amplifier? pignose?

[Tony]

Bill, have you considered a louder whistle... like the Tully Oomph?

http://www.tullberg.com/tully/whistles.html

[BillChin]

Interesting how everyone interprets the same posts. I am glad for the busker's real life input. The 5 watt Pignose sounds ideal for that application. More weight means less portability, and more chance of a mishaps if a quick exit is needed for whatever reason.

I have never heard of the Tully Oomph. That brand doesn't get much coverage here. $150 is a lot for a single purpose whistle and they are backordered until July 2006. I thought my Susato was loud, and it is compared to some of my others (Hoover, Clarke, Elfsong). If I play the latter three brands outdoors in the lower register without amplification, I might as well paint my face and pretend I'm a mime . They just don't have the volume to be heard.

My Chieftain is noticeably louder than the Susato, especially in the lower register. Frequent readers know that I mostly perform my own original tunes, and most of that is lower register material, so the Chieftain is good news.

Like I said, at this point, I doubt I'll purchase an amp or a louder whistle. Most venues I play at have amplification. I don't plan on much busking. I also would have to figure how many days/weeks of busking it would take to earn back the cost of the amp. Busking is one activity where playing playing familiar covers and traditional songs is highly desirable. Unfortunately, covers and known songs are not where my desire or talent lie--creating original music is my gift. Ah well, one more toy that I can live without (actually three more toys counting the Pignose, the Tully, and the flute option).
+ Bill

[Miwokhill]

Bill, Just wondering what kind of mic. you are using? Interesting the point made by Wombat about the Shures. Also what s1mOn mentioned about the Radio lapel mic. made me remember reading that these are supposed to be good for recording acoustic guitars by putting them inside the guitar and sticking the clip into the truss rod adjustment nut- the hole of it- the article I read prefered this mic above all others, AKG C1000s etc. -mike

[Jeferson]

Bill, Just wondering what kind of mic. you are using?

Mike, if you go back and read Bill's first post, you'll find the answer to your question.

Jef

[BillChin]

Bill, Just wondering what kind of mic. you are using? Interesting the point made by Wombat about the Shures. Also what s1mOn mentioned about the Radio lapel mic. made me remember reading that these are supposed to be good for recording acoustic guitars by putting them inside the guitar and sticking the clip into the truss rod adjustment nut- the hole of it- the article I read prefered this mic above all others, AKG C1000s etc. -mike

Sony ECM DS70P, it is t-shaped and designed for use with Minidisc players and the like. Retails for about $60. I use it with my Sony voice recorder and find it to be very good for that application. It comes with a short extender cord with a clip.
+ Bill

[Miwokhill]

Jef, Thanks. I did overlook the obvious source of this info! mike - - - -thanks too, Bill!

[BrassBlower]

Thanks for all the replies. So far not a one that is using the Pignose and is happy with it.

Hmm, the impression I got was not that folks are unhappy with the pignose, but rather, unhappy with the idea of amplification. Byll spoke of using one in the studio and I've had a Hog 30 (for bass) for a couple of years that works great in a lot of situations. As others have said, there are more expensive alternatives, but if the Pignose is all you need, it works.

I bought a small Pignose amp recently, and am perfectly pleased with it. It is probably true that the distortion is a product of passive pickups on the instrument and a maxed-out volume knob on the Pig.

However, I think you're right. Whether or not you use amplification depends largely on who else is playing. For example, if you're the lone whistler in a session with 3 squeezeboxes, 2 tenor banjos and a Hardanger fiddle, go ahead and use the Pig on your whistle. If you're playing with a guitarist, you may want to go unplugged and let the guitarist plug into the Pig.