I picked up one of these at an Irish import shop over the weekend. I thought it might sound like a Perri or Scottie (both also have the aluminum body/Soodlums narrow bore headjoint), but it has a fair amount of chiff (i.e. hiss). I prefer a cleaner sound. Is this typical of this model or did I happen to get one with a bum headjoint?
Walton’s Little Black Whistles do have a bit of a rough edge to their tone.
I generally don’t play slow tunes with my Little Black, but those chiffy overtones sound great in faster tunes.
Like Generations, Little Black’s require a fair amount of breath control to really bring out their full potential.
A little Sticky-Tack under the airway does wonders to strenghten the tone, but the roughness remains even after filing the blade.
Also be advised that they are VERY fragile whistles… I swear you can bend one of them by looking at it the wrong way. 
[ This Message was edited by: raindog1970 on 2001-09-19 10:11 ]
I have a LBW at home because, long before I was retailing whistles, someone bought it for me as a gift. When one is given a gift, I always think that it’s the thought that counts more than the item itself!
Although we have over 15 different kinds of whistles in the shop, now, the LBW is NOT one of them. This may give you some insight into what I REALLY think about it as a playable whistle. I leave it to the tourist shops to stock them!
Take care
Steve
I agree with Steve, it really isn’t as good as some of the other inexpensive whistles such as the Clarkes, Generations, and Feadogs. The Little Black is the whistle I leave in my car glovebox for fingering practice in traffic jams, etc. and I do not play it regularly. If it melts in the summer, or if my car gets stolen, I won’t cry a river over losing the whistle. I picked it up for $5 CAD at a highland games festival. It does have one redeeming quality: it’s the only one I would risk leaving in my car!
…my $0.02