Feadog Pro Review (PowerPoint! Clips! Nudity!)

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Bloomfield
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Feadog Pro Review (PowerPoint! Clips! Nudity!)

Post by Bloomfield »

It's quite a while ago now that I received a Feadóg Pro from Paul McCarron over at the Feadóg company. I have been remiss in writing up my impressions, but not in enjoying this fantastic little whistle.

The Feadóg Pro is relatively new, having been introduced last year. It sports a thick nickel tube and a black Mk III type head. I don't know if it is the wall thickness or some special sauce, but the whistle is a delight to play. Its sound is rich and satisfying. A picture says more than a thousand words but I wouldn't want to bore you with more than a thousand words, so I've prepared a PowerPoint presentation, which, as everyone knows, will say a lot less than a thousand words.

Image

A few more words on how this whistle plays: It has a solid, beautiful timbre in the lower range, with a resonance suprising in a cheapie. There is a good amout of chiff. And as a Feadóg, the Feadóg Pro has quite a bit of chirp, meaning that each note has an edge to it. That makes this a whistle that wants some breath control, and it does not play sluggishly and dully like so many cherished high-enders. Rather the Feadóg Pro is very responsive (think Generation Eb) and even a bit touchy, both in attack and in intonation. Your breath will affect how this whistle sounds and it is a great way to train yourself the subtleties of breath pulses and octave changes. Perhaps the whistle's name is well-chosen: You don't have to be a pro to enjoy this whistle, but as a rank beginner you might not be able to unlock its sweetness consistently.

Here are two clips, which I hope will give you an idea what I am talking about. The first clip, the air to an old Planxty song, will demonstrate the Feadóg Pro's rich tone, Bloomfield's incompetence, and the degree to which you can control pitch. (The Feadóg is nicely in tune, but it is a whistle to entertain the electronic-tuner crowd for hours.) The second clip, a reel, will demonstrate the responsiveness of the Feadóg Pro, I hope, as well as Bloomfield's incompetence, and the Feadóg's chirp. Listen to the crisp response on the rolls and the changes between octaves (which I tongue at times, and slur at times).

As I Roved Out

The Dublin Reel

Overall a great whistle. Strong enough for a session (you might even reach for something a bit mellower in a small session). If you find yourself unused to the chirp and edge of the tone, you can easily dull the blade a bit (with extra-fine sandpaper and only little by little) and fill the cavity under the windway, which stabilizes the Feadógs a bit. I haven't and I probably won't. I like the immediacy of this strong, clear whistle.

Interestingly, I am not alone in liking the new Feadóg Pro. As I hear from Paul, Karen Ennis, of the Canadian band The Ennis Sisterssees shoulder to shoulder with me on this, liking the Feadóg Pro very well. "I really love the Feadóg Pro Nickel D," Karen says, "and think it is as good if not better than any whistle I've played." She is very impressed with the Feadóg and will continue to spread the good word about the Feadóg. And in that Karen and I stand eye to eye. The next cheap whistle I'll buy will be another Feadóg Pro.

Oh, and I almost forgot:

Image
Last edited by Bloomfield on Fri Oct 28, 2005 9:01 am, edited 1 time in total.
/Bloomfield
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Post by MacNeil »

Nice review, but that PowerPoint was cruel enough (especially for those of us with dial-up) to get you sentenced to playing nothing but r******r for the next month.

(If the Pro sounds this good "stock"...I wonder what it will sound like once Jerry Freeman gets his hands on one?)
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Post by Whistlin'Dixie »

It sounds like a whistle I would like, how does it compare to the O'Briain Improved? I think the O'Briain is a modified Feadog, right? I love mine.

M
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Post by brewerpaul »

Man Bloomfield, don't you know anything? Power point presentations are supposed to end with a travel or family picture of the presenter. Sheesh...

Good review, and good to see you drop in.
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Bloomfield
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Post by Bloomfield »

Whistlin'Dixie wrote:It sounds like a whistle I would like, how does it compare to the O'Briain Improved? I think the O'Briain is a modified Feadog, right? I love mine.

M
The O'Briain Improved is much softer than the Feadóg Pro (In fact the O'Briain is about as quiet as you can go on cheapies, and the Pro is about as loud as you get). The O'Briain also doesn't have as much chirp as the Feadog Pro. I am going from memory here, I don't have an O'Briain and have only played borrowed ones.

Sorry about the size of the PowerPoint. Let me assure others on dial-up that it contains nothing useful. :)
/Bloomfield
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Post by Jack »

Pretty!! :)
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Post by susnfx »

My dear Bloo, you are too weird for words. But amazingly funny and extraordinarily creative. (wonder just how many adjectives you can fit into one post....) I'm impressed - with the whistle and with the reviewer.

Susan
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Post by PhilO »

Hey Bloomy - missed you (sort of). If you'd like, I'll send you the O'Briain Improved for a comparative review, but only if you promise either no or better Power Point. They're kind of close as I just played them, the Pro a bit more "chirpy" as you put it. I didn't note any real big "soft" v. "loud" differences, but I'll leave that to the experts.

Philo
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Post by FJohnSharp »

So, do they make them with some higher degree of quality control? Do they have to be fiddled with out of the box?
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Post by tomcat »

as a powerpoint almost daily user, i could not help but stand and applaud your review! of course when i did, my knees crashed into the desk.

wonderful. i only can hope that future reviews will add such flavor.
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Post by Bloomfield »

PhilO wrote:Hey Bloomy - missed you (sort of). If you'd like, I'll send you the O'Briain Improved for a comparative review, but only if you promise either no or better Power Point.
You're asking the impossible. I have made up my mind to go down in history as the Jess Franco of PowerPoints. But tell you what: Forget sending me the whistle. Let's both descend on TomD, eat all his food, park in his garage, sleep on his couch, and drool in all his whistles. It's been too long.
They're kind of close as I just played them, the Pro a bit more "chirpy" as you put it. I didn't note any real big "soft" v. "loud" differences, but I'll leave that to the experts.

Philo
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/Bloomfield
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Post by RonKiley »

Very nice Bloomfield. I have been waiting for some one to say something about this whistle. If it is nicer than the regular Feadog It must be great. My only problem with it, Where can I get one?

Ron
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Post by Congratulations »

RonKiley wrote:Very nice Bloomfield. I have been waiting for some one to say something about this whistle. If it is nicer than the regular Feadog It must be great. My only problem with it, Where can I get one?

Ron
I'm wondering the same thing. There's plenty of "Nickel plated" Feadogs out there for sale. Do those count?
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Post by peteinmn »

susnfx wrote:My dear Bloo, you are too weird for words. But amazingly funny and extraordinarily creative. (wonder just how many adjectives you can fit into one post....) I'm impressed - with the whistle and with the reviewer.

Susan
What Susan said!

Great job. And, as a high speed cable modem surfer, I fully appreciate and endorse your use of Powerpoint though it did make me spill my coffee!

:lol:
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Post by nancymae »

Alas..but I am a poor dial up user and can't view the power point presentation. Where do you buy one of these Feadog pros???

Thanks though for the sound bites!

Nancy
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