Kypfer wrote:I don't have one of their whistles, but I do have one of their "Yamaha-lookalike" fifes. Although they are externally visually very similar, they are dimensionally and constructionally (marginally) different. That's not to say one is better or worse than the other, but one might argue that the Ferris fife is simply manufactured to look like a Yamaha, but not a to be a direct copy. It would be interesting to know if this is also true of their whistles in relation to the Susato instruments.
Thanks, Kypfer. I've also seen the fifes on eBay from Woodnote and Smart. They've been available for some time now, maybe not as long as the recorders though. I haven't bought one. I really don't "need" another fife.
When I have the Woodnote whistles in my hand I'll be able to compare measurements against the Susatos that I have here. Then I'll do the same with the Smart when it arrives.
Feadoggie
I've proven who I am so many times, the magnetic strips worn thin.
I received the C/D Woodnote whistles today. I am traveling this weekend so I do not have time to do a detailed review today. But I will say that they are physically different from the Susatos I have here (slightly older models). I'll say more when I have time to play them a bit.
Feadoggie
I've proven who I am so many times, the magnetic strips worn thin.
Attending the NAMM show yesterday, I came across the Jinan Smart booth. Naturally, I stopped to have a go on the Smart whistles, D and C. I'll post comments over on the original Smart whistle thread, with a link from here.
I had an hour to play a C and D pair Woodnote whistles today along side a pair of Susato Kildares. Here's my take on the Woodnote compared to the Susatos. The Woodnotes cost me $9.99 each including shipping. I remember that the first Susato Kildare D and C whistles I purchased many years ago cost $12 and $14 then. They now run $43 MSRP each. So that’s a big cost gap. Of course one is made in the US and the other is not. My interest was just to see how similar or different they may be to each other.
Design and Construction - There is a definite resemblance between the Woodnote and the Kildare. From a few feet away you probably could not tell the difference between the two. The overall design of the two whistles is quite similar. If you have seen the pictures of the Woodnote or Smart whistles on eBay then you've probably done the double take. The heads are made with a similar layout. But there are differences, some obvious and some subtle. The head on the Woodnote has flat sides and that is the most obvious visual difference between the two brands. More subtle differences include a marginally wider but lower windway on the Woodnote. And as you would expect from that, the Woodnote has a marginally wider window. The depth is similar. The sides of the window on the Susato are not straight up and down but angle out from the window. The Woodnote has straight sides. The plug on the Woodnote shows the same tab and slot at the bottom of the plug to keep it aligned just as on the Susato. The overall length of the upper head is similar. But the Woodnote has a slightly longer beak undercut which feels less stubby than the typical Susato beak. The socket end of the head shows that the Woodnote allows for just a little more travel than does my Susato. But that may have changed on more recent Susato models. The top of the Woodnote body has deep grooves combed into the plastic – no o-rings. The fit of the body in the Woodnote head is good and does not slip or stick. Bores are similar. The bodies are of similar length, physics being what it is. Hole sizes are similar if not identical (I’ll measure them some other time). I would think that whoever designed the Woodnote whistle had a good look at a Susato before they made their molds.
Materials, fit and finish - The plastic of the Woodnote is a bit lighter in color than the Susato, looking somewhat grayer or dark blue. But the material seems to be the same ABS. There is no discernible difference in weight between them. The Woodnote shows more markings from the molding process than the Susato. There are obvious parting lines along the sides of both the head and the body of the Woodnote whistle. The Susato finish is certainly smoother and more polished. The faux ring at the bottom of the Woodnote body is less rounded than that of the Susato and the plastic is a bit rough.
The finger holes on the Woodnote have very straight walls and are not finished on the outside of the tube. They are not rough feeling but are more noticeably sharp under the finger pads than the Susato which has a nice beveled edge on each hole.
Tuning – This was tough to judge. I was traveling this weekend and did not have a tuner or recording device with me. I think the Susato has good tuning. It’s one reason I have liked them over the years. The Woodnote seems similar at first but I tried an experiment where I tuned the A on each D whistle so that they did not beat when played together at the same time. Then I tested each note in sequence as best I could and beats did appear immediately. So they differ in tuning. The Susato sounds better tuned to me (but I’ve lived with Susatos for years now). Not a great analysis but enough to say they differ. I play the cross-fingered C natural with a OXXXOX fingering on the Susato. The Woodnote seemed quite flat with that fingering and OXXOOO sounded better. Again this is without a tuner to check either.
Playability – They play similarly overall. Each seems to use the same amount of air and require the same push for the second octave. The Susato has a slight but noticeable (to me) edge in response. I attribute this to the shaping on the holes. I’d be surprised if many other players would feel this as a significant difference.
Timbre – The tonal difference between the two whistles is fairly noticeable. The Susato has a unique sound. Many don’t like it. They say it sounds plastic-ish or recorder-ish. That description is lost on me but I recognize the Susato sound as its own. It sounds smooth to me. The Woodnote lacks that smoothness. It has an edge. It’s not bad at the low end but it becomes more pronounced as you go up the scale. The top of the second octave is not pleasant to me. I did a little blind test where I was handed a different whistle with my eyes closed and I could easily tell which were the Susato and which were the Woodnote. Again not very scientific but there is a difference there.
So, I still like the Susato. That’s not going too change. The Woodnote isn’t a flat out stinker (I’ve played worse) but it’s also not something I’d recommend to anyone. At the Woodnote's price point, I'd rather recommend a Gen, Feadog or Sweetone. It's not a direct substitute for a Susato Kildare. Maybe it’s a whistle to take camping if you don’t care if it melts in the camp fire or to go kayaking and ends up in the ocean when you dump the boat. It is loud and could serve as a signal whistle if you get lost and could handle a tune or two as well. You decide.
Feadoggie
I've proven who I am so many times, the magnetic strips worn thin.
My C whistle arrived today and I like it as much as the D. I am not a talented musician and I realize my opinion is probably worth less than nothing. But for the benefit of beginners (since I will probably never advance beyond "beginner") I will give my opinion anyway. I have a Generation C, Walton's Little Black Whistle D, Walton's D in brass, Acorn D, two Oak's in D, 2 Megs in D, a Clarke's Sweetone, and Clarke C with diamond patterns. As a beginner I can say that I find all of these to be EXTREMELY difficult to play. If I had not purchased a Burke and a Busman I would have given up long ago. These two fine whistles make learning fun. But my experience with the Woodnote whistles is that they are very EASY to play. I personally suggest that someone who is just beginning who finds the list of "accepted" inexpensive whistles difficult to play might want to give one of the Woodnotes a try before giving up. I do own a Susato but it is a Low G so I can't really make comparisons with the high whistles.
As Johnny Storm would say "Flame On!"
A flock of crows can bring an eagle down...but it doesn't make the eagle any less.
I have to say, for less than 10 bucks delivered, I like mine. It's tuned spot on, and it's very easy to play to thye top of the second octave and then some. It also looks very nice.
On the downside, it has a pretty strong "plastic" smell, and I agree with Feadoggie. There is an "edge" to the upper register. It's not as sweet as my Dixon poly, that's for sure.
And for better or worse, it has plenty of volume. You probably could signal for help with it when your kayak gets swamped
I bought a set of these whistles on evilbay, they came in a high D and a high C they both came with leatherette cases and they cost £9.99 plus P+P , i know a lot of you guys frown upon buying cheap replicas but to a newbie like myself i am still testing the water so to speak, i have only been playing for 2 weeks and i would'nt know a good whistle if it poked me in the eye lol, all i want to do is make some music and sound reasonably good to give me the confidence to carry on learning, these whistles are no shortcut but they do instill a fair bit of confidence coz they sound good (to me), the intonation is pretty much bang on, i own a 'meg' a 'sweetone' and a 'Clarke original' but i have got to say that these cheap Ferris ones sound much nicer compared to the other whistles i own, yes, they sound different, much sweeter and yes, they are louder, they do take a bit more breath than say the original espescially when hitting the high notes but they do give me a bit more confidence when i am playing and they don't squak or squeak as much as my other whistles, the only thing i have found, is that to get to the higher octave on some notes takes a fair bit wind, i would still prefer my Clarke original for practice because it is much quieter than these whistles other than that and with a bit of practice the skys the limit i cannot fault them, if you are a newbie like myself and want something cheap but sounds good for the price you cannot go wrong, but be prepared for those high notes phew!!!!
Another guilty buyer here. I'm not much of a recorder player, but picked up a Woodnote tenor and sopranino for almost nothing a few years ago --- just to see if I cared enough to buy something better.
I have to say they're pretty darned good, and I enjoyed them while slowly coming to realize they were blatant ripoffs of someone else's design, (IMHO). To redeem myself, the soprano I soon bought is a Yamaha YRS-314BIII. (Very, very good).
Whistlewise, over the years, I've come to appreciate Susatos more and more. I'm not interested in buying anyone else's carbon-copy.
(Please don't make me explain carbon paper. I'm feeling pretty old this week).
Charlie Gravel
“I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.”
― Oscar Wilde
Well guys, I got one in c and after several months of dedicated playing I have decided the best thing i've done is place some putty/beeswax/clay and place it under the labium thus somewhat ''blunting'' the labium and make it sound a lot like a burke or a Dixon as well as the sweeeeet upper register, and it mostly removes the edge, and still keeps it an easy player. the more putty removed, the more, well, harsh the second octave is, but the first octave gets louder. it does lose a little volume but now it is about as loud sweetone/feadog, maybe a little louder? Either way in a loud session have the tweaked amplified, but if a microphone is not available, FORGET THE TWEAK! The second octave of this instrument is perfect for blending in the large session and no one can hear the hiss or harshness because of the loudness.
Hope this helped,
whistle-lover.
just saw this thread and just saw some days ago that one of my favorite "music-dealer" has 2 new whistles in his shop http://www.thomann.de/de/thomann_irish_whistle_d.htm (availyble also in C )
... so i checked the look of the susatos (dont have one) and think they look the same, dont they?
German Whistler wrote:just saw this thread and just saw some days ago that one of my favorite "music-dealer" has 2 new whistles in his shop http://www.thomann.de/de/thomann_irish_whistle_d.htm (availyble also in C )
... so i checked the look of the susatos (dont have one) and think they look the same, dont they?
Yes, the head on that whistle looks a lot more like a Susato head than do the Woodnote/Smart/Ferris versions. The whistles I referred to earlier in this thread have flat sides along the sides of the head which differentiate them visually from the Susato. The Thomann whistle looks to be finished in the same matte black of some of the Woodnote/Smart/Ferris products. That's a low price, I suppose.
So, have you bought one? Inquiring minds ... and all that.
Feadoggie
I've proven who I am so many times, the magnetic strips worn thin.
havent bought yet, just saw it some days ago and put it on a wishlist for later someday (even if the price IS realy very low, couldnt afford it now )
... but because i have no susato yet i couldnt even compare it
I have decided the best thing i've done is place some putty/beeswax/clay and place it under the labium thus somewhat ''blunting'' the labium and make it sound a lot like a burke or a Dixon as well as the sweeeeet upper register, and it mostly removes the edge, and still keeps it an easy player. the more putty removed, the more, well, harsh the second octave is, but the first octave gets louder. it does lose a little volume but now it is about as loud sweetone/feadog, maybe a little louder? Either way in a loud session have the tweaked amplified, but if a microphone is not available, FORGET THE TWEAK! The second octave of this instrument is perfect for blending in the large session and no one can hear the hiss or harshness because of the loudness.