Ralph Sweet Sweetheart Professional review

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Fri Apr 22, 2005 4:33 pm

Flageolet wrote:
Jerry Freeman wrote:The construction of Walt's mouthpiece is completely different from that of a Susato. The resemblance is only superficial
I say: the difference is only superficial, because the final result is very similar. To me it's very obvious that this has been "inspired" by the Susato, but of course they have to make it a bit different for copyright reasons.

I don't think you quite know what you're talking about, pardon my saying so.

Wanderer, you didn't mention a striking feature of the new Sweet whistles: The bottom of the windway protudes out past the top of the windway, like someon sticking his chin out.

That is unusual and I haven't seen it in any other whistle. I spoke to Walter Sweet about it and he said that it stabilizes the note at the top end and improve tuning between octave. Fascinating bit of engineering.

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Fri Apr 22, 2005 6:18 pm

It's not totally unique.

You can't see it in the pictures that I put in the review, but the New Range Chiftain low D also has a "chin" like this. I tried to get a picture of it:

I thought it was unusual in the Chieftain, but in writing the review, I forgot to talk about it. By the time I saw it in the Sweetheart, it didn't seem so unusual, so I didn't mention it.

Flageolet · Post by **Flageolet** » Sat Apr 23, 2005 1:39 am

I have also seen that "chin" you talk about in some 19th century english flageolets. Nothing new.

Jerry Freeman · Post by **Jerry Freeman** » Sat Apr 23, 2005 7:23 am

My recollection is that Walt went to the square shoulder shape for the mouthpiece to create more of a "whistle" look. His earlier design has a more rounded shape to the mouthpiece, which some people felt looked too "recorderish."

Best wishes,
Jerry

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 11:12 am

Wanderer wrote:You can't see it in the pictures that I put in the review, but the New Range Chiftain low D also has a "chin" like this.

I don't mean the bevel. That indeed you see a lot. I mean the fact that the fipple block protudes below the top of the winday exit onto the window. I haven't seen that before (but wouldn't know about recorders). The Chieftain new range low D I played two days ago didn't have it.

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 4:06 pm

Bloomfield wrote:
Wanderer wrote:You can't see it in the pictures that I put in the review, but the New Range Chiftain low D also has a "chin" like this.
I don't mean the bevel. That indeed you see a lot. I mean the fact that the fipple block protudes below the top of the winday exit onto the window. I haven't seen that before (but wouldn't know about recorders). The Chieftain new range low D I played two days ago didn't have it.

I guess it didn't show in my picture...

In my chieftain, the fipple block protrudes about 1/16" of an inch below the top of the windway exit... I've uploaded a new picture over the old one so that you can see it in the post above.

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 8:34 pm

Wanderer wrote:I guess it didn't show in my picture...

In my chieftain, the fipple block protrudes about 1/16" of an inch below the top of the windway exit... I've uploaded a new picture over the old one so that you can see it in the post above above.

Interesting. Thanks for the picture. Must not have been paying close-enough attention to the Chieftain NR (which was stamped "Lunasa" btw).

dublingirl · Post by **dublingirl** » Tue May 17, 2005 1:24 pm

is the Sweetheart's fipple made from Delrin or Dymondwood?

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Tue May 17, 2005 2:06 pm

dublingirl wrote:is the Sweetheart's fipple made from Delrin or Dymondwood?

It appears to me to be the same dymondwood as the rest of the whistle.

dublingirl · Post by **dublingirl** » Tue May 17, 2005 2:28 pm

thanks very much for that info Wanderer - I had one of the first Pro whistles, which has a delrin fipple!

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Tue May 17, 2005 3:09 pm

dublingirl wrote:thanks very much for that info Wanderer - I had one of the first Pro whistles, which has a delrin fipple!

I think Thyghress has one like that, too, if memory serves. Maybe he decided he liked the look of the dymondwood fipple

When I get home I'll look at it again really closely, but I'm pretty sure it's dymondwood, and the pictures appear to support my memory.

Tommy · Post by **Tommy** » Tue May 17, 2005 5:19 pm

There are many whistles that look the same.

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Tue May 17, 2005 5:33 pm

Now that I'm home from work, I can confirm, it's dymondwood.

Redwolf · Post by **Redwolf** » Wed May 18, 2005 10:10 am

Good review!

I've had my Pro for a little over a year now, and it's still a huge favorite of mine, and my one and only Morris whistle. When I played it on May Day, I got all kinds of compliments on its "sweet tone." What I love about it, aside from its pleasant sound (not at all like a Susato, I should add...I used Susatos for my Morris whistles before I got this one), is that it NEVER clogs and it has the authority to make itself heard in traffic, over sticks and bells and accordions, without sounding shrill.

The earlier Pros had Delrin fipples (mine does), but Ralph and Walt told me they were going to start making them out of the Dymondwood instead.

Redwolf