Hey all, curious to hear people’s opinions on Shush Whistle. I recently moved to a smaller flat with thinner walls and quite conscious of playing my dixon trad which gets LOUD in the second octave.
It’s been a bit hard to understand from reviews how much quieter it really is, cuz if it’s “not by much” I’d rather not bother with it. Would appreciate any experience sharing, thanks!
It’s quieter through most of the range, but the top notes of the second octave are still loud enough you’ll need hearing protection.
It’ll be very much quieter than the Dixon (I have the DX005 all plastic) and much kinder to neighbours. The Pro is noticeably louder than the standard but clearer. I have all the sizes and particularly like the C and Bb in their own right. The Ds I use for practise with stuff on the computer.
Agree it is quieter than all my other whistles (the exception could be the Clarke Original but I am not keen on playing that as my practice whistle). I wasn’t aware the Pro was louder than the standard though so that is interesting to know. I have the High D Pro but I have not tried the standard one. The Pro is very good though still too noisy for the family when they need to study. I need a garden shed:)
Yeah now I’m wondering about the non-pro one
Thanks all! Useful to know about Dixon DX005 comparison - that’s the one I bought recently specifically because I read it should be quieter. Honestly haven’t found it to be the case, it’s on par with my trad. Good to know Shush is quieter.
Have you got a cheap plastic-headed whistle that you don’t mind replacing if necessary? If so, try putting a paperclip in the window and see how that affects the volume. I find it reduced it more than the Shush, though it also makes the whistle play flat and might damage the blade.
If neither of those things are a deal breaker, it could be a solution. The fact that the paperclip falls out when you tip the whistle is annoying, but you soon learn to reduce the number of times you have to retrieve it!
Also, I wouldn’t recommend it on anything with a metal blade. The paperclip will probably rust and the force of the air might even blunt the edge.
There’s another tweak that often works to make the whistle quieter. Moving the blade lower in relation to the windway often helps. The easiest way to do this is to cut a small square of metal from a drink can to the size of the blade, then stick it underneath the blade with a small bit of blu-tack. A bit of experimentation will get it in the right place, and you may find it gives you a quieter whistle. And if it doesn’t work, it’s easy to remove! The biggest advantage is that it doesn’t flatten the whistle much, unlike other tweaks.
I haven’t tried a Shush.
I have a Sweetone. I put a pinch of bluetack (poster putty) on the blade and it makes it quieter. The more putty the quieter. It also makes it take less air and makes the two octaves pretty close together. High G is about 60db compared to about 75db without, which is a pretty dramatic difference. It still plays in tune.
Keep doing what you have now! You don’t need a Shush!
I like them. I have the original, not the pro. They are restful to my ears when I want to play and still blow fully. You can attempt to mimic this with some painter’s tape outside over the blade.