I have Generation, Oak, Clarke, Shaw, Feadog, Walton, Susato, a plastic Thin Weasel, and a rosewood Sweetheart, and I played them all in turn, liking each one best for a few weeks before going on to the next. But that was before I finally forked over the money for a Copeland--and now I can't play anything else. Every now and then, just for variety of tone, I go back to the Clarke or the Shaw, or the Sweetheart, but it's a brief side trip. The whistle reviewer on the Chiff and Fipple website said that he wouldn't recommend a Copeland for beginners, because of the expense, but would for intermediates (like me) and up, because it was so much easier to play than any other. I agree. So I would recommend a Generation for a stone beginner, because it is also easy to play, but once you're sure you want to play the whistle, just go ahead and shell out for a Copeland--it'll save you an equal or greater amount on all those other whistles you won't buy because you've already found Nirvana.