I’m looking for a good sounding cheap D whistle for sessions/ Soodlums, sweetones, Susato?
What’s the best value in this range?
Regards, Ben Shaffer
The consensus seems to be either the Dixon Trad or a tweaked Gen or similar, most commonly one from Jerry Freeman. Susatos are louder and have their own following, but do not have the traditional sound of a metal-bodied whistle.
the tweeked fedogs rock, but i dont think you can beet the dixon trad without spending more then your lunch on it.
IMO, the best Inexpensive whistles are Jerry Freeman’s Tweaked Whistles. I have a few Blackbirds and a few Mellow Dogs. Both are excellent.
If you want volume for session playing, Jerry Freeman’s Mellow Dog is louder than his Blackbird (tho’ I happen to prefer the Blackbird… I love those sweet high notes). Susatos are also quite loud. OTOH, the Dixon Trad is on the quieter side.
I am also quite fond of my Cillian O’Briain tweaked (Feadog?) whistle.
I’ll second that. I’ve played a few of Jerry’s tweaked Generations and, while very sweet and easy to play, I thought the O’Briain tweaked Feadogs had more bark and character to them. Mine has a very focused quality but can still be pushed a bit. I ended up selling my tweaked Gen a few years ago because I didn’t think it was as nice the Feadog but my cousin has one that I like a lot and I’d buy another if I thought it would turn out like his.
I haven’t tried the Blackbird yet but I’ll admit it has me curious.
I submit a strong vote for a Walton’s Mellow D. Of the many, many cheapies I’ve played in the Generation, Oak, Feadog, Clare, etc production line whistles, the Walton’s has been the most consistent with a strong, round trad tone, accurate intonation, and excellent volume for sessions…louder than the Dixon Trad with a fuller tone and nice upper register. Easy player. You can improve the playability even further by filling the fipple cavity with sticky-tack.
My vote goes to the Dixon Trad.
Of the very cheap:
Feadog D - a good general whistle with a nice sound
Clarke Meg D - a different type of sound, quieter but easy to blow.
Clare D - I think the easiest of all the whistles to blow.
If you want to spend more then the Dixon Trad has very good intonation and sound.
I was in a shop today that had many different types of whistle including the Shaw ones.
If you want cheap, try the Feadog and apply the blue sticky tack tweak yourself.
I don’t know if it’s my imagination, but I seem to get a better sound by digging a blade into the labium (the blade that cuts the air). I don’t exactly notch it, just cut into it in four or five places…about half a mm deep. Seems to remove the slight raspiness.
The raspiness of Feadogs is a mystery. Every other whistlehead configured within a few thousandths of an inch of the same geometry as a Feadog has a sweeter, more Generation-like voicing. Any change at all to a Feadog soundblade edge tends to reduce the raspiness and make it sound more like a Generation.
Best wishes,
Jerry
I’m partial to Oaks as an off the shelf cheapie. Give them five minutes to warm up and they’re sweet.
Another vote for the Waltons Mellow D. Great sound with lots of volume. Second octave needs loads of air to get higher than G though.
My simple tweak is to saw through the soundhole with a hacksaw and glue back together with humbrol liquid poly. This reduces the length of the soundhole and makes the second octave much easier. These whistles are so cheap you can buy 3 and experiment.
Tweak at your own risk!
I retrieved my Mellow D from a child’s toy box. More than a few bite marks and scratches and I had to use a little piece of a guitar pick to rebuild the blade.
Sounds great!
Acorn & Oak are my favorites. Generally speaking, as far as cheepos go, I like the straight metal whistles with injection molded mouth pcs. They are generally solid enough (tone/timber/key wise) and can be tweaked, although every now and then you get one that does not need any tweaking. They are usually less the $15USD.