The best C Natural seems to be OXXXOX -- you can currently order a Cn Thumbhole to finger an in-tune C Natural for an extra $10USD. The low register of the whistle also holds its own, with the low D having above average volume and projection.

The top part of this black, tunable whistle appears to be two halves fused together of two molded polymer piece. At the bottom of this piece is a brass tuning slide allowing for a very generous tuning range. The bottom half appears to be constructed of a single polymer piece -- the Tony Dixon logo is imprinted in the top portion and, at the foot of the whistle, two decorative lines have been carved in above which is the letter 'D' denoting the key the instrument is in.

Although it carries a very pure tonal quality, this whistle is very idiosyncratic in it's tuning. The only Cnat is OXXOOO -- the other fingering (OXXXOX) which can pass as a C natural on most whistles is actually closer to a B on the Dixon... as a result, you must use the above fingering or half-hole your B. One of the more sought after characteristics of a whistle (for me at least) is when you begin a phrase on a high E, depending on air flow, the note will crack into the third octave; I've found that whistle tends to do this fairly easily, so excellent initial breath control is required. Outside of that, the whistle plays exceptionally well -- average volume on your low D, E and F; however, the high D, E and F don't break into the third octave easily and, thus, can be blown to a wide dynamic range.

Not really a whistle for a beginner... Then again, if you're using to playing the alternate Cnat fingering, you may have a hard time adjusting to this whistle as I did. That being said, in the hands of a master, this whistle can sound absolutely stellar with a sweet and pure tone -- DarthWeasel uses this as his regular High D in our sessions and I'm always amazed at the music he makes with it.

A good starter whistle if you can't find a Clarke Sweetone in the same store and you can't wait another day to pick one up. However, I was able to obtain a full set of six Generation whistles (one in each key) for about $40, which is why I have them in my collection. Much like Feadógs, one out of one-hundred you'll find an absolute gem... I got fairly lucky with my Bb whistle, but the poor finish of the windway area really kills the quality of sound.

To begin with, the whistle is loud which you wouldn't expect for something that's smaller than what you're used to seeing in terms of diameter, but it's a close runner up to a Sweetheart when it comes to volume -- definitely good for outdoors playing. The fipple has a chiff to it and the whistle produces a clear, responsive tone with a hint of breathiness... The only con of the whistle that I can distinguish is (this is audible in the sample recording) as I reached for the High A near the end of the tune, it sounded slightly sharp. Outside of that, I couldn't help but enjoy pulling this whistle out at session and showing it off to friends at a tional I attended in Philadelphia -- everyone there was pleased with the music it produced!

A bit like the Busman, the upper octave requires a bit of extra air pressure even though there's still that really high back-pressure, it's an odd 'feel', but the sound, without a doubt, is lovely. The tone is blessedly pleasant on the ears in the upper octave as the sound it produces is quite warm and all-around a pleasure to listen to. The lower octave volume is average and you will require the OXXOOO fingering for the Cnat as OXXXOX will blow a few cents flat. I want to stress the tone of the instrument -- the best word I can come up with is 'subdued' in so far as when you're wailing in the upper register, even though it's not killing your ears, it's got the volume, it's got a great woody tone and it's, for lack of better words, exceptionally musical.

At first I was a bit put off by the tone -- I was so used to playing my Burke that I was initially puzzled by the exceptionally woody sound... Then I remembered exactly what it is I was playing. ;) As advertised, the sound is solid across both octaves -- the low range is louder than any other whistle I've heard and, though the high A and B require a bit more air than usual to push out, the tone isn't as hard on the ears as other whistles. With low back pressure and above average breath requirements, I initially found myself having to take deeper breaths as I played; however, this whistle actually contains a quality I haven't found in any other whistle: the high E note doesn't crack with too much air flow. On the contrary, I was able to put as much air through my high E as I was any other note and was actually able to hear the E about to *barely* break and could adjust... You can't really do that with other whistles. Just to make one thing certain... It's loud -- definitely great for noisy sessions or outdoor play. This will be my staple whistle come Ren Faire season.