Recently I ordered a couple of whistles from a vendor I’d never dealt with previously. They charged my card earlier this week, which usually means the order is shipping soon. It did indeed ship…I walked to the front of the house this evening, and saw it hanging out of the mail slot in the door! (My house is an old duplex, and as we live on the second floor, we don’t always hear the mailman coming…my early-warning Chorkie didn’t hear him, either.) Fortunately, neither whistle was damaged, though one was a bit dusty from sitting in its partially open box. I can’t really fault the vendor for my oversight, but it is something that will be taken into consideration in the future.
The bigger heads on my new acquisitions rendered my old system impractical; a drumstick bag will soon be replacing it. The last hiccup involves my new Dixon Trad D; specifically, how do I free it from its plastic case/sleeve/what-have-you without damaging either? (I may have to store it in that piece of plastic until the drumstick bag arrives.)
Unless they’ve changed their packaging, Dixons come in a two piece plastic box that just pulls apart, one part has knobbly bits on its edges, the other slides over it, & yes it is good protection for the whistle.
That was it. Blame my ineptitude on the time of night I first inspected the package! The Dixon sure does look good, and the head comes off nice and easy. Come Monday, I’ll put it through its paces.
Getting a little off-topic, I have played the other whistle, a Clarke Celtic. From an aesthetic standpoint, it is a winner. I also like the way it sounds. However, it seems to require quite a bit of air, and I can see why some are perturbed by the seam on the back.
Dixon trad d is very nice, especially for the money. Hopefully you like it. I really like the headpiece. It has plenty of room to slide and fits nice and snug. Unlike a lot of the super cheap whistles that can technically be tuned with the mouthpiece but do a bad job at it (when pulled out isnt a tight fit anymore so it doesnt work well. At least on my feadog). At least in my experience. And it just plays well with good tuning.
After only a few minutes of play, I’d have to say it’s my favorite whistle. The only downside is that the mouthpiece shape will take some getting used to. I was worried that the nickel would be too bright for my liking, but that’s not the case. The sound is beautiful, and it lacks the shrill quality present in my other whistles, most especially the Little Black D. Not that I now detest my inexpensive whistles…the Dixon just has that little something extra. It earns my highest recommendation!
