I am thinking about getting in to the flute and was wondering what you thought about the dixon low D duo,any comments,good or bad would be appreciated.
Thank’s.
I started out on the Dixon Duo myself, and I don’t regret it. It is a hard flute to learn on but that can be a good thing as it will really force you to develop a good embouchure, you’ll be better once you move up and you will find it easier to play quality flutes later. Having said that I think there are much better alternatives around for not much more money. Hammy’s practice flute is one, Tipple flutes seems generally favored. The Dixon 2pc will surely teach you to play but it’ll never be a “good” flute, largely useless for session playing and so on.
the dixon (I have the 3 piece polymer) is a fairly quiet flute that is what makes it not suited for sessions.
easy to finger and to get a tone out of.
although, if you want the real thing and think you are going with it, get a casey burns folk flute instead…good, easy to play, and when you don’t think you will keep fluting, easy to sell too on the forum.
tipple is also a very good one but not for the trad sound but to learn on, very loud also.
or what about a olwell bamboo…also good learner.
berti
Naaaah.
Enjoy yourself. Get an Olwell bamboo.
Understand that the Dixon duo and the Dixon 3-piece polymer are different models.
The 3-piece is much higher-end. 
Doc
I had the duo for about an hour before I put it back in the packaging and sent it back…go with something better, Casey Burns Folk Flute, M&E or a Tipple apparently.
I would recommend it only if you sincerely wish to have even more days when everything seems to go wrong.
While I’m sure that an experienced player would be able to make it sing, it isn’t such a good choice for a beginner. Believe me, even with a great flute there is enough conspiring against you . . . you don’t need any extra interference from the flute itself.
Yes, I think playing it might help you develop good embouchure. But I also think that a beginner doesn’t want or need to be unable to play for months and months while he tries to figure out what good embouchure is.
I found the thing frustrating. Anything would probably be better. If you had to ream out a broomstick, it would be better. A Casey Burns folk flute is excellent, if you can get one over there at reasonable cost. Certainly, an Olwell bamboo would be delightful and I think you’d be very, very satisfied with it. Even by the time it got to you over there, the price should still be reasonable.
The Tipple is an excellent flute, but make sure to get the Tipple wedge to improve the sound. I think that the Tipples are great starter flutes and without the wedge they are very easy blowing. By the way if you can get his dimpled bore flute as they are even better.
Cheers
yes I think playing it might help you develop good embouchure.
No I cannot agree on that…didn’t teach me good embouchure only that it is easy to blow (get a sound) but for some reason it didn’t give me the good embouchure that is developing now I am playing a grinter…
But it’s just generally recommended for starting point and because it is a reasonably priced flute but I won’t do that a second time…now I changed my mind and recommend other flutes.
berti
Berti. Are you still refering to that 3pc flute? It sure sounds like you do, it’s not the one we’re talking about here. There is absolutely no similarity between the Dixon 2pc (Duo) and the Dixon 3pc.
I’m with Peggy. For starters, the Duo weighs about 4 ounces, so it’s not even good to beat your boyfriend with. 
FWIW, I’ve been playing wooden flutes for about 10 years now and yes, I can get a sound out of my Duo, but it’s not a sound I particularly want to spend much time with.
That said, I do leave it lying about the house to work out fingerings, since it requires no maintenance (altho’ I do fill the head up with water every now and then to re-expand the tuning cork, which I think helps the sound and playability). It’s also good to leave in the car, or take camping. But I find it neither a particularly easy blower (unless you like a soft, breathy sound) or having much depth of any kind, so there’s not a lot of joy in it.
Do the Olwell bamboo, or if you want to play at sessions, the Burns (although that’s a lot more money). Then you’ll have a flute you can grow with.
I started learning on the Duo . I only got the Duo because I wanted an affordable low D and thought it would be cool to try the flute. I ended up playing the flute exclusively. While I agree it’s not the best instrument, it got me started just fine and I was never discouraged by its limitations (because they were mostly my own limitations).
But then a couple months later a Dixon 3-piece came up for sale at an excellent price so I naturally played that exclusively until I figured a honker like the Olwell bamboo would be a good step for embouchure and tone.
It’ll probably be April or May before you’ll be able to get an Olwell bamboo unless one comes up for sale around here. Surely you should be able to find something in your locale. Maybe the Armagh Pipers Club or somebody would have something you could try.
Cheers,
Aaron
Exactly! I was frustrated with it in that respect, as well.
It is exactly the right length to get a bird off a ceiling fan, and if you stick it between the backs of two chairs, you can use it to hang laundry.
When Aaron outgrew it, I bought his-- for the exact same reasons. 
I think it was fine to start on though I’m now wanting to get a Casey Burns Folk Flute. For another bamboo option, I recently got a Tallgrass Winds Bamboo D that I’m very happy with… you can see those flutes here.
Best,
ad
I’ve just seen a wooden flute on the Shannaquay site called the “Shannaquay budget wooden flute” has anyone any experience with this,it says on their site that it has been voiced by Pariac McNeela of Dublin???
It is made of maple and is 210 euro complete with a wooden case,though the pic it shows is of rosewood.
Check out this thread. There was some discussion about the flute in question.
Cheers,
Aaron
This looks like the same flute on e-bay as the one that Shannaquay are selling http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=3780689708&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT
It may have been mentioned in the thread I posted or in another but there was some discussion that those flutes are Asian produced with adjustments/improvements made by Paraic.
If the wood is in good condition, Asian produced flutes like that are good candidates for overhauling. A CFer had one such flute overhauled by Rod Cameron and it evidently became quite a good flute.
Cheers,
Aaron
I am now thinking of the Tony Dixon 3 piece polymer flute…good or bad?? 
Get an M&E polymer instead, they’re probably a lot better.