Chiff and Fipple Forums

Currently debating between two low Ds in my price range (£100/$130), namely the Chieftain V5 and Lindstrument's Qwistle.

It seems the benefit of the former is that it is more well known and it has an aluminium body for £99 whereas the £95 Qwistle has a plastic body, though I am not sure if this has any effect on the tone. From what samples I've heard of the latter, I can say I really like the sound and have heard good things from others, but most of the reviews and recorded samples seem to be with the more expensive aluminium body. Does anyone know if the sound is all that different between the plastic and aluminium?

Another thing to take into consideration is the low D I already own, an MK Kelpie, is sometimes said to sound somewhat similar the some of the Kerry whistles, such as the Optima and Chieftain. I would rather not have two low Ds that are very close in tone and instead would prefer to expand my tonal options with a low whistle of a different character though I am not sure how accurate the claims of the similarity in tone between the MKs and Chieftain V5 are.

Anyone with experience of either or both of these whistles that can chime in?

Or if someone has other suggestions of low whistles in a similar price range that they can recommend, I'd be happy to hear of and look into them.

My next purchase is definitely going to be the Qwistle...I've owned a Copeland and have a Grinter and an MK pro...Videos and facebook interaction with a piper named Simon Doyle have convinced me that I really want a Qwhistle...I'm pretty sure the Qwistle pro has an aluminum body though.

I have a Howard painted brass low D, it's not too loud, something that worries me about the reputation of the better whistles like the MK.

(My Howard was a 'second', & was somewhat cheaper than the normal price, & I can't see anything wrong with it, it plays fairly easily across the octaves too.)

From my experience, plastic whistles tend to have a more mellow tone than brass or aluminium.

I bought myself an aluminium low F from Shearwater, a really nice whistle, maybe take a look at their website, they're not too expensive.

Just played most of a 2 1/2 hour gig on a Chieftain Thunderbird (non-tunable) - I love this whistle! It's only 109 pounds on the site...

Pat

I have a V5 and a Kelpie - they are very similar. I also have the Qwistle with the aluminium body and the "pro" and "standard" head. It is a whole different beast from any other low D I have. The "pro" head was almost too loud for me to practice with it at home, so I got the "standard" too and prefer it. I put the pro head on a Kerry Optima F and it works perfectly. Be aware that the Qwistle prefers to be blown quite strongly (or with a tighter embouchure and higher air speed) in the second octave. But still - the sound is completely amazing.

I just played a Waltons Brass Whistle D Mellow.
Surprisingly good. $10.

Thanks for the input everybody, I'll have to look into the suggestions.

Sedi wrote:I have a V5 and a Kelpie - they are very similar. I also have the Qwistle with the aluminium body and the "pro" and "standard" head. It is a whole different beast from any other low D I have. The "pro" head was almost too loud for me to practice with it at home, so I got the "standard" too and prefer it. I put the pro head on a Kerry Optima F and it works perfectly. Be aware that the Qwistle prefers to be blown quite strongly (or with a tighter embouchure and higher air speed) in the second octave. But still - the sound is completely amazing.

How would you compare the air requirement or blowing strength on the Qwistle for the second octave with the Kelpie?

Like I said - the Qwistle needs a little more air but not as much that I go out of breath or something . It's a really great low D with a very unique sound. Played it once at a party and everybody loved it.

So ... I did a little more comparing and playing all 3 right after one another. And after that, I think you shouldn't get either one and save the money. The differences are not big enough to justify buying one or the other. It is like this -- the V5 is a little softer, a bit more mellow, the MK is a bit louder, and the Qwistle is the loudest. But they all sound similar. The MK seems to be the compromise between the two. It's right in the middle when it comes to "breathiness" and volume. So honestly -- you will probably never "need" another low D. If you wanna start a collection however -- get both. The V5 is probably the best for the money. The Qwistle has that full and fat sound with a very strong bell note.

I also tried the Qwistle low D with the standard head and I have to confirm, that it is a honk.
It really needs to be pushed (high backpressure ?) and takes a lot of air! Even a Burke Viper was
much easier to play for me. Of course, the sound is very unique and with great powerful bottom notes.
In this sense it's addictive, but for me too hard to play and I wouldn't recommend it for beginners.
My favourite low Ds remain MK and Reyburn.

Hope this helps.

I personally don’t think the MK and the V5 sound very much alike. They are very different low D’s, both excellent in their own way.