Just as an FYI, a 10 decibel reduction is perceived as half as loud. 5 decibel reduction (what's shown here) is about 70% as loud and is considered to be the threshold of "clearly noticable". Unintuitive, but that's how the log scale works!
Yup, I'm one of those who are very concerned about bothering the household when I play the whistle - so it limits my playing. I bought the nickel standard model Shush and REALLY like it. Beautiful, not shrill, well made, has some weight to it and very easy to play. If I need to be even quieter I take a plastic-coated paper clip and place it vertically in the windway in any whistle I have (or, even in the Shush), and that makes it extremely quiet, doesn't change the pitch, and doesn't really change the air volume required. (The plastic coating on the paper clip protects the whistle.) If this idea makes you cringe, then just do this with a good but not favorite whistle. I've not had any scratches or damage to my whistles doing this whatsoever and it reduces the volume dB significantly!
I tried the paperclip, right after I ordered a Shush Pro. One strand lowers the volume slightly, but putting two in using the smaller bend makes it extremely quiet! Then I bent the clip so it wouldn't fall out and I now have a super shushed whistle. Thanks for the tip. Hopefully my dog will stop howling! lol.
My wife will be thrilled! My two young boys have also started taking a loud interest in the tin whistle! Two classics and a pro for Dad may be in order....
Thanks for your review of the Shush whistles! I've been thinking about getting one for a while, but had not heard about the Pro. I have family members and pets that don't always appreciate the high whistle (my dog either barks at me or leaves the room). Thanks for your review! I like your candor and honesty. I ordered a Gary Humphrey whistle a few weeks ago, and am looking forward to its arrival.
To me it almost sounds like, especially in the Pro model, it's not that its that much quieter over all, but like it's been run through a compressor. The highest highs are kind of rounded off and warmer than the Humphrey. Really lovely, honestly. (Also, no I'm not accusing you of using a compressor to make the audio quieter lol)
Good ear, and this is exactly what makes it so clever - I only thought about it after I'd posted, but it's the fact that the really high end which is so shrill on regular whistles is brought more in line with the rest of the low/midpoints of the instrument. And to that end it's probably a boon to a recording engineer who would have to do far less post-production work to balance out the low and high octaves' respective volumes (i.e. compression). Ultimately the low end of most whistles is plenty quiet - it's the top half of the top octave that's ear bleeding.
Thanks for the review. I got the Shush Original and its perfect to practice with, quiet enough and pleasant sound. But I definitely need to have a louder whistle when playing with others.
I like your honest appraisal. From the video I could not tell how much better the Pro sounded but no doubt it did in person. In any case I liked the way the classic sounded so I ordered one.
Thanks for the review. I’m on the fence about buying a shush. I like the idea of having something quieter to practice with, but can’t tell from the videos how significant the difference is. I need to find someone near me who has one so I can hear in person.
I finally got my Shush classic and I agree it does sound and play very nicely. Thanks, Sean, for your help in reaching them. They did finally email me. I think your review helped get them lots of orders. However, one thing I think needs to be mentioned. ****I do not believe that the Classic is tuneable.**** On the Pro page it does mention that it is tuneable but nothing about tuning the Classic. I hope the Shush people do read my prior comments here and reply to inquiries and requests especially after orders.
Any whistle that has a separate head and body is tunable - sometimes the manufacturer glues the head to the body, so you just need to run it under some hot water and break the glue. But both the Shush Classic and Pro are fully tunable when you get it (i.e., not glued down.)
Maybe they sent you a tunable one but my classic mouthpiece is glued solidly to the head. The pro is described as being tunable. I can’t move it. Of course I can separate the head but it doesn’t seem like the one they sent to me was made tunable. Possibly they changed the design and I got one of the older ones?
@@jgarber235 Oh weird, I'm not sure why it would be glued, certainly no need as the fit is good without the glue. Yeah just run it under some hot (not boiling) water and it should loosen up.
Thank you for your videos! 👍 Would you recommend the Shush (Pro) just because of the lower volume or can it also compete in its price range in terms of sound and playability? 🤔
Have you ever found need for a louder instrument? My local session is pretty large (10 people) and whistle struggles to compete with violins, pipes, and violins. Was looking at the Gary Humphreys session or wide bore. Local whistle player uses a MacManus Session whistle and loves it
As regards performing with it mic'd: wouldn't the narrower dynamic range be beneficial, almost like a natural compression? I imagine the sound engineer would appreciate a more level volume going into the mic...
Just a caveat that Shush whistles has a strange way of doing business. As a result of this video I ordered directly from them to get one sent to me in the US at least three weeks ago and received one email saying the order was dispatched but then nothing. I replied to that email twice and and have not heard anything at all. If they want to stay in business I would think that a brief message explaining things would help a lot. I understand the complications with overseas shipments but at least some recourse would be welcomed. I worry if it drags on even longer and that they refuse to answer me. I don’t see any way to even telephone them. It sounds like a good whistle and too bad these folks have a terrible business sense. Reading some Facebook threads it sounds like it is a common thing. I just don’t understand. No matter if you are getting lots of orders I would think you could respond with a quick email.
Did same, then moved on to blue "fun tak" adhesive puddy, putting a jelly bean sized glob VERTICALLY across fipple. WAY quieter. Pitch lowered, yeah. But WAY quieter. Most notes perform fine.
Half that decibel level is basically the ambient noise of the room - if a whistle made that sound at half its current Db level it would be nearly as loud as a mouse's fart.
The only way to fully overcome that is with an electronic whistle. But with the Shush you can still reduce the sound quite a bit further with tape or blu tack. Overall though it is a lovely gentle sound for playing in a small room and with close neighbours.
just got my pro today and had to wait over 19 days for it to ship and go through customs. was super excited. but... sloppily glued. covered in glue residue (i'm assuming) full of dust or debris or acoustic compound is made of fragile lint and small yellow bits? also scratched on mouthpiece and body. anyone looking at this would call it embarrassing. havent tried it to hear what it sounds like because, based on appearance and the mysterious nature of the odd colored debris on it, i dont think i feel comfortable touching it with my mouth. VERY DISAPPOINTED. for this to get through quality control makes me feel insulted. when you spend one hundred dollars on the pro and they just toss you the reject one that looks like a Chinese forgery, it tells you how much they care. Oh and they're supposed to be tunable but the mouthpiece seems to be pretty clearly glued on. not sure why.
![Eminem - Fuel (feat. JID) [Official Lyric Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/t5H_CewqpKA/mqdefault.jpg)
Just as an FYI, a 10 decibel reduction is perceived as half as loud. 5 decibel reduction (what's shown here) is about 70% as loud and is considered to be the threshold of "clearly noticable". Unintuitive, but that's how the log scale works!
I was hoping someone who understood the dB scale better than I do would explain that - cheers!
Yup, I'm one of those who are very concerned about bothering the household when I play the whistle - so it limits my playing. I bought the nickel standard model Shush and REALLY like it. Beautiful, not shrill, well made, has some weight to it and very easy to play.
If I need to be even quieter I take a plastic-coated paper clip and place it vertically in the windway in any whistle I have (or, even in the Shush), and that makes it extremely quiet, doesn't change the pitch, and doesn't really change the air volume required. (The plastic coating on the paper clip protects the whistle.) If this idea makes you cringe, then just do this with a good but not favorite whistle. I've not had any scratches or damage to my whistles doing this whatsoever and it reduces the volume dB significantly!
I tried the paperclip, right after I ordered a Shush Pro. One strand lowers the volume slightly, but putting two in using the smaller bend makes it extremely quiet! Then I bent the clip so it wouldn't fall out and I now have a super shushed whistle. Thanks for the tip. Hopefully my dog will stop howling! lol.
My wife will be thrilled! My two young boys have also started taking a loud interest in the tin whistle! Two classics and a pro for Dad may be in order....
Thanks for your review of the Shush whistles! I've been thinking about getting one for a while, but had not heard about the Pro. I have family members and pets that don't always appreciate the high whistle (my dog either barks at me or leaves the room). Thanks for your review! I like your candor and honesty. I ordered a Gary Humphrey whistle a few weeks ago, and am looking forward to its arrival.
To me it almost sounds like, especially in the Pro model, it's not that its that much quieter over all, but like it's been run through a compressor. The highest highs are kind of rounded off and warmer than the Humphrey. Really lovely, honestly.
(Also, no I'm not accusing you of using a compressor to make the audio quieter lol)
Good ear, and this is exactly what makes it so clever - I only thought about it after I'd posted, but it's the fact that the really high end which is so shrill on regular whistles is brought more in line with the rest of the low/midpoints of the instrument. And to that end it's probably a boon to a recording engineer who would have to do far less post-production work to balance out the low and high octaves' respective volumes (i.e. compression). Ultimately the low end of most whistles is plenty quiet - it's the top half of the top octave that's ear bleeding.
RUclips compresses the audio to reduce file size, so that's probably what you're hearing
@@GoblinArmyInYourWalls Maybe, but It's not the same for the Humphrey.
I just received the Shush a couple of months ago. Definitely quiet and a keeper.
Thanks for the review! Any idea when the Pro version will be released? I couldn’t find it anywhere.
Just heard from the Shush folks - it's up on the site now!
@@whistletutor thanks for the update 👍
Thanks for the review. I got the Shush Original and its perfect to practice with, quiet enough and pleasant sound. But I definitely need to have a louder whistle when playing with others.
I like your honest appraisal. From the video I could not tell how much better the Pro sounded but no doubt it did in person. In any case I liked the way the classic sounded so I ordered one.
Instead of doing any of what you suggested, i ended up switching over to Low Whistle xD
They need to make them in more keeeeyyyys! Thank you for the review!
Are these Feadog whistles that have been modified?
This is great. I hope they offer some in other keys sometime
Thanks for the review. I’m on the fence about buying a shush. I like the idea of having something quieter to practice with, but can’t tell from the videos how significant the difference is. I need to find someone near me who has one so I can hear in person.
I finally got my Shush classic and I agree it does sound and play very nicely. Thanks, Sean, for your help in reaching them. They did finally email me. I think your review helped get them lots of orders.
However, one thing I think needs to be mentioned. ****I do not believe that the Classic is tuneable.**** On the Pro page it does mention that it is tuneable but nothing about tuning the Classic. I hope the Shush people do read my prior comments here and reply to inquiries and requests especially after orders.
Any whistle that has a separate head and body is tunable - sometimes the manufacturer glues the head to the body, so you just need to run it under some hot water and break the glue. But both the Shush Classic and Pro are fully tunable when you get it (i.e., not glued down.)
Maybe they sent you a tunable one but my classic mouthpiece is glued solidly to the head. The pro is described as being tunable. I can’t move it. Of course I can separate the head but it doesn’t seem like the one they sent to me was made tunable. Possibly they changed the design and I got one of the older ones?
@@jgarber235 Oh weird, I'm not sure why it would be glued, certainly no need as the fit is good without the glue. Yeah just run it under some hot (not boiling) water and it should loosen up.
Thank you for your videos! 👍
Would you recommend the Shush (Pro) just because of the lower volume or can it also compete in its price range in terms of sound and playability? 🤔
Rob at Carbony is also making a "quiet" version of some whistles.
Have you ever found need for a louder instrument? My local session is pretty large (10 people) and whistle struggles to compete with violins, pipes, and violins. Was looking at the Gary Humphreys session or wide bore. Local whistle player uses a MacManus Session whistle and loves it
As regards performing with it mic'd: wouldn't the narrower dynamic range be beneficial, almost like a natural compression? I imagine the sound engineer would appreciate a more level volume going into the mic...
Have you tried a Parks whistle? They have an adjustable "volume control". It does affect the sound at the lowest levels, but pretty good for practice.
These remind me of the old oak whistles before they changed the headpiece.
I ordered a shush whistle on April 29 2024 and HAVE NOT. Received it? I live in AR. Their customer service is not good!!
Well, I just bought one, while my girlfriend held me at gunpoint. Thank you very much!
Just a caveat that Shush whistles has a strange way of doing business. As a result of this video I ordered directly from them to get one sent to me in the US at least three weeks ago and received one email saying the order was dispatched but then nothing.
I replied to that email twice and and have not heard anything at all. If they want to stay in business I would think that a brief message explaining things would help a lot. I understand the complications with overseas shipments but at least some recourse would be welcomed. I worry if it drags on even longer and that they refuse to answer me. I don’t see any way to even telephone them. It sounds like a good whistle and too bad these folks have a terrible business sense.
Reading some Facebook threads it sounds like it is a common thing. I just don’t understand. No matter if you are getting lots of orders I would think you could respond with a quick email.
Isn’t top D quite off on Pro?
I just put tape over it for finger practicing.
Did same, then moved on to blue "fun tak" adhesive puddy, putting a jelly bean sized glob VERTICALLY across fipple.
WAY quieter. Pitch lowered, yeah. But WAY quieter. Most notes perform fine.
Do you teach lessons ?
It's still way to loud. It needs to be half the decibel amount to make sense for people who need a quiet whistle.
Half that decibel level is basically the ambient noise of the room - if a whistle made that sound at half its current Db level it would be nearly as loud as a mouse's fart.
@@whistletutor perfect.
The mouse played a Slow air. Very musical mouse.@@whistletutor
The only way to fully overcome that is with an electronic whistle. But with the Shush you can still reduce the sound quite a bit further with tape or blu tack. Overall though it is a lovely gentle sound for playing in a small room and with close neighbours.
just got my pro today and had to wait over 19 days for it to ship and go through customs. was super excited. but... sloppily glued. covered in glue residue (i'm assuming) full of dust or debris or acoustic compound is made of fragile lint and small yellow bits? also scratched on mouthpiece and body. anyone looking at this would call it embarrassing. havent tried it to hear what it sounds like because, based on appearance and the mysterious nature of the odd colored debris on it, i dont think i feel comfortable touching it with my mouth. VERY DISAPPOINTED. for this to get through quality control makes me feel insulted. when you spend one hundred dollars on the pro and they just toss you the reject one that looks like a Chinese forgery, it tells you how much they care. Oh and they're supposed to be tunable but the mouthpiece seems to be pretty clearly glued on. not sure why.
Wow weird - definitely worth following-up with them. From what I've heard they're very responsive, hopefully they'll sort you out!