Tell me about your Feadog MKIII ...

Jerry Freeman · Post by **Jerry Freeman** » Tue Apr 29, 2003 6:42 am

I would like to know how consistent in quality the Feadog Mark III whistles are.

If you have one, please tell me about it. Is it great? Is it not so great? What's good about it? What's not so good about it?

Thanks!
Jerry

(For identification, the Mark III doesn't have a bump on the windcutter blade ramp; the Mark II does have a bump.)

burnsbyrne · Post by **burnsbyrne** » Tue Apr 29, 2003 6:59 am

Jerry,
I have a MkIII brass D with a green head. I love the sound of this whistle but... The holes have raised edges and I think that's what makes it difficult for me to get a good seal. No matter what I do I get all kinds of squeeks and squawks and I've given up on it. The last time I tried it (yesterday, BTW) it also had a windy sound in the upper octave that increased in volume up to the high B. I have had the head on my brass Generation D for a while and the combination, while not particularly distinguished, is solid and easy to play.
Mike

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Tue Apr 29, 2003 7:07 am

I have two.

The first was pretty bad...squeaky, not horribly responsive, louder / shriekier in the 2nd octave than any Susato ever thought about being, and the second octave G would always "split octaves," producing a horrible buzzing.

It did tweak up fairly nice, but took a lot of tweaking, and really wasn't worth the time for the end result.

The second is a good whistle, has a lot in common with my Oak, very chiffy, little "chiffy-pop" attacks on notes, clean 2nd register, much better balance between registers, no high G "buzz" although high G still sounds a bit harsh to my ears, first octave like an Oak takes pretty good breath control.

It's a great whistle for fast dance music but wouldn't be my first choice for slower pieces.

--James

Jerry Freeman · Post by **Jerry Freeman** » Tue Apr 29, 2003 7:11 am

When you say, "First octave needs pretty good breath control" do you mean you need to be careful not to overblow because the bottom two notes will break too easily into the upper register? Or something else?

(Thanks for the info, BTW. This is very helpful.)

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Tue Apr 29, 2003 7:16 am

Jerry Freeman wrote:When you say, "First octave needs pretty good breath control" do you mean you need to be careful not to overblow because the bottom two notes will break too easily into the upper register? Or something else?

(Thanks for the info, BTW. This is very helpful.)

It's got a strong low register and a strong bell note. I like that.

It does tend to flip octaves easily on the low D, unless you blow it like an Oak: a lot of slow moving air. If you underblow, pitch drops.

This isn't a problem for me but I would imagine it would drive a new learner to abstraction.

Of the two, I much prefer the Oak.

By the way, both the Oak and the Feadog improve in tone after they get thoroughly warmed up...say after about fifteen minutes of pretty continuous play. The tone sweetens but both whistles remain very chiffy on note attacks with that little popping sound that I've learned to love in a whistle.

--James

Jerry Freeman · Post by **Jerry Freeman** » Tue Apr 29, 2003 7:27 am

Mike,

You might try taking some #300 or #400 finishing paper to the tube of that whistle.

That will knock down any raised edges around the toneholes. You can fold or bend the finishing paper and work inside the toneholes to round the edges a little too, if needed. That little bit of sanding shouldn't affect the pitch.

If it's a brass tube, you can sand the whole tube to remove the lacquer and leave a nice brushed finish. If it's a nickel plated tube, the paper won't have much effect except on the raised edges around the toneholes. You have to sand very hard to cut through nickel plating.

Best wishes,
Jerry

Isilwen · Post by **Isilwen** » Tue Apr 29, 2003 7:32 am

I just got my MK III last night, and so I haven't had a whole lot of time to noodle around on it, but it seems like a pretty good little whistle. Every once in a while, it will make this small, squeaky-pop when fingering fast; probably b/c I'm not getting a good seal on it. That can be fixed, however.

It's got a nice lower register, with a strong bell-note. The tuning is right on compared to some of my other whistles, and it is sweet to the ears. It's got just enough chiff, and overall, it's a nice little whistle.

burnsbyrne · Post by **burnsbyrne** » Tue Apr 29, 2003 9:42 am

Jerry Freeman wrote:Mike,

You might try taking some #300 or #400 finishing paper to the tube of that whistle.

That will knock down any raised edges around the toneholes. You can fold or bend the finishing paper and work inside the toneholes to round the edges a little too, if needed. That little bit of sanding shouldn't affect the pitch.

If it's a brass tube, you can sand the whole tube to remove the lacquer and leave a nice brushed finish. If it's a nickel plated tube, the paper won't have much effect except on the raised edges around the toneholes. You have to sand very hard to cut through nickel plating.

Best wishes,
Jerry

Thanks for the tips, Jerry. I'll give it a try this evening. I was afraid to take sandpaper to it but using 400 grit paper makes sense.
Mike

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Tue Apr 29, 2003 9:50 am

(For identification, the Mark III doesn't have a bump on the windcutter blade ramp; the Mark II does have a bump.)

I am pretty sure the one I had had a bump. It's already sent out so I'm not sure.

On the same vein...does anybody know what make of Feadógs The Whistle Shop sells? Mk III, I assume, because they're newer but the ones pictured look like Mk II (to me).

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Tue Apr 29, 2003 10:18 am

You're right Cran, the picture on The Whistle Shop website is definitely a Mark II with the bump.

I'd guess that Thom hasn't changed the picture since the Mark II came out over a year ago, but if you buy one now it should be a Mark III, unless he has still got old Mark IIs in stock.

Ridseard · Post by **Ridseard** » Tue Apr 29, 2003 10:23 am

Mine's a brass one with the standard tweaks.

Playability. Exceptionally good for a Gen-type. Strong lower register. Doesn't jump octaves when you don't want it to. Fast response. Clean octave transitions. Moderate breath requirements.

Intonation. About as good as it gets.

Tone. Forget it. The upper octave has an unpleasant dry, breathy tone, which borders on harshness. This is not what I want to hear when I play whistle. I much prefer the bright, clear sound of a good Gen or even a Susato.

HDSarah · Post by **HDSarah** » Thu May 01, 2003 7:09 pm

I think mine's a Mark III -- can you tell from the avatar picture? I bought it new less than a year ago but I guess it could have been old stock at the time.

I'm a beginner, without a whistle collection for comparison, so my comments may not be much help, but here goes:

When I first got mine, it sounded truly horrid in most of the second octave. I noticed that several of the holes (can't remember exactly which ones) had visible flashing sticking out on the inside of the tube, as if the holes hadn't been punched cleanly. I cleaned it up with my Leatherman and it was instantly MUCH better. The only other "tweak" I did, months later, was to loosen the head and move it out, because it was sharp. I think it's pretty well in tune with itself.

I still think it sounds a little raspy on the upper notes of the second octave, but that could well be me more than the whistle. Overall, I'm happy with it. I don't have trouble with octave changes, so it must be pretty good in that respect, given that I'm a beginner. Patrick played it briefly and thought it was a decent whistle, and I thought it sounded better when he played it than when I do, which reinforces my instinct that it's me and not the whistle that is to blame for any problems. As for tone, well, I haven't developed my preferences yet (haven't listened to enough different whistles yet!) but it sounds like a whistle to me.

Sarah

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Thu May 01, 2003 7:20 pm

Sarah, yes that Mk III in your avatar pic.

I doubt the Whistle Shop still sells Mk IIs, and you can always specify Mk III and get the right one.

Jerry Freeman · Post by **Jerry Freeman** » Thu May 01, 2003 7:26 pm

I asked Thom at the Whistle Shop about this a couple of weeks ago, and he assured me that all their Feadogs are Mark III now.

Isilwen · Post by **Isilwen** » Thu May 01, 2003 11:07 pm

I've had my Mk III for about a week now, and either I'm getting used to the whistle, or the whistle is getting better with use...