I see that the suggestion is often made to play a regular high D whistle for a few years before thinking about a low whistle. Whether it’s often suggested or not, this is what I’ve done. I’ve been playing for two years, and I feel like I’m ready to try a low D whistle. At the moment, my favorite high D whistles are the Dixon Trad, when I don’t need volume, and the Freeman Mellow Dog–just to give some idea of my tastes.
This is a hobby for me. I do play whistles and ocarina at local open mic venues, but I’m basically playing for my own enjoyment. I play some Irish trad, but I also like to play blues and ballads on the whistle. Since I do play in a pub setting, volume is a concern. And although it’s called “open mic”, there’s no mic; it’s strictly acoustic. Sometimes I have guitar accompaniment; sometimes I don’t. My Mountain ocarina carries better than my Dixon Trad whistle. So…I’d like a low D whistle that has some volume. I’d like to keep the cost down to $150 (US) or less, if possible.
I know that some will suggest Susato. I’ve played other Susato whistles, and their wide-bore recorder, and I’m not that keen on the sound. I was looking at the recent thread on the Howard low D, with the new head, and that sounds interesting. The Impempe also gets good reviews here. I don’t know how these two compare, in terms of tone and volume. If the Dixon low D is as quiet as the brass Trad and the polymer low G, then it’s not what I’m looking for.
I’m interested to hear comments on the Howard and Impempe, and to hear about any others that I should be considering. I did read the “Low Whistle Guide,” but it’s always good to hear people’s individual experiences and impressions.
I know that you don’t want to hear this but don’t rule out the Susato low D. They are loud enough. I recorded an entire album on Susato low D and they sound great! Only today, at a session, (I was only a spectator) I had trouble convincing a 75 year old local accordian god that I didn’t play the flute. He has my album and he thought that it was all flute! How’s that for an endorsement? I bought one of the earliest ones. It had a wooden block instead of plastic. When I saw it at the music shop, I picked it up and was able to get a flutey bark out of it. I have a Grinter low D and it is almost a wooden copy of a Susato. And the price is right. They are easy to play. The tube is not so thick. Maybe I’ll get someone to help me post some sound clips. You can always sell it and “upgrade” it,in the future. That’s just my two cents worth.
I hear that it’s out of your budget, but IMHO, no low whistle beats an MK.
Volume, ease of play, ease of breath requirement, balance of volume overall, and that wonderous haunting low whistle tone.
About $400, but keep your eyes open; they’re often resold for less here on C&F.
Do ask the seller, though, which key it is - he offers a low F and a low D. The F is an even easier player due to less of a stretch, but then you wouldn’t be using that in many sessions.
His current wait for Fs is an estimated six months.
He does have a rare batch of Blue color low Ds which will be ready in just a couple months, however.
(His standard colors are green, red, or black, but he runs odd colors now and again by request so long as there are enough people to order them.)
@whistle1000 – You’re right; I should keep an open mind about the Susato low D. I’ve found the second octave on the high D Susato that I tried (and the wide-bore recorder) to be quite harsh sounding. But the low whistle may well be different.
@tommyk – Yes, the MK is out of my price range, but who knows, I may get to a point where I’m ready to get one.
@highland-piper – I’ve actually heard the Carbony low D in person, and it is a very quiet whistle.
I overlooked Ethnic Wind’s low D models, which are also very affordable.
I own a few top of the line low-d whistles, but I have never been able to sell my Howard. It was my first low d and I think it was a great choice for a first low whistle. It has good volume and good tuning, and it’s easy to play (though you should be prepared for some adjusting from high to low). It is also relatively inexpensive. The sound is different from the MK, Kerry Pro, Overton, etc. in that it is much purer in tone (less of that cosmic drain-pipe thing going on). It really is a unique (in a good way) sounding whistle.
Make sure you get a Howard with the newer head. A search of this forum will give you details about this, but it sounds like the new head is very important. (I have only played one with a newer head.)
I certainly haven’t played every Low D on the market, but I’ve owned several makes and tried quite a few of the others, and to my way of playing it comes down to MK, Overton, and Burke. I’m now playing an MK as my main instrument. (There are some other makes which vary too much from whistle to whistle for me to recommend, but which I’ve played individual examples which are superb.)