(I don’t check in consistently, so pls excuse me if this has been done before…)
Take the head of a Freeman Blackbird C whistle,
put it on the D body of a Freeman Mellow Dog – which I believe is a Walton’s Mellow D wide-bore tube –
and you get…
The Mellow Bird-Dog!
I just tried this combo a few minutes ago, so this is very hasty, but – dang, that sounds excellent, to my ear. It has much of the sweetness of the Blackbird D, but, not as quiet as the Blackbird D.
So, would this be a Franken-whistle, or a Franken-Franken-whistle?
Mellow Dogs have changed somewhat over time, so perhaps that’s why you can notice a difference.
You see …
I’m not sure how to say this …
Sigh.
OK, here goes.
A key of C Blackbird whistlehead is the same as a Mellow Dog whistlehead except the Mellow Dog whistlehead is green and the key of C Blackbird whistlehead is black.
Does it sound more black with the Blackbird whistlehead and more green with the Mellow Dog whistlehead? Perhaps that’s what you’re hearing.
But seriously, if there’s a difference, it’s most likely because of changes that have been made over time in the tweaking schemes. The most recent Mellow Dog whistleheads do sound more Blackbird-like than earlier ones precisely because I was able to go back to the Mellow Dog design and incorporate some of the insights gained from developing the Blackbird.
The only way I can describe the difference is to say, with the black whistle head, it sounds cleaner. But, yeah, on visual inspection, they do look the same, except for very tiny differences in what looks like glue, in the tweaked areas.
I wonder if the mere act of pulling apart the Mellow Dog might have shaken some tiny bit of crud loose, thus affecting the sound? (can’t test it at the moment, as family is asleep…)
I would have to look at the whistlehead to tell. The difference is subtle and not easy to spot visually, but the difference in the sound and playing are exactly as you’ve described. The most recent incarnation of the Mellow Dog sounds cleaner and purer, especially in the upper register.
The Mellow Dog and Blackbird don’t exist as untweaked whistles.
The whistle I start with to make a Mellow Dog or Blackbird is nothing like the finished whistle. If you were to buy one, it wouldn’t be an “untweaked Mellow Dog” or “untweaked Blackbird.” It would be a Feadog. I don’t refer to Mellow Dogs and Blackbirds as “reconfigured Feadogs” or some such thing because that would confuse people. There’s no similarity between a Mellow Dog or Blackbird and any Feadog.
I have a much older Mellow Dog which has been an excellent companion, so I am intrigued by the improvements you have made.
Since the new Mellow Dog has become more like the Blackbird, would it be fair to say that they now correspond to a wide and narrow version of the same D whistle?
That would be an oversimplification. Each has a distinct, individual voice and personality such that they can’t be considered different versions of “the same whistle” in any respect. They are in the same family of whistles, but they are two very different individuals.
The Mellow Dog is somewhat louder. It’s warmer and a little more complex in voicing. It has a bigger, more open sound. The Blackbird is brighter, more birdlike, purer in voicing.
I personally prefer the Mellow Dog. However, among established players, the Blackbird is the more popular whistle. Nonetheless there are some established players who are dedicated Mellow Dog enthusiasts. Among less experienced players, the Mellow Dog is the clear favorite, particularly because it will accommodate a less subtle breath control. However, again there are players who have started from scratch with Blackbirds and found they could handle the more subtle breath requirements just fine.