i finally bought an Acorn, but it turns out to, apparently, be the kind with the "bad" mouthpiece.
However, this mouthpiece, which is reputed to be a Feadog mouthpiece, is not the same as the mouthpiece on my Feadog. It is approximately the same size and shape and both are matte black, but there are subtle differences in them, including a slight size difference in the windows. More notably, the Acorn mouthpiece features a bump below the window, and my Feadog mouthpiece does not.
Now, the mouthpiece on the Acorn is VASTLY STUPENDOUSLY SUPERIOR to the mouthpiece on the Feadog.
I could buy the notion that this Acorn actually has a Feadog mouthpiece. The mouthpiece looks MUCH like a Feadog mouthpiece and NOTHING like an Oak mouthpiece. However, it sounds GOOD. It sounds GOOD on the Acorn and BETTER on the Feadog. Moreover I am disturbed that I have been disliking Feadogs all this time and perhaps you all have been playing Feadogs with these nice mouthpieces and having a good time and haven't told me about it.
So, guys: more data is needed. If you own a Feadog: 1) Does the mouthpiece have a bump below the window? 2) Do you like this whistle?
Has anyone else observed a possible construction improvement in Feadogs over the last few years?

Sarah

I have a Feadog without a bump and an Acorn with a bump, like an Oak mouthpiece. The Feadog is VASTLY SUPERIOR to the Acorn. I had followed Dale's published advice on avoiding the Acorn with the Feadog mouthpiece. Then I wondered why he gave that advice. But after reading your post, it seems this is another consistency issue. Hmph.

Jessie

To be fair on the quality control thing--I DID have to remove a tiny piece of flashing from this new Acorn/Feadog mouthpiece with an Xacto knife. Before this adjustment it sounded pretty bad. The offending piece of plastic was blocking one side of the airway, and was quite hard to reach even with the Xacto.

Sarah

I bought a Feadog years ago and it was the best inexpensive whistle I ever had (until I bought the "Cillian Improved" Generation/Feadog hybrid last week). Apparently, the older Feadogs are better than the newer ones. I have heard that the Feadogs have been re-designed, and I have yet to hear any good comments about them, so I will keep my older one and try to resist the temptation to tweak it! I agree with you about the Acorns: not very impressive, but "tweakable" (if you would like some advice on this, just email me). The big brother to the Acorns - the Oak nickel whistles - are good quality with no tweaking necessary (at least MINE were). If you want a first-rate inexpensive whistle, get the Cillian Improved high D from Shanna Quay, or, better yet, start making your own! Your first attempts will be less-than-perfect, but in no time you'll be turning out whistles that sound exactly as you like.

Good luck!

Phlebas

I have 2 Feadogs, the one I got for myself had the bump on it and I never liked the sound.About a month ago I got my daughter a red Feadog that doesn't have the bump and it sounds pretty good, probably in the top 5 of my whistle collection.I shaved the bump off the first one, and tried tweeking it other ways but it still sounds bad,too airy and it never sounds like it's locked onto a note(like it wants to jump octaves or something).
take care, John

I have 3 feadogs. A black painted one with black fipple and two brass/green fipple ones. All 3 have the the bump under the window. The black one is simply wonderful. I feel like I won the cheap whistle lottery. The two brass/greeen guys are just about unplayable, even after surgery. Go figure.
Cheers,
jb

Full disclosure. I'm a novice so "wonderful" translates as "doesn't sound like i'm torturing the cat". One of the feadog fipples died on the operating table, good thing they're cheap.

I have a handfull of Feadogs. Two are older green/brass without the bump and I like them a lot; probably my favorite whistles. I have some painted Feadogs and a couple of green/brass ones with the bump. I never play them. I let my grandkids play with them and, in an earlier forum, said that I was considering using them as tent stakes the next time I go camping. I found the older Feadogs at a guitar show for $5 each. Best whistle buy I've had.

I have a brass Feadog with a green mouthpiece. Yuck. It's sort of playable, but barely, even after tweaks and Blue-Tac to fill the mouthpiece cavity. I leave it in my car because my car's often out in the sun and it's the only whistle I don't mind exposing to the heat.

A few months ago I bought a new green & brass Feadog, and was all excited because it was to be my first tunable whistle. The headpiece came loose easily, in contrast to the immovable Generation that I previously destroyed in the attempt.

Alas! I experienced many of the same nasty symptoms described in other posts. I tried every imaginable tweak but finally gave up, and in a fit of frustration I flung the bugger out into the local duck pond, forever to lie a-mouldering in the muck.