In Praise of the Mighty OAK

[ThomasNashJohnson]

Hello There

When I started whistling a couple of years, like many before me I started with the ubiquitous Generation High D. I had a truly dreadful red top brass one and a fair to middling blue top nickel one (I've since revisited these again and despite my improvement as a whistler, my opinion is not changed)

A Shaw High D, took too much air and I loathed how soggy the wood block was after a long session with it.

A Feadog brass High D was horribly sharp.

A Walton's Little Black High D was feeble (in tone and construction)

A Dixon Trad nickel High D was very nice but the head cracked sadly.

A Susato small bore High D was vile beyond belief in many ways.

A Chieftain High D could easily be used as a sonic weapon in times of war, and one almost lost a lung to get the upper end of the second octave.

But last week I was in a music shop in Manchester and I picked up an OAK High D, I was expecting something Generation like but this beauty is a complete and utter revelation. The mouthpiece and tube feel much more substantial and better finished than other whistles of a comparable cost. It has a beautiful tone (the bell note is superb) the intonation is spot on (to my ears anyway) it reaches the second (and part of a third) octave with little effort.

It's a joy to play, so much so I've ordered another D and two High C's (if only there was an OAK Bb)

Does anyone else here share my opinion of these whistles?

Do any top players favour them (and could you point me in their direction)?

[Ted]

I have an early Oak D from the early 1980's. Still a favorite. I tried a few Oak C whistles over the years, but was disappointed. Not the same animal as the D.

[stanton135]

I love my Oak C. Best cheapie C whistle out there, IMO. Well, except maybe for the Feadóg Pro, which I haven't tried. I love the voicing, the tone, and the higher-quality construction. I did put some tape on to fix a sharp XXX OOO, though. Indeed it's a pity that Oak only makes a D and C. I'm making a mental note to try the D, now that I've heard what you think of it!

"A Feadóg brass high D was horribly sharp."
Forgive me if I'm asking the obvious, but...did you try pulling the mouthpiece out a bit to bring the whistle down to concert pitch? I ask because my Feadóg D tube is my favorite cheapie tube, in terms of tuning.

[retired]

My first whistle was (is) an Oak D - will never part with it. Perfect ? No, but a very enjoyable whistle.

[ThomasNashJohnson]

Indeed it's a pity that Oak only makes a D and C. I'm making a mental note to try the D, now that I've heard what you think of it!

"A Feadóg brass high D was horribly sharp."
Forgive me if I'm asking the obvious, but...did you try pulling the mouthpiece out a bit to bring the whistle down to concert pitch? I ask because my Feadóg D tube is my favorite cheapie tube, in terms of tuning.

I would really like an OAK in Bb that would be sublime I'm sure.

As for the Feadog I did attempt that but was unable to budge the head, I've since read on here about the 'hot water' method for head removal but I'd given the whistle away by then.

[ThomasNashJohnson]

Perfect ? No

I concur entirely, but it's much nearer to 'perfection' than any other I've tried (that will do for me)

[ThomasNashJohnson]

Can anyone tell me please, are ACORN whistles from the same company that manufacture the OAK? The mouthpiece looks identical and obviously the names are closely related.

[Billgh]

I got two new high D whistles in the mail today, an Oak and a Jerry Freeman Bluebird. My initial impressions are that they are more similar than different. I believe they use the same tube for instance. I was looking for the Freeman to be a little bit better than the Oak, and I think it is, but I was looking for the Oak to be close, and it definitely is. Additional playing time may change my assessment one way or the other but at present I am satisfied with both whistles and astonished at the quality of the Oak for roughly one third the price of the Bluebird, which is a steal in it's own right. I've owned several other very cheap whistles and the Oak blows them all away.

[Lars Larry Mór Mott]

Love (and agree with) your opinion of the Chieftain high D
I have had the misfortune (twice) sitting next to those eye watering eardrum piercers in sessions.

[ThomasNashJohnson]

Love (and agree with) your opinion of the Chieftain high D
I have had the misfortune (twice) sitting next to those eye watering eardrum piercers in sessions.

Thankfully you lived to tell the tale.

[emmdee]

I bought an Oak when I was in Vancouver, just for the crack. Oh dear...

Absolutely fine, up to the second F#, then raspy as all hell the rest of the way up. Ugh. I tried footering with the mouthpiece, the blutac fix, sanding the blade. Frankly, I'm pretty useless at that sort of thing and I didn't improve it one bit. Still, only 10 bucks up the Swannee, I thought.

However! A generation Eb redtop fits the tube perfectly. It's not super loud, but it's a nice whistle for playing in the house, and I have the bonus of a D/Eb combo which I can take anywhere without worrying about either of them getting damaged. I particularly like it for slower tunes.

On balance, a good buy. If you are allowed to play a few before buying to weed out the rotten ones, then do. The dude in Vancouver didn't let me for "reasons of hygiene", but in fairness he looked like he only really sold guitars. Everything else was just 'stuff'

m.d.

[Flywhistler]

Can anyone tell me please, are ACORN whistles from the same company that manufacture the OAK? The mouthpiece looks identical and obviously the names are closely related.

Yes, they are. Same manufacturer and same mouthpiece.

[maki]

Oak is my fave cheapy, by far.
I don't believe the examples I owned were in the
same class as a Bluebird.

[p51baby]

I love the high D for my Oak, but the C was disappointing. My Oak is my car whistle as I have one in case I'm stuck at a traffic light.

[megapop]

As for the Feadog I did attempt that but was unable to budge the head, I've since read on here about the 'hot water' method for head removal but I'd given the whistle away by then.

Hot water wouldn't have helped either as the head isn't glued actually. What you need is a tight grip or the right momentum. Just in case you might get another Feadóg some day, and in defence of this fine whistle, here's a thread on mouthpiece removal.