I have one of Tony Dixon’s new tapered bore low D whistles. My first impression is that it is very good, and easy to play; if my first low D had been like this I would have learnt a bit faster. It has a good balance between the low and high notes, and seems reasonably loud - but I will try it at a session next week and report back on how that goes.
I am still making friends with it at present, but I will try to record some snips and take some pictures over the weekend.
We wait with bated breath!
BTW I’ve checked out Tony’s website and didn’t notice this new addition to his line yet. Does it have a model number and has the retail price been set?
Can you compare it to the older Dixon low D Aluminium tuneable? Any idea of the weight? I don’t see it on the site either.
It’s not shown on the site yet but it’s:
DX003 - Polymer Low Whistle
Same code as the previous cylindrical bore model, that one has been phased out and replaced with the new bore
It’s also available on Ebay:
Not quite, the one I have is the replacement for DX012 and its new model number will be TB012D.
Their website will be updated in the next few weeks, apparently.
Only if you send me one for comparison. 
I am not the person to answer that.
So yours is a tunable Phill?
I had read somewhere that the new tapered bore was only going to be available as a non tunable
Wonder if they will be doing other keys in the now bore, I’m currently looking for a new Low G
How do you find the bottom D & E Phill? I always found them very weak on the older cylindrical model
OK, folks. I got some time to record a sound sample this morning. No practice, no frills, and no post processing (well, I did ‘normalise’ the signal and remove a couple of false starts). This is meant to demonstrate the sound, rather than my lack of preparation . I have not made a sound clip available by this means before - please let me know if there are any technical difficulties.
So here are some more impressions of the whistle - I will know more when I have played it more, and I want to see how it copes at a session.
It looks pretty much like the other Tony Dixon plastic tunable whistles (hence no pictures). The taper on the bore is quite subtle. The internal diameter of the body drops from 21mm to 18mm (both approx). The only other Dixon whistle that I can reasonably compare this whistle to is the non-tapered plastic A, of which I am not too fond. I find the top notes on the A somewhat ‘scratchy’ and unpleasant, but the new low D has none of this roughness. I do need to ‘up’ the breath a little, and close my embouchure a little to control the upper notes, but they are pleasant to play. In the recording you will hear me reach the second C natural (0x0xx0) with little trouble. Even if this difference is the only consequence of the design change, then it is still a big step forward. But I could be comparing apples and pears…
The lowest notes are reasonably robust. No more fragile, relatively speaking, than a Copeland but not as solid as my Goldie-Overton. The notes are reliable though, and the breaking point quite clean and predictable. All the notes seem to pop out cleanly, and (at my competence level) the whistle seems very responsive to articulations (and mistakes 
).
I have not yet played the whistle into a tuner, but it sounds right to me. (I am using 0xx000 for the lower C nat).
The air requirements are a little higher than I personally prefer, nowhere near as much as, say, a Copeland, but it is definitely an ‘easy blower’. My first, and continuing, impression is of a very easy-to-play whistle. As I said above, this whistle would have sped my learning of the whistle had I had it four years ago. The fact that it needs no warming up, and is physically robust and beer-proof may see it getting more use than some of my more expensive whistles. Time will tell.
I think you may be able to order one of these whistles by phone, but it will be a while before their new website is up and running. The word from Tony Dixon is that this whistle is only available in low D - but with something that might have been a hint of plans to extend the tapered bore to other keys. There were hints as well of an upcoming ‘tunable tenor D with a brass tuning slide’.
I hope that helps answer some of the questions.
Cheers Phill, how much is it in the UK anyway?
I don’t know. Probably about the same as the current model. You could ask Tony Dixon…
Rereading my post I feel it comes across less positive than I actually feel about this whistle. I think the whistle is a very good balance between playability and range (from the low notes to the high ones). I greatly enjoy playing it, although how much is the ‘new whistle effect’ and how much is on its own intrinsic merit is hard to say until a week or two has passed.
Also, I forgot to mention that the head design has changed from the previous straight bore whistle. I cannot confirm this (never having played the previous model), but I think Tony said that the windway height had been reduced (increasing back pressure) and that the blade angle had been changed.
Phill, I really appreciate your feedback on Tony’s new Low D.
I had sent Tony an email inquiry and mentioned that we were wondering what the retail price might be. I’ll let the Forum know as soon as I have a reply.
Thanks Phil for the info and the awesome sound clip of the new Tony Dixon Low D whistle. You sound very good on it. The range of notes(highs and lows) sounds very good also. Happy whistling to you.
Scottie
But ‘is it tuneable’ Phill ?
Sorry, TroutMask, I thought I had answered that. Yes it is tunable; I think it is intended as a replacement for the DX012.
Thank you. I hope I did justice to the whistle, but I am only a beginner, really.
Thanks Phill
PS: ‘Beginner’ or not you sounded well on the clip
well, i will throw in my 3 cents…DrPhill, your sound clip is very good and i very much like the sound of the NEW Dixon low D and i think the old dixon low D of which i own has a much more breathy sound(woody)jmho tho…i like both!
http://www.tuxedomusic.com
Well, I took the whistle to a session last night, and it did alright. Not quite as loud as my Goldie-Overton, and slightly more breath required, but easy to play, and loud enough for me to hear. I forgot to ask the folks on the other side of the gaggle if they heard it - but they were smiling, so probably not 
. I was sat next to a loud (though good) strummer, and struggled to hear some of the melody from the other side of the gaggle. I am not sure that any of my whistles would have commanded attention…
(Maybe I need a WMD - weapon of musical dictatorship. Perhaps one of those stomach-steinways would do it. 
)
I played ‘Lament for the death of the rev Archie Beaton’ along with the fiddler who introduced me to the tune. I was pleased at the confidence that the whistle inspires - it is easy and predictable to play, and even the high C natural seemed to come easily. I also played it along ‘The Butterfly’, ‘The Merry Blacksmith’, ‘Pig Ankle Rag’, ‘King of the Fairies’ and ‘Rights of Man’. Not a bad night for me, really.
I think I will take this whistle to a few more sessions and see how it grows on me. If anyone is interested I will keep you posted.
Thanks, but be careful when comparing - I am never sure how much of the difference may come from playing or recording technique rather than the whistle itself.
Since the taper is so small, to what degree does this whistle have the benefits of in-tune octaves and easy reach?
I do not think that the use of a taper automatically makes for an easier reach whistle. Comparing the whistle hole spacings with my other low D whistles shows that within a couple of millimeters they all, bar one, have pretty similar hole positions/spacings. (The exception is the Bleazey, whose holes are closer together, and closer to the fipple). Hole sizes vary wildly, but positions not so much. From my own experiments with whistle making I would guess that a tapered bore provides an opportunity for different hole spacing/size compromises, but that this whistle sticks with fairly standard spacings.
As I said above, the nearest whistle I can compare this with in order to assess the effect of the taper is the old style Dixon A. I find the upper half of the second octave on the low D a lot more pleasant. Actually a pleasure to play, whereas I would avoid the same portion of the A whistle’s range. I have too little data to say how much this is due to design changes and how much is accidental.
I have not played into a tuner, or anything like flutini, so I cannot comment (yet) on the tuning. The tuning sounds fine to me (though that may not be a good guide). I guess you could run the recorded sample through Flutini (I may have a go later). In the recording I was not consciously trying to blow the whistle into tune (and I do not think I am good enough to blow it into tune unconsciously ) so that might be a reasonable representation.
HTH
I haven’t had any reply from Tony or his family (in the past I have assumed it was his spouse and daughter that have replied to my information inquires). Either they are not quite ready to do a public launch/disclosure or my rant on my first DX203 has come back to haunt me 
I had placed a similar inquiry with my very favourite whistle supplier here in Canada - Heritage Music and they did have some feedback from Dixon Whistles:
“We haven’t properly launched the new tapered bore tenor D’s as yet. Tony has a meeting with the webmaster next week so should be common knowledge after that. The tapered bore is only available on the tenor D in plastic across the range. … We have also improved the head and are launching another range entirely with all the new bodies and heads and a more prominent logo. These will be the TB range, using the same numbering.”
No pricing information has been mentioned as yet, but it would appear that after one more week more info will be available.