As my WhOA gets ready to kick itself into gear yet again, I’ve been looking here, there, and everywhere for new whistles to pacify me for a brief time. Now, I already have an old (at least 8 years old) brass Feadog D, a newer black Feadog D, and a nickle Feadog D. I have been considering buying an O’Briain improved Feadog, either brass or nickel, but I would like others’ opinions about these whistles first, if you please. Is the change in the tone and tuning really noticable enough to justify my buying one?
I know in the throes of all-out WhOA such things shouldn’t really matter, but curiosity has gotten the best of me. Thanks in advance for any and all opinions.
Larry
[ This Message was edited by: madguy on 2002-10-07 20:51 ]
Well, the one I have in D was really worth buying, from my point of view, but I’ve heard that quality isnt the same on all of these whistles, so I would say it might be a risk, especially if you don’t get to try it before you buy. But mine is my favorite quiet whistle, it’s just gorgeous.
I don’t have one myself but I have heard nothing but good things about them, and I have tooted on one once or twice at sessions. Most people seem to have the brass one.
My O Briain “improved” is absolutely wonderful…head and shoulders above any of my other whistles (which include two standard Feadog Ds) in tone and playability…and it is absolutely dead-on pitch. It really has a sweet, pure voice…and the upper octave is especially nice (as someone noted in another thread, it “practically plays itself.”).
It does require a bit more breath control in the lower octave than most D whistles…it’s easy to overblow. That said, it’s an adaptation you make pretty quickly, and it pays off in an upper octave that is both easy to play and sweet to the ear.
They come in both brass and nickel (for a few dollars more). Mine is brass, but I’m considering adding a nickel as well, just for variety.
I can’t speak to quality control, only having the one, but judging from my own experience, and from what I heard from others both before and after I bought mine, I’d recommend it without reservation.
My first Ó Briain Improved was a brass D. I liked it so much that I decided to get another one in case I lost it or something, so I got a nickel D, which I think I like even better, and an Eb. (Ah, that Eb!!!)
My brass improved O’Brianin is my favorite whistle and I play it to the exclusion of everything else I own, and everything esle I won is slowlly going to strange places, like Hungary!
I simply love mine!
Waiting for the Mothership…
[ This Message was edited by: Anna Martinez on 2002-10-07 22:18 ]
They are nice but what he does is cut away a tiny bit from the blade. I had two useless feadog and took the file to them, completing the operation within a few minutes with same results. Worth the effort.
But then it won’t be O Briain who’s improved them!
Actually, naming those modified Feadogs “O Briain Improved” is one of my big gripes in the world of whistles. If only for the reason that if I want to search the message board for posts on real O Briain whistles, I can’t locate them among all those annoying “improved” posts.
On 2002-10-08 03:23, Peter Laban wrote:
They are nice but what he does is cut away a tiny bit from the blade. I had two useless feadog and took the file to them, completing the operation within a few minutes with same results. Worth the effort.
Peter, not being much of a “handyman” (flunked both wood and metal shop in junior high! ), I have to ask what kind/type file you used?
I think Jens got that point actually.
One of the O Briain ‘improved’ whistles I looked at during the summer was, let’s say, not cut all that evenly, only a very tiny slice had come off the blade and some of the shiny orignal surface was still there in places [it sounded fine though]. I concluded that he probably takes off about a tenth of a mm to do the job and I could at least have a go and save me 20 euro [and yes it was and is always 20 euro when I see them in shops].
There was a set of tiny files knocking about the place so I took one about as wide as the window in the head and worked away gradually until I was happy with the result, which I must admit was remarkably quickly reached and the improvement was considerable.
[edited typos]
[ This Message was edited by: Peter Laban on 2002-10-08 09:39 ]
I am also very happy with my brass d. The breath control thing is a non issue for me, I think anyone who’s played for a while will have developed more than sufficient breath control to play this whistle easily. - Joel
With the original “improveds,” he also re-engineered the tube so the whistle was in tune. Eventually Feadog adopted his tube design, so now all he has to fix are the heads (which begs the question: why doesn’t Feadog also fix the heads, so all this won’t be necessary?).
I think he’s done a bit more than just file the blade. Mine appears to have a thin veneer of plastic glued to the blade, and also has some kind of tape inside.
For myself, I’d rather spend 34 Euro (plus shipping) and get a great whistle the first time than spend the same amount of money breaking 4 or 5 Feadogs trying to achieve the same thing. Some of us just don’t like to tinker (as I said in the thread on Mellow Ds, I’d rather spend my time playing), and it’s worth it to buy a whistle that’s so nice right out of the package.
I’m happy to know that many people have ended up with O’Briain Improved whistles they are pleased with. I ordered one and was very disappointed. It has ended up in my pile of unplayable cheap whistles, but it’s the only one that wasn’t really cheap.
On 2002-10-08 10:31, Redwolf wrote:
For myself, I’d rather spend 34 Euro (plus shipping) and get a great whistle the first time than spend the same amount of money breaking 4 or 5 Feadogs trying to achieve the same thing. Some of us just don’t like to tinker (as I said in the thread on Mellow Ds, I’d rather spend my time playing), and it’s worth it to buy a whistle that’s so nice right out of the package.
Redwolf
if you pay 34 you have been a bit overcharged I 'd think, anyway, I didn’t ruin any whistles. I had two old ones, nickle with the ugly black head and had them fixed within five minutes without much hassle. For the heck of it I have just sent a tune to the clips page so you can hear how it works.
