I found a couple of older Feadog brass D whistles and C whistle that is marked “Viceroy” at a local antique store that had quite a number of interesting gadgets (not the usual dishes, doilies and vintage clothes). The owner, I found out, is the sister of someone I knew a long time ago, so it was a lovely semi-reunion of sorts.
They were actually in far better condition than I expected. The Feadogs have a bit of oxidation and I’m unable to remove the plastic fipples for more thorough cleaning. They sound quite sweet and even, and play really well up to the second octave and beyond. The only Feadogs I own are the Pro ones in nickel in D and C, but I kind of really like these brass ones. The Viceroy is a novelty to me. I can’t find too much info on these. It’s okay. The Feadogs play far better. But I’m really curious about the Viceroy. Can anyone tell me about this line and it’s history?
I also found some tapered bore ones that were silver metal with red plastic blocks, like the Clarke original ones. I didn’t pick those up, but I wonder if I should go back for them. I didn’t recognize them, and thought they might have been some cheapie ones that were not worth the effort. But I could be wrong. They seemed really small in size, though, smaller and narrower than a Clarke.
Nice find! I would definitely go back for the tin ones, especially if theres an Eb in the bunch or some other oddball key. The feadog with the chunkier head is a Mark I. I love mine, but my head was easy to get off. Try a twisting motion. I am pretty sure you can swap heads on your various feadogs. I really like the Mark I head on a nickel body.
The ‘Viceroy’ is I think an instrument made by Rose, Morris & Co. who made a wide range of inexpensive musical instruments - mainly banjos, originally.