Dixon brass Trad D.... disappointed.

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bigsciota
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Re: Dixon brass Trad D.... disappointed.

Post by bigsciota »

Whistles are one of the few things in life where you don't necessarily "get what you pay for." Just about the only objective improvement you can have on a whistle is the intonation. Even then, some people like a flat Cnat, or prefer equal temperament vs just intonation.

Everything else is a matter of personal taste. If you are disappointed that a whistle that cost 2x the price didn't sound 2x "better," I think that's an issue with expectations rather than the whistle itself. There is a maker who is very popular and charges $500 for a D whistle. I would take a Generation over one of his every time. But hey, other people love them!

If, however, there is an actual manufacturing error (as you seem to be describing with the buzzing), I would send it back as defective and get a new one. Maybe you'll like that one better.
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Re: Dixon brass Trad D.... disappointed.

Post by Tommy »

Mr.Gumby wrote:All morning I had the image of Andy Pipkin stuck in my head. I am not sure why but it took a long time to get rid of it.

I'll get my coat now. :D
LOL :lol: :thumbsup:
Thanks for sharing. Reminds me of when we use to receive ''Mr Bean''.
''Whistles of Wood'', cpvc and brass. viewtopic.php?f=1&t=69086
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Re: Dixon brass Trad D.... disappointed.

Post by pancelticpiper »

This got me looking at various Dixon whistles on his site and on other sites.

It's a bit confusing, all the different high Ds he makes (or made).

So I'm seeing

1) a simple moulded black plastic head that fits over the metal tube more or less like a Generation etc.

2) a sleeker-looking black plastic head with a metal ring or band at the bottom, on metal tube body

3) a fancier looking all black plastic whistle with brass tuning slide like a flute

4) one-piece black plastic

5) two-piece black plastic

It was years ago that I met Tony at his booth and I got to play the range of whistles he made at that time. He had High D's with black plastic heads and alloy bodies, I don't know what model it was or if Tony still makes them. I played all 20 or so that he had and they did vary (as most whistles do) and some were quite nice, a respectible professional whistle with an interesting dark tone.
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Re: Dixon brass Trad D.... disappointed.

Post by Tyler DelGregg »

That's a good description, Richard. The Dixons do have a certain dark tone that I've always liked.
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Re: Dixon brass Trad D.... disappointed.

Post by Tyler DelGregg »

MichaelRS wrote:
Polara Pat wrote:You could probably just sell it (and other unliked whistles) to someone here at not much of a loss. Chalk it up to lesson learned and try something new.
That's exactly my plan when I get a few of them together and I'm going to sell them as a bundle my whistles that I don't like
Selling your whistles in a bundle is a good idea. It should be easy selling them at the right price. I would have pounced at it when I first started going through whistles.
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Re: Dixon brass Trad D.... disappointed.

Post by Sedi »

pancelticpiper wrote:2) a sleeker-looking black plastic head with a metal ring or band at the bottom, on metal tube body
Do you mean the head of the DX204? What looks like a brass ring on the head is in fact part of the body which has a black plastic ring on top. The head is the same as on the "trad" models. The only difference I found so far is between the DX001 one-piece plastic model and the head of the trad or DX204 as the geometry of the head differs between those two -- different ramp and the size of the "window" is also different.
Image

And these are the different models I have (an alto A is still on its way) next to each other ( I should have taken a pic from the top, too):
Image
From left to right:
DX204, nickel trad, DX001, alto G alloy, alto G trad, one-piece plastic low D, brass trad low D.
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Re: Dixon brass Trad D.... disappointed.

Post by MichaelRS »

Tyler DelGregg wrote:
MichaelRS wrote:
Polara Pat wrote:You could probably just sell it (and other unliked whistles) to someone here at not much of a loss. Chalk it up to lesson learned and try something new.
That's exactly my plan when I get a few of them together and I'm going to sell them as a bundle my whistles that I don't like
Selling your whistles in a bundle is a good idea. It should be easy selling them at the right price. I would have pounced at it when I first started going through whistles.
Yeah, the thing is, if there is indeed some defect in one or two of them, along with other whistles that are fine for what they are but I just don't happen to like, I don't want to be foisting the problem one(so off on other people.
And I don't contact the manufacturer or seller for an exchange because it's hardly worth the postage for me to send the other one back.

It would be a different story if they had a guarantee like the guy at MyWhistleAndFlute.com
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Re: Dixon brass Trad D.... disappointed.

Post by pancelticpiper »

Thanks for the info!

Why do some have a plastic ring at the top of the body?

It looks like the middle whistle in your photo has a fat socket at the bottom for the tube to go into, while the others are straight-sided. On some the tube is narrower than the head, on some the head and tube appear to be the same diameter. I guess I still don't understand the construction of the various types.
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Re: Dixon brass Trad D.... disappointed.

Post by fatmac »

My Dixons are a mix like those in the photo, the Trad has a 'normal' head that fits over the tube & can be used to tune it, (I have an 'A' & a 'G', both brass), the one that I have with straight sides is a tunable aluminium with a tuning slide & plastic head, (mine is a 'C'), the one that bulks out, is another aluminium tunable, (mine is an 'A'), the head fits outside the tube, is extra long, & is used to tune it.
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Re: Dixon brass Trad D.... disappointed.

Post by Sedi »

Yes, there is a lot of variation in the construction. The tunable alloy alto G has the "socket" in which you fit the tube and the tube itself has two o-rings. But I ordered an alto A which has the same construction as the DX204 "heavy brass" which means a metal tuning slide over which the head fits. The trad alto G has a "normal" head like the trad in D. The heads of the DX204 and the trad model are interchangeable. Tony Dixon also donwsized their line-up. The alto A is no longer offered AFAIK. But they still sell the spare head.
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Re: Dixon brass Trad D.... disappointed.

Post by busterbill »

If there is another player around you it might be interesting to hear someone else playing it. It could be the one off bad one in the bunch. If that were the case I am sure Dixon would make it right. If it is something more subjective like, I don't like it much, it might just be fun to hear. But if you really don't like it I am sure you could contact the retailer or Dixon himself.
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Re: Dixon brass Trad D.... disappointed.

Post by Polara Pat »

busterbill wrote:If there is another player around you it might be interesting to hear someone else playing it.
I was just thinking this exact thing. It's good to have additional input to see if it plays the same for other players. There is a good chance that the whistle is fine but just not for you.
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Re: Dixon brass Trad D.... disappointed.

Post by puipui »

inthevale wrote:------- sealing all of the holes can be a challenge for us newbies. I've found that applying a little skin moisterizing lotion to my hands before I play seems to help. This probably sounds a bit silly and may not apply to everybody. I'm an older guy with dry older guy skin, and the lotion really seems to help make for a better seal.
https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/viewt ... 7#p1186527

MichaelRS,

I found that you are happy with whistles of plastic body but are unhappy with whistles of metal body.
I wonder that the problem is at the interface between your fingers and the metal body.
Changing status of your skin with lotion would resolve your problem.
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Re: Dixon brass Trad D.... disappointed.

Post by MichaelRS »

puipui wrote:
inthevale wrote:------- sealing all of the holes can be a challenge for us newbies. I've found that applying a little skin moisterizing lotion to my hands before I play seems to help. This probably sounds a bit silly and may not apply to everybody. I'm an older guy with dry older guy skin, and the lotion really seems to help make for a better seal.
https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/viewt ... 7#p1186527

MichaelRS,

I found that you are happy with whistles of plastic body but are unhappy with whistles of metal body.
I wonder that the problem is at the interface between your fingers and the metal body.
Changing status of your skin with lotion would resolve your problem.
You know, that's a good point. Not so much the lotion thing, but that the plastic body whistles I have do seem to sound and perform better for me.

And I've played the metal body whistles like a slow child, making very sure of my fingering positions and so forth, and I still get the same result. And it's not because I have the hand texture of a brick mason, because I definitely don't.

But I have not given up. I still intend to get a Freeman Backbird and an O'Briain and eventually a Killarney.
And if those don't work out then I guess I may ending up being Susato's next best customer and somebody's going to get a heck of a deal on a bundle of some otherwise well-thought-of metal whistles.
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Re: Dixon brass Trad D.... disappointed.

Post by jiminos »

hmmm.....

Turns out my favorite whistles are an Oz Vambrace delrin, Parks and Susato. All plastic beasties. I've a couple metal ones that I like, but not as much as I like my plastic.

Thinking about it... My favorite flutes are Shannon and Tipple for D. My favorite F is a Billy Miller.

Seems I tend to the plastic/delrin/ABS/PVC side as well.
Last edited by jiminos on Sat Jan 19, 2019 9:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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