With a birthday only 2 months away I have to make a decision on my whistle choice. What i’m looking for is a Bb,mellow,flutey sounding. I’m thinking a Hoover but don’t know if I’d be able to wait (very little patience). Maybe a Silkstone? Any suggestions would be helpful.
Of the four (4) B flats I have, I consider Sindt and Silkstone tied for first, Tony Dixon a reasonable second, and the Generation a distant third.
Good Luck,
Tom D.
I have two Bbs: a nickel Generation and a brass Burke. The Generation has a nice flutey sound, but the Burke, which is only a few months old for me, has become my all-time favorite whistle. A lovely clear sound, with that bit of darkness to it because of its range. A beauty.
Good luck, and an early happy birthday.
Carol
Copeland Bb has a flutey sound, alright.
-I’ve never tried the Water Weasel Bb, but
it will be nice if its anything like the WW Low G. Its a smaller bore than the G, so I can’t say how much of the lovely Low G
flutey tone is retained in the Bb whistle.
-You can’t beat the Generation Bb for price ($7.45 at Elderly Instruments), but
its quite easy to overblow in the low octave. You might consider one if you just want to see
if you like the Bb key in whistles. The WW
will be a much better instrument I think, and a better gift for you.
-Good Luck!
Brian
…and a happy shriek ensued!
[ This Message was edited by: brianormond on 2002-09-03 23:45 ]
[ This Message was edited by: brianormond on 2002-09-03 23:57 ]
Why don’t you try for a Burke composite F. The thing about playing in Bb is that the song usually starts on Bb and ends on Bb. With a low F, if the song starts on Bb, then you would start on the G, which would give you more volume and would put your melody smack dab in the middle of the whistle’s register. That’s why I usually play my low G for a song in the key of D. The low notes of the D whistle are too soft to be heard. And if played up an octave is too high and too loud.
JP
[ This Message was edited by: JohnPalmer on 2002-09-04 02:03 ]
I found in life that if I get what I really want the first time I am less inclined to have the “what if’s”. That is why when we just got our new washer and dryer (My first new ones in my life!!!) We got Maytags. I don’t know if I’ll ever get another new washer dryer and if I get any other brand, I’ll always wonder about the Maytags.
If the Hoover is what you truly want, then order it now and ask if they can have it ready on time for your birthday!
Best of luck,
Sandy
I have only one Bb whistle, one of the seven Dixons that I own. The Dixons have some shortcomings, but by in large have a very pleasing sound and are very playable. The tunable Bb is (IMHO) the best sounding of my Dixons in terms of having a warm, flute-like quality with a subdued breathiness. My only (minor) gripe is that the low six-finger D note doesn’t have the quite the same clear bell tone that the rest of the scale produces. It sounds just a hair muted. On the other hand, the six-finger low note handles diaphragm vibrato beautifully.
Ian
I’ll second the suggestion of getting a low-F. Both F and Bb are common keys, especially for non-soprano female singers. Having a whistle that plays in both is very handy indeed.
My Chieftain low-F gets a lot of use, and the mellow tone also makes it a favorite practice whistle.
I’ve played a few Bb whistles in my time and currently own a Dixon tunable and a Generation, plus a Bb keyless fife. Without getting too technical, cause I can’t, the Dixon is a great softer sound requiring a little more breath control. However, the Generation, I’ve had a few, is pretty faultless, cheap and sounds great. As a first Bb, the Generation, for it’s price is hard to beat.
Ditto Rab,
I have bought 3 Gen Bbs, and once I got used to the large R3 hole, I find in them all I need in a Bb whistle. Why pay more?
That said, if I was goign to invest, a Dixon would be my first place to look at.
I was vacationing in Victoria CA this summer and found a music store near downtown that allowed me to try out various whistles. I played around 15 Generation Bb’s and walked out with a really nice one for $5(US dollars)! It is really nice.
Generation Bbs are da bomb.
Chris
Order the Hoover and buy a Dixon to tied you over until it comes. If you don’t like the Hoover it will take you about five minutes to sell it on the board.
I have a Generation Bb you can have…oops too late. I see the garbage truck is backing up to the dumpster already. 
Doc
My GEN Bb is surprisingly ‘nice and flutey,’ but I might just have gotten lucky.
On 2002-09-04 09:45, Doc Jones wrote:
I have a Generation Bb you can have…oops too late. I see the garbage truck is backing up to the dumpster already. >Doc
Gee, my Bb was the only one of my complete Generation set that didn’t get fed to the square-mouthed kitchen monster!
John
I’ll tell ya something folks.If you learn how to fine tune your Bb gen ie adjusting finger holes and reducing the airway by blocking or the Stevie J shrink method for increased back pressure anyone can own one of the best Bb,s money can buy.Peace, Mike 
I probably should have mentioned that i already have 2 Bb’s a Dixon and a Generation. I like the Dixon well enough (although the bell note just irks me) but the Generation is just B-b-rutally B-b-ad (sorry).
My Water Weasel Bb is one of my favorite whistles. It has the tone of a low whistle, but plays like a high whistle. It’s a blast.
Just my 2 cents, I havn’t played any other Bbs but I have a Susato Kildare Bb and it is very mellow and fluty and taks minimal air.
Keith