Woodnote D review (can you tell I'm on vacation at work?) :D

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Woodnote D review (can you tell I'm on vacation at work?) :D

Post by Wanderer »

Direct link to review: http://tinwhistler.com/Reviews/Details/71

Woodnote D Review
(Review written December 2018)

Preface
I have a number of inexpensive whistles in my arsenal. And I feel like I don't really give them enough attention on this site. So, I'm going to be taking a break from reviewing the expensive whistles for a little while and focus on looking at the less pricey options I have in my whistle bag.

You should note that the price listed above is for the wood grain whistle. The matte black option is a little under half the price at $9.99.

I came into this review thinking of the Woodnote as a "Susato Clone." And while the whistle looks similar and shares some characteristics, it has it's own character.

At a Glance
Whistle Reviewed: Woodnote D
Models Available: C and D
Construction: Plastic in matte black or woodgrain
Price at time of review: 19.99
Available From:
Woodnote Music USA
How Acquired: Purchased secondhand

Appearance


Image
A shot of the head of the whistle, showing the mouthpiece, labium ramp and tuning slide. I have one of these in black and one in woodgrain, but all of my photos are of the woodgrain, as I feel it looks more interesting.

Image
A shot of the full whistle. The whistle is a medium brown plastic with a streaked 'grain' pattern painted on the outside. The inside of the whistle is a uniform brown.

Image
The tail end of the whistle.

Playing Characteristics

Sound clips of the whistle:
Otter's Holt

Video clips of the whistle:
Otter's Holt (recorded 2017)

Tone:
The Woodnote has a slightly complex timbre. No matter how the whistle looks, the sound isn't anything like a Susato to me. There's a hard edge to the note chiff that I don't hear in a Susato, The chiff isn't really woodsy or airy, so I struggle to describe it adequately.

Volume: Oh my goodness is this whistle loud. I thought my Tornton whistle was loud, but this one takes the cake. I had to get out my decibel meter just to be sure. The Woodnote tops out at 85.6 decibels in the 2nd octave, beating out my Thornton by just a hair (83 decibels). That's about as loud as a milling machine or a motorcycle at 25 feet away.

Responsiveness: Quick and agile. I don't have any trouble making this whistle do what I want.

Tuning: This whistle can be blown in tune across the range, with some caveats. The G is about 30 cents sharp when played with the expected breath. It takes a lot less breath to sound this note in tune than it does to sound the F# note. The C# takes considerably more air to breathe into tune than the 2nd octave D above it. This means that I'd have to really pay attention to my breathing to stay in tune, especially when playing with other musicians.

The 2nd octave takes considerably more pressure to sound than the first octave, but the 2nd octave breathing requirements for the G note are in line with where I'd expect them to be.

Unfortunately, I can't make this whistle sound a second octave B at all. I tried on both of my Woodnote whistles, with the same result. Either I am not blowing hard enough, and get the 'train whistle' effect, or I push just a hair harder and the whistle fails to make a sound at all other than rushing wind.

C-natural: Cross-fingering with OXXOOO plays a C natural with about the same pressure requirements of the C#, but no other fingerings really produce an acceptable C natural

Hole size and placement: The holes are well-centered and fairly evenly spaced along the whistle. The E and F# holes aren't particlarly close together like they can be on some whistles.

Air volume requirements: Lower than average. I can squeak a few more notes out of this on one breath than I can an Oak. In the first octave, that is. The second octave requires a tad more breath.

Air pressure requirements: Average, in the first octave. But you really have to push that second octave to be in tune.

Clogging: Average to poor. After a few minutes playing, I could hear the moisture start cutting out the second octave on this whistle, even when I couldn't blow much moisture out of the mouthpiece. I'd definitely want to give this one the duponol treatment if I were to be playing it for extended periods of time.

Wind Resistance: Pretty good. I was able to play this one in a steady breeze without any noticeable effect on the music. I even turned so that the breeze cut directly across the windway, without losing the music.

Summary
Loud, slightly complex and easy to blow in the first octave. Due to it's harsh tone chiff, extreme volume, and complexity in breathing the notes into tune, beginners may have trouble with this one. The inability to sound a second octave B is a deal-killer for me, personally.
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Re: Woodnote D review (can you tell I'm on vacation at work?

Post by ytliek »

Just to be clear... website "About Us"... Established in 1980′s in Taiwan.
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Re: Woodnote D review (can you tell I'm on vacation at work?

Post by fatmac »

Nice looking whistle, but would be way too loud for me, (& I wouldn't like a missing note either) - thanks for the review. :thumbsup:
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Re: Woodnote D review (can you tell I'm on vacation at work?

Post by Loren »

Sounds like the perfect heavy metal whistle, time to dust off the Marshall Stack, plug in and turn it up to 11!
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Re: Woodnote D review (can you tell I'm on vacation at work?

Post by Wanderer »

To be fair, I've paid more for worse whistles. There are places I could find a use for this whistle.

But not if the tune required a 2nd octave b ;)
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Re: Woodnote D review (can you tell I'm on vacation at work?

Post by Loren »

Sounds like it would make a fine doorstop.
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Re: Woodnote D review (can you tell I'm on vacation at work?

Post by Wanderer »

Well, if I want to be honest, instead of fair--I've never actually taken this whistle out and played it where other people could hear me ;)
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Re: Woodnote D review (can you tell I'm on vacation at work?

Post by Loren »

:lol:
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Re: Woodnote D review (can you tell I'm on vacation at work?

Post by Sedi »

Thanks for the review. I wonder if that one is the same as the 5€-Thomann whistle. The playing characteristics sound exactly the same.
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Re: Woodnote D review (can you tell I'm on vacation at work?

Post by bigsciota »

I bought a C to try it out and pretty quickly returned it. The tone was very harsh, and the top of the 2nd octave was almost painfully loud. I wouldn’t really want be playing one of these in a situation where someone else could hear me.
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Re: Woodnote D review (can you tell I'm on vacation at work?

Post by Loren »

So possibly also good for propping open windows.
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Re: Woodnote D review (can you tell I'm on vacation at work?

Post by Wanderer »

Sedi wrote:Thanks for the review. I wonder if that one is the same as the 5€-Thomann whistle. The playing characteristics sound exactly the same.
They look pretty much the same too. It makes you wonder..
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