Chiff and Fipple Forums

Overall an interesting next step from the Clark Celtic Sweetone. I like the feel and tone a touch more but I will have to do my first tweaks. The bell tone is sharp almost a full 50 cents and the problem exacerbates as you move up the scale. So I guess I will need to go for the hot water and pull the head.

Should I pull the head completely off to apply something like Vaseline to the tube or just get it out enough to get the bell tone closer to intune.

Also should I pull the head to get the bell tone maybe slightly flat to compensate for the upper scale on a cylindrical bore?

I am waiting to test again and make sure the whistle is at room temp first and make sure there is no technique issues in the tuning.

Ken

I take the head off and fill the back cavity with poster putty and apply cork grease on the tone body. The D seems easier to tweak than the C. I leave the holes alone, but others on this forum can tell you how that’s done. If I still don’t like the whistle, I call it a bust.
Many people buy professionally tweaked whistles to avoid the hassle.

On my feadogs, both 1st generation mk1 D whistles, the heads came off easily without needing hot water.

Tyler DelGregg wrote:I take the head off and fill the back cavity with poster putty and apply cork grease on the tone body. The D seems easier to tweak than the C. I leave the holes alone, but others on this forum can tell you how that’s done. If I still don’t like the whistle, I call it a bust.
Many people buy professionally tweaked whistles to avoid the hassle.

Yeah I can see why on the professionally tweaked. For now as a newbie I am considering this time of my whoad as sampling the character and flavor of the cheapies as is.

nicx66 wrote:On my feadogs, both 1st generation mk1 D whistles, the heads came off easily without needing hot water.

I can give it more elbow grease for sure. I was worried about tearing the fipple head, not sure how tough they are.

Ken

I never tweak. I just pull the head off - with hot water if necessary. IME no other tweak is necessary. Having said which, I do own several tweaked whistles, only one of which I like - one by Cillian O'Briain.

Ditto that.

I got the fipple head off and now we it is better in tune. Still some variance but not enough to be unplayable or not a factor of technique. I think I want to try the fill the fipple void tweak now.

I think I want to try the fill the fipple void tweak now.

I have never found it to make any noticeable difference to the playability of any whistle

devilock76 wrote:Also should I pull the head to get the bell tone maybe slightly flat to compensate for the upper scale on a cylindrical bore?

Probably not. Assuming you mean upper scale rather than octave, what you've found is consistent with the head being on too far because the error in head position will be a bigger proportion of the sounding length the more fingers you take off. Typical relationship of bore to flat/sharp second octaves is another matter not relevant to tuning within the first octave.

Mr.Gumby wrote:Ditto that.

Normally no need, but fashionably overrated!

If you fill the cavity with poster putty and don’t like it, you can take it out fairly easily. I actually have a Generation D with filled cavity which I like. However, I find my Generation Bb better not tweaked. That’s the good thing about cheap whistles; you can fiddle with them without a huge loss of cash.

Well now that it is better in tune I will play as is. I may do the putty thing or not, depends if I continue to like it.

There's no harm in trying it for yourself. Some people swear by it, some others don't see the point.

Since you own a Clarke Sweetone, let me throw this at you. If ever there were a whistle that should not be tweaked, it is the Clarke Original, which comes in D and C. While many people prefer the D, the C is a close relative, probably, of the 19th century sound which the Artful Dodger and Fagin would recognize.
Many a cold night have I spent pleasantly with the Clarke Original and a sip of the barley.

Mr.Gumby wrote:There's no harm in trying it for yourself. Some people swear by it, some others don't see the point.

If I recall people seem to say it makes it less touchy, to squeaks or jump8ng to the 2nd octave. I am noticing the touchiness, compared to the Sweetone. However at this point that might be a good thing to help me work more on technique and breath control.