Chiff and Fipple Forums

Jerry Freeman wrote:... a C Blackbird and a C Mellow Dog are the same whistle except the Blackbird has a nickel-plated tonebody and the Mellow Dog has a brass one).

Was that really what you meant or should there be a D somewhere?

Jerry Freeman wrote:If they've played recorder, I hand them a Blackbird. ...

You might refine the question by asking which recorder: I was rather surprised that a friend of mine, who plays the whole quartet with an emphasis on the bigger ones (alto to bass) was not able to get a nice sound out of my whistles (untweaked Féadog to Killarney) - the only one that came close to working for her was a Clarke Original (untweaked and needing too much air for my taste). Every time I switch from recorder to whistle I'm again surprised by how little air a high whistle needs...

Kade1301 wrote:

Jerry Freeman wrote:... a C Blackbird and a C Mellow Dog are the same whistle except the Blackbird has a nickel-plated tonebody and the Mellow Dog has a brass one).

Was that really what you meant or should there be a D somewhere?

Yes, that's really what I meant. A C Blackbird and a C Mellow Dog are the same whistle except for the metal of the tube.

I was/am surprised that the difference between the metals is so big that it warrants a different model name. I prefer brass myself, because I feel it sounds "softer", but I always thought that a good part of that was my imagination, or because my very first whistle was a brass one...

It doesn't.

I don't sell a key of C Mellow Dog. I sell a Mellow Dog D/C set, which is one whistlehead and two (wide-bore D and standard-bore C) tonebodies for $6.45 more than the D Mellow Dog alone. In that context, "C Mellow Dog" comes up, but I don't sell a C Mellow Dog as a stand-alone whistle.

But the point here is, the mouthpiece on a Mellow Dog is the same as the mouthpiece on a C Blackbird. When you put it on a standard-bore tonebody it behaves like a Blackbird and doesn't take the same extra push at the top as the same whistlehead on a wide-bore D tonebody.

Okay, now I understand. Thanks for clarifying. And that sounds like a seriously good offer, I'm tempted.

(No, I don't need another whistle, no, I don't need another whistle - HELP!)

Two days ago I received my Mellow Dog C/D set and I have to say that I'm really impressed! Especially with the D version (which seems to be better in tune than the C tonebody, at least the tuner says so) - I love the powerful low notes and the ease of playing in the upper octave. It's so much easier to play than my untweaked standard Feadog that it's well worth the price difference, and I like the sound better than that of my Dixon Trad in aluminium. Looks good, too, with the brass ring on the mouthpiece.

Just one question: I find it very hard to switch the head from one tube to the other - would adding a little grease help or does it risk attacking the plastic? I have a choice of: plastic recorder joint grease, olive oil, WD40, 3 in one precision machinery oil, and I could probably find a few others...

Just a hint of cork grease/recorder grease should be OK - I put it on my slides, as well as the joints.

As fatmac says, a little cork grease will do it. The good thing though, about Jerry Freeman whistles is that they don't need a whole lot of tuning. It really is amazing how Jerry gets them so well tuned. My Mellow Dog is also one of my favorites.

I really should get a blackbird.
On the Mellowdog / Susato front, I really love having both. My much-loved and twice-repaired mellowdog feels so responsive and sweet, but not sine-wavey. The susato is just a beast, resistant to wind, weather, and spilled beer.

But thirty years of saxophone playing makes me want to move some air. Really delicate (low air, low back pressure) tooters are tougher for me. My third octave on the flute really sucks, but fun to work on.

Chiffed wrote:I really should get a blackbird.
On the Mellowdog / Susato front, I really love having both. My much-loved and twice-repaired mellowdog feels so responsive and sweet, but not sine-wavey. The susato is just a beast, resistant to wind, weather, and spilled beer.

But thirty years of saxophone playing makes me want to move some air. Really delicate (low air, low back pressure) tooters are tougher for me. My third octave on the flute really sucks, but fun to work on.

You might like like a modern Burke. The most recent one I played had a pretty high backpressure, more than I prefer. It was surprising as I had another from a decade earlier that was perfect. Sweet, low back pressure. I regret selling that one.

Kade1301 wrote:
Just one question: I find it very hard to switch the head from one tube to the other - would adding a little grease help or does it risk attacking the plastic? I have a choice of: plastic recorder joint grease, olive oil, WD40, 3 in one precision machinery oil, and I could probably find a few others...

I have the C/D set too. One tip: Tune one tube as well as you can, and then mark it with a fine tip marker. Repeat. Then when you change tubes you'll be pretty much in tune from the start.

Interestingly, I never noticed a difference in breath requirement between the C and the D body. I'm not suggesting it's not there, just that I must have adapted to it subconsciously. But I play Highland pipes and I also play my Great Grandfather's whistle, which takes probably 1/3 less air than any other whistle I play.

Thomaston wrote: You might like like a modern Burke. The most recent one I played had a pretty high backpressure, more than I prefer. It was surprising as I had another from a decade earlier that was perfect. Sweet, low back pressure. I regret selling that one.

My mezzo A is a Burke, and I love it dearly. I’m getting the whole set when I win the lotto.