... back to the original question ...
I believe some believe that cutting the bell end at an angle can change (improve one would hope) the relative tuning of the bell note and the 'octave' bell note - I believe this because I seem to remember reading on Guido's diy whistle site (I have not visited the site in years so it may or may not be still there) that it might help tune the octaves of the bell note.
I have tried it and it did not seem to work/make much difference for me at the time - which is not to say that it may do something giving the correct other set of parameters.

Hmmmmm.......... That is interesting.

ya, "rectus", eh!

No. The bell note is going to sound at the shortest point, regardless of whether the whistle is cut at an angle, or what angle it is cut at. You could make the whistle a foot longer if you wanted, and drill a big hole for venting the bottom note, and it would sound more or less the same. Again, the voicing of the bell note on any whistle is determined by the whistle head, not the far end of the whistle.

At the risk of seeming to take this personally - I believe I said " some believe that cutting the bell end at an angle can change ..." by which I meant to imply that it is some believe this (and I am pointing no fingers) but I am not one of the some.

As to:

I would like to suggest to readers to not take any thing read here as the 'gospel truth' but to try your own experiment - "ask your own whistle" and believe what you hear, oh and maybe report back what you find.

What do I mean by "ask your own whistle"?

Well I would refute that the voicing of the bell note is determined by the whistle head and not the far end - and you can try it for yourself and not have to believe me or anyone else. (Note - I am NOT suggesting that the whistle head is not important for the voicing of the bell note, it most definitely is, and unfortunately unless one makes many heads with slight variations or makes an adjustable head one cannot easily test this).

So try changing the size of the opening of the bell by either:
1 - add a piece of tape across the bottom of the whistle and note what happens to the bell note and the octave bell note.
or perhaps to make it easier to hear the difference,
2 - tape the bottom three finger holes to free your hand, and use a finger to partially block the bell - listen to the effect on the spread of the octaves

I am not going to relate what I hear (at least right now) at the risk of influencing anyones experiments

As I finish penning all this I realize I am talking about tuning (mostly) and AvienMael referred to voicing - I usually think of voicing as the 'quality' of the sound, mostly separate from tuning and IMO (similar to AvienMael's I believe) largely (though not totally) determined by the head of the whistle. And I would add that it is the attention to many small details, none of which individually is earth shaking, which ends up making something special

Well, I've done my own "chopping and cutting" ... two pieces of tube, one coupler, one whistle head. One piece of tube is cut square, one cut at 45 degrees, both pieces of tube make the same note at a very similar volume before changing octave in a similar manner.
So I've answered my own original question and agreed with jemtheflute's assertation ... there's no practical difference in the bell note
My hole-cutting technology is sufficiently basic to obviate the chances of making two sufficiently similarly drilled sets of finger-holes to make a valid comparasion further up the octave ... but it's been an interesting thread.
Thanks again for all your thoughts

[I have been making my own whistles for many years now - I have done this, and therefore I know. I have learned this at a considerable cost in terms of time and money, and now I am giving it to you for free... you should take it. ]



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Again, The bell note will sound at the shortest point at the end of the whistle - it doesn't matter if the end is angled or not. It doesn't matter if this point is on the "top," "bottom," or "side" of the whistle. This isn't "voicing." Voicing includes the relative tuning between octaves that you are referring to, and this particular aspect of voicing is determined by the whistle head. This isn't opinion. It also isn't gospel... but it is a fact that has been established by nearly everyone who has taken the art of whistle making seriously. The voicing of the head will determine the whistle's overall tone, tuning, relative tuning (intonation), timbre, and especially the strength of the bell note (which I believe is what started this thread, actually). You absolutely can (and I have) make many different whistle heads for the same bore (tube), and you will indeed end up with several different sounding whistles.

I whole-heartedly encourage everyone to delve into whistle making - or even just tweaking cheap whistles (provided they have the financial means). It really is a great hobby.

And a recorder done the same way - from Hohner, who were also responsible for that chalumeau thingy I linked to earlier:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Blockflote-Hohne ... 5077803176

It's a "cooles modernes Design" so it must be good, yes?

Just since I have been referenced and a few of my whistles made this post I though I'd add my two cents. As usual jemtheflute is quite right although maybe not the most polite.
The angled end doesn't affect tuning or voicing in any way. The angled end can give one a very slight perception that the bell tone is louder when standing directly in front of the whistle. It isn't actually any different, and having an extension with an open hole can do pretty much the same thing, but doesn't look as cool. I do it on some of my whistles for purely aesthetic reasons. And btw I don't leave them sharp, they are sanded smooth, so not very effective for a tracheotomy. I hope no one uses them for tent stakes, as I think hammering a whistle into the ground would pretty much void the lifetime guarantee.

BTW, just to clarify, there are other things besides the mouthpiece that really affect voicing. The bore, especially conical bores greatly affect voicing. also the angle of your finger holes... some makers make tone holes that are tapered, and the taper, and which side the taper is most prominent on can affect the voicing as well. But having an angled lower end is really not gonna do much of anything.