I truly love my Tony Dixon low D, but unfortunately I have some problems with it… Even though it’s tunable, it’s still way too low, so it’s in completely different tune with my two (untunable) soprano tin whistles, Clarke original and Meg. I’m playing in a band, and my band mates just can’t tune all their instruments every time when I decide to change a whistle.
Does anyone else here have the same problem? And what would you suggest for the solution?
I think I have two options now:
to get a tunable soprano tin whistle OR
to get a new low whistle
I should get a tunable soprano whistle anyway, but… I’m afraid that the tuning of my Dixon is really weird. Would I ever be able to play with it in sessions? What should I do?
Recommendations for tunable soprano whistles are also very welcome. (I don’t like Susatos very much, they feel so plastic and even toy-like)
Maybe it is the High Whistles that are out of tune, I have heard of Clarkes being too sharp (high). The Meg is in theory tunable, but you have to do this to make it tunable.
If you like the Low D so much, why not get a Dixon tunable high D? That would solve your problem.
You may also want to purchase a tuner.
The Dixon Low Ds that I have tried would have been too quiet to hold up in most sessions. So, you could play it in a session, but no one would hear it to know it is out of tune.
Is the tunable Dixon high D also very quiet? If it’s in the same tune with the low D, I assume it will have the same problem: too low. My friend has a tunable Tony Dixon PVC flute, and it is even lower than my low whistle.
My whistles are probably little high, but not too much. They can be played with other instruments without any problems.
If the low D is supposed to be tunable and you can’t tune it to proper pitch I thinkyou should could contact Tony and find out what gives. Do check it with a tuner. Maybe you got a stinker and he’ll exhange your’s for a new one. You paid for tunability and he’d want you to be a satisfied customer.
Pat
I’m glad to find people on the topic of Dixon whistles as I am considering purchasing one. A tunable brass soprano D that to be specific. I’ve been playing low end wistles for some time now and think Dixon is a good option because its sort of in between the two sides of the spectrum. Are they decent whistles, or should I look somewhere else?
I love my Dixons, they have a pure, sweet tone that can really sing. Their only draw back is that they aren’t very loud and don’t really stand up in a large session (mine can have anywhere from 4 to 12 people), but they work great playing solo or in a smaller session. Plus not being too loud means I don’t annoy the neighboors too much when I play outside.
I second that. I have a PVC Low D and an aluminium high D, and I love both of them. Nice tone, fairly easy air requirement, and quite nicely in tune. (Whistle Fairy, I played in a band situation with the same whistle combination you described, and I had the same problem. The high whistles turned out to be the problem. I got my aluminium Dixon and I haven’t had a problem since.) The one draw back is the volume of the low whistle, especially in the first octave. (I’ve heard that the aluminium version is a tad louder, but I haven’t played one.) Of course the flip side is that I can practice at 1:30 in the morning without disturbing anyone. I will probably end up buying something louder for session and gig playing. Best of luck on finding a whistle.
Well, I haven’t played the brass model, but I have heard that it is a lot heavier. I can tell you that the aluminium model is quite light. Not as light as, say, a Feadog, Oak, Clarke, or something in that category, but still quite light. I know that brass also tarnishes more easily. I have had my aluminium model for about six months, and I haven’t had any problems with tarnishing. Hope this helps.
I have the aluminium model, myself, and really like it. Not only because it’s light, but also because of the visual aspect of it. I love the beautiful brushed aluminium of it; gives it a great sheen without being chrome-y. Plus the brushed texture makes it easier to grip when your hands get sweaty and oily.
(I don’t like Susatos very much, they feel so plastic and even toy-like)