Hello. I haven't posted much, but I do check in to look at the whistle & flute forums fairly often.

My question is: What are the differences between the Freeman Tweaked Bluebird D and the Freeman Tweaked Nickel Generation D? Other than the Generation decal on the tweaked nickel D, they look identical to me in the photos. I have a Freeman Bluebird D that I have been using much more than the expensive high-end whistles I have.

Here is a past thread posting about the differences between whistles. There may be other postings too. And Jerry may visit to clear up any changes made to his whistles.

BTW, I love my Bluebird whistle.

viewtopic.php?p=1141177#p1141177

ytliek, thanks for your reply and the link. I guess emailing Jerry might be the best thing to do.

The Bluebirds are a little sweeter/brighter voiced; the tweaked Generations are a little more complex/warmer voiced, though still toward the sweet end of the range.

Here's the post from the other thread:

The Blackbirds (Eb, D and C; black top, nickel tube) are the purest/sweetest voiced. They take the lightest breath. Some like the fact you can play a longer passage without taking a breath.

The Bluebirds (Eb, D; blue top, nickel tube, "Bluebird" label) are at the pure/sweet end of the continuum, but a little more complex than the Blackbirds. They retain some of the distinctive Generation character, but they're sweeter than Generations.

The tweaked Generations are voiced to match as closely as possible, the vintage, pre-1980's Generations, which were a bit sweeter than the Generations being made now, but still a bit more complex/reedy than the Blackbirds and Bluebirds.

The Mellow Dog (green top, brass tube) is a wide body whistle. It has a bigger sound, and takes more of a “push” of air, especially at the top end. (This refers to the key of D Mellow Dog. A C Mellow Dog is a standard body C whistle, exactly the same as a key of C Blackbird except for the brass tube and green color of the top.)

The alto A, low G, Enat and Bnat tweaked Generations are keys Generation does not make, but I have created them.

Best wishes,
Jerry

_________________
You can purchase my whistles:
on eBay http://stores.ebay.com/freemanwhistles
directly from me: email jerry ("at") freemanwhistles ("dot") com,
from one of the vendors who carry Freeman whistles.

Jerry --thanks for the information. I like the tone and volume of the Bluebird and was thinking of getting a second one as a back up, although your tweaked Generations are piquing my interest.

I am thinking of buying a Freeman tweaked generation whistle in D, Can anyone tell me if there is any difference in sound between a nickel or brass whistle?
Thanks
Chris

_________________
The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits: Albert Einstein

Some say the nickel are a little brighter, the brass a little warmer. When I sat with Lunasa the first time, Sean picked all nickel whistles and Kevin picked all brass. If I close my eyes, I can't tell the difference.

In my opinion, any two Generations will vary more for other reasons than just the difference between nickel and brass. It may also bear mentioning, some people find nickel slippery to handle. If that's an issue, you can put a strip of cellophane tape along the underside of the tube where your thumbs touch. That solves it.

Best wishes,
Jerry

_________________
You can purchase my whistles:
on eBay http://stores.ebay.com/freemanwhistles
directly from me: email jerry ("at") freemanwhistles ("dot") com,
from one of the vendors who carry Freeman whistles.

Hi Jerry thanks very much for answering my question . I have just purchased a tweaked brass Generation whistle through your ebay store. I am looking forward to receiving it.

_________________
The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits: Albert Einstein