I got my Dixon high D there a few days ago and it is fast becoming my favourite whistle for solo playing. However I did find that it was hard to keep in tune for some of the more precise things I play with my group.
For this reason, and this reason alone, I am leaning twoards the Susato for my first expedition into Low Whistles. (I’ve played a few before but don’t know which makes or anything…they weren’t mine).
Have any of you any views on the ole Susato Low D??? The two piece model???
Not a good choice, painful to play and sound only fair. Save up for a better low D (Chieftain, Kerry Pro, Overton…). The Kerry low D is reasonable price ($64) but as is has a little buzz (but a reasonable strentch for the fingers). I have one that I tweaked (cut off 1/4 inch of tubing on the mouthpiece side, shaved the blade, put on extra teflon tape to make a tighter fit for the mouthpiece) and got it sounding very good but tweaking like that is not for the faint of heart.
I just got a Tony Dixon Low G from Thom Larson at the Whistle Shop and think very highly of it. I thought the price was real fine and it is relatively easy to play–does not require the ‘piper’s’ type of fingering.
I also have a Susato Low D which does not rate as highly with me. Admittedly, any non-tapered Low D will be probably be harder to play, due to size, but I would consider giving the Dixon whistles a look see. You might consider calling Thom Larson at the Whistle Shop, which now has a toll free number. Thom has always been real up front with me and has recommended a number of good quality intermediate price range whistles.
Buy a susato Low-D for 65 and if you don’t like it you can probably get about 45-50 for it. Buy an Overton for 170 and if you don’t like it you can probably sell it of 155-160.
So to try the susato cost 10-15 or to try the Overton cost 10-15.
I own an Overton Low-D. It’s my favorite whistle. You can look around and check the various characteristics of Low-D in the reviews you can find throughout past posts.
Finding a whistle you can enjoy, may cost less than finding several that didn’t quite do it for you.
I started on the Susato low d and ended up getting the Dixon. The Dixon IMO has a more mellow “flute like” tone compared to the Susato. I have average sized hands and fingers, and getting a proper seal on the Susato was a problem for me. In particular, the e (2nd) hole on the Susato is oblong, rather than round and (to me) it is more difficult to get a good seal on.
The posts here are right about the Susato low D. The E hole is oblong, and the whistle has a low recorder-like sound. The plus is that it’s inexpensive. But, if you don’t like it, it won’t seem that cheap. You can get a Dixon one piece low D for $50, though, and they are getting good reviews.
I’ve got an Overton unable low d, Dixon low d and a Ralph Cook low d. I like them all for different reasons and quite frankly would recommend them all. Read Dale’s notes on these instruments (whistle reviews). He’s got good stuff to say on all three.
They don’t make the Ralph Cook low d anymore (a shame as most would agree it’s a fine whistle) but seein’it doesn’t make sense for me to have all three around, (not enough time) I may be willin’ to part with it if you offered me a fair price and promised to be real good to it.
Pardon the edit. I’d just like to add that these three whistles have holes that don’t require big or long fingers which make them a bit easier to play.
Cheers
[ This Message was edited by: Glengary on 2002-03-12 18:50 ]
As one of the most vehement Susato non-fans here, I always think twice before commenting on these. That said, don’t do it.
I have three low Ds, an Overton (stupendous); a Dixon (very nice) and a Susato Dublin, which have regretted from the first day I touched it. While it’s the same length as the other two, and I’ll grudgingly admit that it is in tune, it’s holes are huge and oddly spaced, IMHO unplayable unless you have very large hands. Until I bought the Overton, the Susato had me convinced I couldn’t play a low D. The problem wasn’t me.
I’ve tried a friend’s Susato low D. Strong low notes. Very hard to play above high G - you have to blow very hard so it gets really loud. Couldn’t get the 3rd octave D no matter how hard I blew, just got strangled squawks. Fingering stretch was ok (I have average (female) size hands and fingers). But the holes are big.
Didn’t think it was that bad, but for that sort of low/mid range price, you might as well try the Dixon or (slightly dearer)Hoover CPVC.
Right…I see the general concensus seems to be run away from the Susato. As much as I’d love to be able to afford an Overton. I got my hands on one yesterday, purely by fluke and, well, yup its the real instrument. However, I need a tunable whistle. That is one of my specifications. This puts the overton even farther out of my reach.
So, it’s looking like the Dixon wins here. Anyone use his new ones with the brass tuning slide???
A Hoover cpvc was mentioned briefly, but I’d like to add my endorsement to that. They are fine whistles with a pure tone and I think Mack can make it pretty much to your requirements. Hoovers are less well known than the other instruments mentioned but are certainly comparable in quality.
