádog Pro:
https://www.amazon.com/Feadog-Pro-Tin-Whistle-Black/dp/B01CDP4DFC
Parks Ghost:
http://www.parkswhistles.com/item/whistle-ghost-d
Is that this one? https://www.amazon.com/Dixon-Trad-D-Whistle-Nickel/dp/B001KZTSB6/
Yes, all those links are correct 
.
Thanks! I’m listening to all of them on Youtube hahaha. Do you prefer certain ones over others? Or if you were to rank all of these in order of ‘preference’ to sound/playability/etc, how would you rank them?
EDIT: a cursory listen to all of these across the board I would put the Dixon, Park Ghost and “Oak” pennywhistles (is it really Music Sales of America that sells these?) towards the top of the group in terms of both having fuller and richer tones. The in order of preference the Feadog and the Waltons. The Park Ghost definitely has the cool factor in its look though.
The Clarke Sweetone is a good one for beginners. It’s consistent, sounds quite good and is amongst the cheapest available.
Right now at the price point, I’m leaning towards the Oak whistle (assuming the Music Sales of America is in fact the ‘correct’ one). Looks like they have both C and D (although on Amazon someone who ordered the C model said he received the D… so not sure if there’s an inventory mix-up there). I’m tempted just to order both those “Oak” models to have the set. But it’s also tempting to grab a different brand in another key for the sake of having different branded whistles lol.
The “Ghost” takes the cake in my book. The Dixon might be better for a beginner in comparison to the Feádog and Oak because it has a slightly larger windway and is therefore a bit more forgiving but also a bit louder. The mellow D from Waltons is also slightly more forgiving in terms of breath control because of the wider bore.
The Ghost is really cool but it’s non-tuneable which seems like a bit of a drawback (maybe I’m biased since I played Clarinet years ago so am used to having to tune). Also, it says it ships within 60 days - does it really take that long? Or are these built-to-order?
The Ghost and Dixon are nice but IMHO the kind of whistles I’d want to ‘step up’ to after starting with an ‘intro’ type instrument (aka gateway drug hahaha). Then again, I went all-in on that Freeman set (but I was paying for the ‘convenience’ of getting a set too).
LOL funny how things work out - right after posting this up, I checked and it looks like the Freeman set is finally shipping out. Guess I’ll be holding out on more whistles until I try the Freemans out hahaha. The Oaks are on my radar though, as are the Ghost and Dixon.
The whistles suggested are all OK. Here’s another decent whistle that won’t break the bank.
whistle in hand is worth more than the check in the mail types. Believe it when you recieve it. Just saying.
Since you mention a “Freeman” version of the Mellow D, you’re likely considering more than $20 as acceptable, so that opens up many options. Be patient, you’re about to receive a very good whistle.
So from there it depends on what kind of tone and playing characteristics you prefer. In that roughly $20 to $85 price range, WOW, you could go for any of these options: Killarney, Tony Dixon DX001, DX004, DX006 (aluminum), DX005 or TradBrass, Goldfinch, a used Chieftain Thunderbird (Kerry isn’t producing high D whistles at the moment), the Walton Little Black D or Guinness model, Hermit Hill, Feadog Pro, Setanta (if you can find them sold as a single whistle), Oak, Parks, Tilbury, Timothy Potter, for starters.
Thanks! I’ll look into his whistles too - seems like a pretty good value.
I have a feeling this is going to become a new addiction/hobby for me. Without even knowing what a penny/tin whistle was, I had heard them before played on various songs and always thought there was something special about them. I used to play the clarinet in middle school and still have it (need to replace the pads) but barely ever play. I love the tone of these whistles though.
yup. Also here: https://www.tonydixonmusic.co.uk/product/soprano-whistle-the-trad-nickel-key-of-d/
And at the risk of self promotion, I’ve reviewed a lot of whistles here: http://tinwhistler.com/Reviews
There are a few other folks who’ve reviewed a large number of whistles–but I don’t have any links handy, unfortunately.