Hi there, I’ve only been playing for 3 months but really enjoying the whistle. I am playing a Dixon high D and do like it, paid about €25 for it. I now want to upgrade as I’ve decided the whistle is for me, and looking for a really nice whistle. I’m conscious that I’m only playing 3 months, so don’t want a difficult whistle to play, something that’s easy but also a step up from my current whistle. Budget is not really an issue as I want to invest in a nice instrument.
Hi there!
Glad you are enjoying playing the whistle! Just one question, are you playing a Dixon polymer, or a Dixon trad (metal)? If playing the latter, you might enjoy upgrading to a Reyburn whistle in D. Though they are considered high-end, Ronaldo gives the option of buying two whistle bodies with one whistle head which helps avoid the need two buy two whistles. I believe they run around $200 USD. If you would like to research on your own a bit, go to www.tinwhistler.com and click on whistle reviews. Gregg Mahan reviews many whistles at a variety of prices and materials. He also frequently posts on C&F. Might help you in your search 
Cheers!
A Dixon trad, thanks a million will take a look
Well Wicklow Whistler, if you a in Wicklow, and you want to buy from makers in Ireland there is Killarney Whistles. Higher end in wood there is McManus whistles in Belfast.
No doubt you will get a lot of other recommendations 
Davud
Thanks davud, yes I’m thinking about the Killarney whistle.
I just wanted chime in with my own 2 cents-
The Dixon D Trad is a nice whistle- most beginners start out on cheaper level whistles that sometimes have trouble playing in tune. The Dixon is much more reliable and pleasing.
As I’ve always found with other instruments I’ve pursued, if I start out on a fairly good playable instrument, then I can progress for quite a while before needing to ‘upgrade’. Sometimes I never need to if my starter instrument is nicely playable with a good tone. But one thing about this is that once you’ve played and improved for about a year or so, you usually have a much better idea of your particular needs, which then enables you to make a better informed personal choice on a more expensive upgrade. That could save you some expensive trial and error, based on your personal playing style and tastes.
Also, a more expensive whistle may not feel or sound great to YOU- it’s somewhat relative to personal taste. Being able to try out an expensive whistle in person is a big plus- look for some way you can do that.
Sounds like you’re going to start collecting good quality whistles anyway- you’ve clearly got the fever. 
But know that your Dixon is a sweet and well thought out whistle too, it plays nicely in tune and has a lovely tone, and it can sound really terrific in the hands of a skilled player. IMHO.
most beginners start out on cheaper level whistles that sometimes have trouble playing in tune.
But is it the whistle or the unskilled driver that is playing out of tune? Skills need to be learned first, regardless of the choice of instrument.
Depending on the type of music you want to play ofcourse but a Killarney @ €70-ish or A Cillian O’Briain ‘improved’ @ €30 will be reliable choices that will never need an ‘upgrade’. A Timothy Potter whistle may be one to look at, from his website ( here ) or through ebay (postage cost may be a problem), they handle effortlessly well: are easy to play, very well balanced.
Yes, but it is certainly far easier to aquire those skills on a more reliable instrument. To me, a Dixon Trad would be perfect for a beginner.
I’ve used that excuse many times to buy nicer instruments. Trouble is, I still play badly. But at least I know who to blame. 
One of us needs to start a thread on the “best excuses to buy high-end whistles”!
They are cheaper than pipes.
David
Very true. I still need a lot of practice, and a high-end whistle isn’t going to make me sound any better. Much like an inexperienced driver would not become better in a Corvette Z06, and an inexperienced marksman will not shoot more accurately if firing a competition-grade rifle.
You’re right. My point was more along the lines of: “an inexperienced driver might be safer in a car that’s easier to control, aka, one that has good brakes.” Similarly, I think a progressing whistler might get better if he has a reliable whistle to learn on like a trad rather than an out-of-tune, sqeaky, terrible, bad cheap whistle. I’m sorry if my comment offended anyone, as I certainly wasn’t aiming to 
Dixon whistles are not very expensive, but are well crafted and usually play nicely and in tune. So, if a beginner is playing one of these and sounds awful, well at least they’ll know it’s probably not the whistle’s fault… a handy thing to know if you are just starting out.
I took no offense, so you’re okay.
It’s tempting to want a “better” whistle, but you need to figure out what you are really looking for.
Do you know where you are with respect to these two decisions?:
- Session whistle with more volume vs smaller bore with sweeter second octave
- Woody, Recorder-like sound quality vs metallic/crisp, chiffy sound quality
For my taste:
- I prefer a sweet second octave with light breath, and I’m willing to give up volume.
- I also prefer a crisp sound with a bit of chiff
That leads me to vastly prefer the Killarney.
But, your taste may differ.
I really don’t want to start one of the old fashioned ‘this whistle is reliable and the awful cheap ones are not’ barney. However, in my experience very few whistles makes are particularly consistent, you want to pick the right one, regardless of price and type. I don’t have a lot of experience with Dixons. I had a Trad that I didn’t like, it played but I didn’t like the way it handled and the tone was at best in different. I remember going into Custy’s many years ago and trying all Dixons they had at the time, each and every one I tried (perhaps a dozen) had a raspy unpleasant octave. I never bothered with them again.
Nearly all whistles have a ‘sweet spot’, it’s the spot where you position the head, tuning slide or whatever means they have of tuning. Once you position your whistlehead in that sweet spot, I don’t see why your average Generation or Feadóg should be more out of tune than any other whistle, except for driver error.
I made the point before and I will make it again: I do most of my playing, and arguably my best, on those horrible cheap whistles, I love how they handle, their responsiveness and their sweetness, I also play Sindts, Killarneys and in between the Cillian O’Briain is favourite with the Potter handy for sweetness. But it’s the old cheap ones I always go back to.
Mr Gumby, I’m interested as well to buy a D high whistle.
As far as I’m concerned, I have considered a Jerry Freeman’s Mellow Dog D/C set or a Blackbird (I’ve often read there was good value for money), but now, I will think about an O’Briain or a Potter as well.
Don’t take my word for it. Consider what it is exactly that you want from a whistle, what type of music you want to play and perhaps what sort of style. The whistles I mentioned suit me, but you know, different strokes and all that.
The Potter I have is not a loud whistle, by some peoples’ standards, and I wouldn’t want it that way. It handles very easily and responsively, is very well balanced but sometimes I think it is perhaps like some ‘tweaked’ whistles I have seen that were tweaked within an inch of their life. I like playing it but after a while I sometimes feel it was maybe designed to be played in a church or something like that, it’s very prim and proper, very well behaved and civilised. That’s fine on some days but on other days I want perhaps a bit more edge. But it’s well designed and well made at a reasonable enough price although postage cost outside the US can be prohibitive.
The O’Briain has a more lively, fuller tone with a bit more edge to it. But these things are fairly subjective and you really have to pick them to please yourself. But these fit in nicely with the overall, Generation, Feadóg, Oak, Sindt, Killarney et al style of whistle (I’ll avoid the ‘T’ word) , if that’s your thing, each a little different but broadly fitting the same aesthetic and style.
I think the Dixon is already pretty “high-end” in itself. A Clarke “Sweetone” is much cheaper (just bought one today for 6,90 €). I also bought the (in)famous “Thomann” 5-€-Susato-knock-off and it’s pretty awesome for the price but the highest notes can be a bit tricky. I have a few “cheap” whistles (pennywhistles were invented to be cheap, so IMO nothing wrong with a cheap whistle) – Feadog, a few Clarkes and Generations. They’re all good but have their own character and in the end it boils down to personal preference. I have to say however that some of the really “high-end” whistles sound sometimes too “clean”, too much like a recorder (especially some high-end wood whistles I heard on youtube). IMO a tinwhistle needs a certain “chiffiness” and a slightly “breathy” sound. I don’t think there is any need to upgrade. But some people (like me) simply have the “collector’s gene” and will always be on the look-out for something “better” or simply different from the whistles they already have.
One of the biggest differences between different models (and this has nothing to do with the price) for me is the playability of certain fingerings. On the Thomann-Susato-knock-off I can play a perfect G# like this XXOXXX and it’s the only one of my whistles that can do this – the Generation C almost can do it, too. That has however nothing to do with price or quality and you’d have to try a whistle in order to find out about these fingerings. To me they make some songs much easier to play. Another note is the C (on a whistle in D) which on some whistles can be played like this OXXOOO. And some whistles can reach a few notes above the second octave with cross-fingerings. To me personally that is an important aspect since I like to play many songs that are not typically played on a thinwhistle.
Just some thoughts – I’ll stop now before getting too OT 
.