Whistles with similar sound to Dixon polymer low D?

[Tremendouz]

I really love the haunting, almost "wailing" sound of the plastic Dixon TB003D low whistle (tapered bore, recent model I suppose since I bought it this year) but the bell note is a bit weak plus it tends to let out nasty sharp squeaks more than my other whistles.

So, I'm wondering if there are other low whistles that sound like the Dixon but are less prone to squeaks, preferably with easy second octave that doesn't get overly loud (as far as I know Dixon is one of the quieter whistles yet it's still loud when going past 2nd octave G)

[Narzog]

I feel your pain on the nasty squeaks. My Thunderbird F and Busker Bb got them really bad. I sold both off haha. It really bugged me. My Reyburn low D gets them a little but not to an extreme level, is much more manageable. And I like everything else about it, so its a keeper. It just wants to be played by someone slightly better than me. Which is what the squeaks can be good for. They are usually caused by sloppy technique which you wont notice on a whistle that doesnt make them. But at the same time when they are really bad its just a chore to play.

MK and Burke whistles are pretty much impossible to make these nasty squeaks. Very easy to play and have it sound decent. MK is very air efficient, Burkes not so much. MK push is probobly harder than the dixon but isn't overly hard. Burke will have a harder push and use more air. I only played a Burke low F, so I'm assuming the D will use more or the same air, which was more air than my MK low D.

You may not like an MK low d if you want quiet, because its not. It has a good low end and is loud. Which I like because it gives a less extreme volume imbalance between the high and low end. Vs things like the dixon you just described, where the low end is quit but the high end is still loud. Overall its just a fantastic player.

I havent played a dixon low D so sadly I'm no help on what sounds like it.

[fatmac]

Probably a Howard low D would suit, mine is fairly close sounding to my Dixon one piece, & about as easy to play, not too loud either.

[rykirk]

My Dixon low D also cracks and squeaks badly around the octave crossing point. Much more so than any other whistle I've played. Its worse if I'm switching instruments or haven't played it awhile and it takes me awhile playing it to find that sweet spot of air pressure. What is the cause of this instability vs other whistle designs?

[fatmac]

I've always found mine to be an easy player, not had any such problems with it.

[DrPhill]

I've always found mine to be an easy player, not had any such problems with it.

What he said... I always thought the dixon whistles very easy to play.

[Tremendouz]

The Dixon is indeed easy to play as in it's easy to cover the holes and make the notes sound, but whenever I initiate a new note after stopping to take a breath, the new note often starts with a sharp squeak that sticks out like a sore thumb in my close miced recordings. This happens the most in the low notes and the first half of the second octave.

Also, going from any other note to the low D without stopping my breath also results in a squeak half the time. Perhaps I'm not covering hole 6 fast enough but this doesn't happen with my other whistles so the Dixon seems particularly sensitive.

[Tremendouz]

Also regarding loudness, I don't mind louder first octave, but I already feel bad for my neighbors when playing the second octave of the Dixon above xxx ooo

So, MK Pro is apparently much louder in the first octave but if the 2nd octave is comparable to the Dixon it could be fine.

[Narzog]

So, MK Pro is apparently much louder in the first octave but if the 2nd octave is comparable to the Dixon it could be fine.

Maybe someone who has played both can comment, but if you get a sound meter app, and place your phone in front of you on a table and play your =xoo ooo second octave and tell me what it says in Db, I can do the same on my MK to compare. From my previous tests, most whistles get around 82 Db second octave, on my phone app. Note results can vary a little from distance from the phone, where the sound is coming from in relation to the phones position, etc. But it is a decent unscientific test.

[Tremendouz]

So, MK Pro is apparently much louder in the first octave but if the 2nd octave is comparable to the Dixon it could be fine.

Maybe someone who has played both can comment, but if you get a sound meter app, and place your phone in front of you on a table and play your =xoo ooo second octave and tell me what it says in Db, I can do the same on my MK to compare. From my previous tests, most whistles get around 82 Db second octave, on my phone app. Note results can vary a little from distance from the phone, where the sound is coming from in relation to the phones position, etc. But it is a decent unscientific test.

I feel like there are too many variables here for it to be useful info. If I keep the phone somewhere near the middle of the whistle I'm getting around 78 dB on that note but if the phone is closer to the sound hole, those higher notes are actually dropping from 75 to 70 dB when climbing up the 2nd octave, as if the sound is projected somewhere else than the microphone

[Narzog]

I feel like there are too many variables here for it to be useful info. If I keep the phone somewhere near the middle of the whistle I'm getting around 78 dB on that note but if the phone is closer to the sound hole, those higher notes are actually dropping from 75 to 70 dB when climbing up the 2nd octave, as if the sound is projected somewhere else than the microphone

Huh. I just re tested it. I get 82 Db, if I put my phone mic an inch away from the lip or the sound hole. The MK has amazing volume balance, I get 80-82 through both octaves, with my phone at the lip (using the lip instead of holes because the holes change location, the lip doesnt so its more consistent testing). The high notes still feel louder though because higher pitch. Which is probobly why high d whistles feel so loud and piercing.

Hopefully someone whos played both can give some info on the dixon vs MK's volume.

[Tremendouz]

I was just told by a person who's played both that the MK is indeed louder than Dixon even in the upper half of the second octave. So basically, even if MK is way more balanced volume-wise, the Dixon still doesn't "catch up" because it's simply a much softer and mellower whistle overall

[learn2turn]

Can anyone comment on air requirements of the Dixon polymer low-D vs. other low-D whistles, e.g., MK Pro?

I'm a novice and should play mostly a high-D for now which I do. But I have a Dixon polymer low-D as it is inexpensive and I want to dabble with a low whistle now and then. The one thing I find is it requires a lot of air. Maybe that's the way low-D whistles are and I'm not used to it. But I'm curious in comparison to other whistles, if it require more or less air.

-l2t

[fatmac]

Overall, low 'D' whistles will require more air to play, certainly compared to a high 'D'.

The difference between makes isn't that big, from my experience with a Chieftain, a Dixon, & a Howard; there obviously is a difference, but it's not that great.

[Narzog]

When I first got my MK D my thought was "wow, this is insanely air efficient". But in reality, its just that my Burke F uses waaay too much air. Most makers try to be air efficient. Some not so much. I think the big thign with the MK is how loud it is and how strong the low end is, for its pretty low air usage. So I'd think that the Dixon being much quieter, even if its less air efficient is probobly similar. You just need to get a whistle that uses way more air than the Dixon, and then it will feel like it uses no air when you go back to it.