After all of the stuff that I’ve gotten involved in over the years you’d think that I would’ve learned that nothing is ever as simple as it sounds. As a former (very former) trumpet player, this whistle thing ought to be a snap. HaHaHaHaHa!!! Hold on a second. HaaaaHaaaHaaaa. Okay. Enough of that. My daughter gives me this Feadog thing and my troubles begin. Why can’t they make just one kind of whistle and let everyone ride off into the sunset. Because life just ain’t that easy, that’s why. By the way, I sure hope this Feadog thing came from a bad batch because it sure don’t sound like some of stuff I’ve been listening that got me into this mess to begin with.
I just don’t have the funds to order these different instruments and give them a go either. I just made one of those pvc whistles and it actually came out pretty nice, for the most part. I’ve discovered what the word “breathy” means so at least something of value has come from my time. I have a background in machining so I am in the process of experimentation. We’ll see what happens but I’d like to thank all of you guys (and gals) for all of the knowledge found within this community. I appreciate you all.
p.s. This is my first real post so Hello to everyone.
Hello. I’ve have a Feadóg and I don’t really like it, either. Clarke Originals are good and so are the Sweetones. I prefer the Orginals, but they do take more air.
What problems are you having with the Feadog? It might just need a few tweaks. See if this link helps: http://www.chiffandfipple.com/tweak.html
Good luck, Cyril.
The Feadóg Pro I have is just too harsh and super scratchy, especially in the second octave. Much more than I like. I think the F on up sounds horrible. I’ve thought about tweaking it, but even after reading the different threads, I still don’t know what will help. I really like my Soodlum, so I’m just guessing that the Feadógs aren’t for me.
My Feadog Pro was harsh and scratchy. I noticed that the tone holes were poorly finished; rough and rather sharp to the touch.
I got some 400 grit sand paper and chamfered each hole so that they were smooth and evenly finished. This tweak along with the sticky tac to fill the void under the wind way eliminated the problem. Cheers, Cyril.
I have a feadog, which I like because it is a little heavier than the Generation I was playing. I took the original fipple off the feadog, though, and replaced it with one from a Walton’s Guinnness whistle. Some feadog’s have fipple problems (I know there is a joke in there somewhere…). So, I guess that would make it a Fealton’s, or a Waldog.
Everything that he said. The pvc whistle I made was a huge step up which tells me a lot. The Feadog I have is, I’ll try to use some different words, shrill and teeth chattering, especially on the second octave. (Sorry Feadog fans, I love ya all) I promise I’ll give it another try as soon as I advance past the kindergarten stage. I have some Delrin on order and I’m going to try and put some improvements on the pvc design, especially in the windway.
I also purchased a Feadog High D, enjoyed the challenge, then made the mistake of listening to the Low D. I may be the only idiot here, but I couldn’t figure out why my High D sounded tinny/weak/cheap (to my ears) whereas all these other pipes sounded phenomenal. Different key (yes, I know I’m an idiot).
Then I went the route of “I want an Overton” and then checked my wallet. And PVC it was!
After about 10 whistles, maybe 50 fipples (I HATE FIPPLES) two gaping jigsaw wounds, and enough swear words to fill the lifetime quota of 15 sailors I got a decent sounding whistle… hated it. Was proud I had made my own, but I just wasn’t happy. However, I purchased on on e-bay recently (I’m not trying to promote anything, so I won’t mention the seller/auction) and found an Indian (As in Indian, not Native American) made one by Mid-East for like $50.
They may need a little tweaking, which you can do if you have a history in machining… I couldn’t machine myself out of a paper bag, however, so I do zero tweaking.
Is it perfect? No. Did it help me improve 100 fold? YES. I see it as a learning instrument before I go out and drop $200+ on a Overton.
This may not be what you are looking for, in which case, sorry to waste your time… but if you are looking for a cost efficient pipe that is a good learning instrument, this may be it.
It sure is great to have others pave the road ahead and warn you of impending doom disguised as fipples that lay in wait. Thanks Biggie. Funny thing is, even though I know I’ll probably be zapped a few times like a bug in one of those blue light zapper things, I just can’t help myself. My machining background is going to be my downfall and I hope and pray that all of you will be there to catch me when I fall. I probably ought to go ahead and drop $400 or so on an Abell and save myself a thousand or more in time, dollars and effort. But hey, if it were easy everybody would be doing it the hard way, right. Just like you Biggie, I’ve already improved a hundred fold for building the pvc whistle. Someone once asked Thomas Edison about his failures at trying to invent the light bulb. His response was that he now knew a thousand ways not to make a bulb. My hero.
