Oak D - A review

Jim_B1 · Post by **Jim_B1** » Sun Nov 03, 2002 10:23 pm

Well, I was at Sam Ash today wandering around and saw this little lonely Oak D in the cabinet with all the Acorns (guess he grew up or was chaperoning or something) anyway, one of the other students in my whistle class has an Oak and I really liked the sound so I picked it up and have been playing with it most of the day so here are my first day impressions. Just as a fore word, the first thing I did when I got home with it was to scrub the mouthpiece with hot water and mild dish detergent because it was unwrapped in the case at the store and I've read a few issues with Oak having some chemical residue issues. Anyway, here's the review:

Build and Finish:
The first thing I noticed about this whistle is the weight. It feels very solid and is slightly heavier than my Feadog or Clarke. I liked the feel right away, it doesn't feel cheap. The finish is superb and I don't know how they could have made it any better. The chrome shaft and black fipple are very classy looking. It's definately and eye catcher.

Finger spacing and hole size:
The finger spacing and hole size is comperable to my Feadog with a very slightly larger 0X0000 hole (may be an optical illusion but it looks that way to me). Overall it's very comfortable and I only have problems with the lower two holes, most likely because I'm used to the Clarke with its conical shaft.

Playability and wind requirements:
The windway on the mouthpiece is perhaps 1/3 taller than the Feadog but looks to be about the same width. This whistle requires much more air control than either the Clarke or the Feadog. When I first started playing it, I was getting sqeeks and squaks all over the place, so much so that I almost gave up on it. Then, after an hour of playing around with it I started to get the hang of how it needs to be played and started to adjust to it. The lower octave requires very little air. The higher octave takes about the same amount as the low octave on the Clarke. There seems to be a third octave as well but I don't know how in tune it is but I can get 3 distinct octaves from G, F and E so I have at least a partial third octive that takes about as much air as the higher octave on the Clarke. The tone is absolutely beautiful on this whistle, if you play it right. A little too much air on the lower octave but not enough to push you to the higher octave will make it sound buzzy and squeeky and not at all nice but once you figure out the wind requirements, its great. For the lower octave I seem to do best with it if I keep a little air in my cheeks, not enough to puff out my cheeks, but enough to slow the wind velocity coming out of my lips, if this makes sense. This is the first whistle that I've tried that also allows some amount of volume control. The Clarke and the Feadog seem to just have on and off, meaning if you blow less air, the tone either disappears or gets squeaky or chiffy. The Oak's tone can get thinner as you blow less air in so you can effectivly quiet the whistle in the lower octave simply by blowing less. I have to play with this more but B - D seem to work OK by doing this. It does get more breathy sounding as you use less air but it will still play the notes without cracking them which is nice.

Overall:
This is a really nice whistle.

The Pros: Inexpensive (I paid $11 for it), Can be played loud or soft to some extent, Is absolutly beautiful in finish, Has an absolutely excellent tone, is very well built.

The Cons: Needs good wind control, (tough for a person that has never played a whistle before, better for someone who has a few tunes under their belt), Possible issues with chemical residue on the mouthpiece that a few people posted about but I personally haven't come across, All your friends will want it.

This whistle may well become my favorite. It's definately a contender.

Hope this helps anyone looking at the Oaks.
Thanks for reading,

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Sun Nov 03, 2002 10:38 pm

Jim, that was well written, and it mirrors exactly my experience with my own Oak whistle.

For what it's worth, I haven't had any of the chemical residue problems others have encountered.

I like my Oak very much, and is a very frequently played whistle.

Also, when I'm playing the tunes on the Virtual Session, it is precisely in tune and just the right volume, which is handy.

Best,

--James
http://www.flutesite.com

Ridseard · Post by **Ridseard** » Sun Nov 03, 2002 10:58 pm

Jim, thanks for giving a thorough review of this beautiful whistle. Due to the low air requirement in the bottom octave, I think a lot of people just don't give the Oak a chance to show it's stuff. It has a unique and very lovely tone, which I've not heard from any other whistle. It is, indeed, a wonderful instrument.

jim stone · Post by **jim stone** » Sun Nov 03, 2002 11:03 pm

I like 'em, too.

JohnPalmer · Post by **JohnPalmer** » Sun Nov 03, 2002 11:22 pm

When talking to Pat O'Riordan, his view was that if I already played an Oak D whistle, then I didn't need one of his high D's. I have always loved playing Oaks. They play in tune, have a great sound, and are inexpensive. My view: If you can't play one, then you need to learn how, but spend more than just ten minutes with it before you give up on it. But you might have to buy a couple to find a decent one.

JP

FJohnSharp · Post by **FJohnSharp** » Mon Nov 04, 2002 12:04 am

This is why I cannot give up on Oaks, despite the plastic problem. I hope that when they solve it I can get another one. It's my favorite cheap one so far.

kevin m. · Post by **kevin m.** » Mon Nov 04, 2002 1:46 am

Hi Jim,Pleased that you like your Oak.I think that they are an extremely classy whistle for the money-as you say, the weight and extra chrome finish give them a feel and appearance way above their relatively low cost.I enjoy playing mine as an alternative to my old Generation (and the Clarke,the Doolin etc.,etc)I understand that Micho Russell used to play one that he picked up during a tour of America,so,what's good enough for Micho...(!).

madguy · Post by **madguy** » Mon Nov 04, 2002 9:14 am

I have two Oak Ds, one of which is a dog, the other which is my absolute favorite cheapo. I also have a C, which is as good as my great D. Never had the trouble with the "numbing" effect (imagination?

)...

The Oak is a fantastic sounding whistle, but it does take some good breath control and getting used to.

BTW and FEI, "The Complete Irish Tin Whistle Tutor"' by L.E. McCullough, has an Oak D on the cover, so how bad an instrument can it be?

~Larry

TelegramSam · Post by **TelegramSam** » Mon Nov 04, 2002 9:17 am

I love my Oak D. It's my absolute favorite whistle.

I still don't know what the deal is with the chemical-lips thing people talk about. It never bothered me, but then, I got mine last december so maybe it was an older one. I don't find the breath control all that difficult, actually. My clare 2 pc dealie is worse (probably because each note requires a slightly different amount of air pressure to make it sound not crappy. It's a touchy little thing...)

The only problem is once you get used to the next-to-nothing air requirement, playing other whistles can be a bit of a struggle until you get used to having to blow again...

FJohnSharp · Post by **FJohnSharp** » Mon Nov 04, 2002 9:48 am

"BTW and FEI, "The Complete Irish Tin Whistle Tutor"' by L.E. McCullough, has an Oak D on the cover, so how bad an instrument can it be?"

Yes but he plays a Gen on the CD. I figure he needed a sponsor.

madguy · Post by **madguy** » Mon Nov 04, 2002 9:49 am

Good point, Telegram Sam, about getting used to changing how you blow after playing your Oak! Hadn't thought of that before you mentioned it!!

~Larry

steve · Post by **steve** » Mon Nov 04, 2002 2:00 pm

I believe that the publishing company of that book is Oak Publishing (the oak logo is on the back of the book) Oaks have a sweet sound and are tough to boot.

Bretton · Post by **Bretton** » Mon Nov 04, 2002 2:10 pm

Another vote for the Oak...

My Oak is one of my favorites as well. I've had two of them and they are both great whistles. They do take some getting used to...but they have a really nice sound and blend well with other instruments. Even though they're not loud whistles they seem to have a tone that get's through.

-Brett

Jim_B1 · Post by **Jim_B1** » Tue Nov 05, 2002 8:46 am

Update: Into day three with the Oak. Still infatuated with it. As far as going from one whistle to another from it, last night I was practicing with the Feadog, Oak and Clarke and I find that my ability on the Feadog is better after playing the Oak. My Feadog is my least favorite whistle and still is buzzy in the low D and the higher octave is still screetchy but after playing the Oak for a couple of days, I think my breath control is better so the Feadog is playable at least. Also, because the body of the Oak is so similar, the fingerings carry over exactly. As far as the Clarke goes, I love the flutey, woody sound better than the more pure tones of the Oak. I'd say it has more character. If I had to choose between the Oak and the Clarke I think it would really depend on how I'm feeling that day and what song I want to do. The Oak is much better and easier in the higher octave and I think the fingerings are a little easier for fast songs. The clarke is a more soulful whistle that is great for slow ballads when you don't need lots of volume. The Feadog is way behind both of them in that it doesn't have character or a pure sound going for it. I guess that's my glovebox whistle.

Anyway, Hope this helps anyone that is on the fence about buying an Oak. This one is a really good addition to anyone's stable of whistles in my opinion.
Take care,
-Jim

FJohnSharp · Post by **FJohnSharp** » Tue Nov 05, 2002 11:28 pm

Plus, with their heft, you can beat off wild dogs with them if necessary.