I have had a generation “d” whistle for a few years, but never could be arsed enough to practice it until recently. Now that I am using it, (and neglecting a bunch of other stuff) I have decided to upgrade and get a few whistles for variety. I have one on order from sweetheart that some more experienced players I met spoke highly of. I have read in this site that they have good intonation and tone, but the holes are large and the response is slower than comparable wooden whistles. I am not an experienced player and would like to know if any of you would think this is more of a niche instrument, or should be a good, well-rounded choice. Either way, it should be fun to compare it with the Generation and I am looking forward to its arrival.
The old style Sweetheart is a very pure whistle, and a bit top heavy because of the shape of its head. I played it a few minutes ago, and still think its a phenomenal whistle, though too pure for most of my playing. I’ve heard Ren people think its the best for their use.
The new style Sweetheart has a much more complex sound, is more whistle shaped without being simple, straight sided tube, like most of the wood whistles. It plays beautifully, and meshes well in session with others. I happen to be a freak for wood, and truly think that this new Sweetheart is among the best all around whistle I’ve played. It is not ‘niche’ by a long shot!
I had a chance to play Tyghress’ new Sweet, and I agree that it is a VERY nice whistle. A huge improvement over the earlier ones I’ve tried. Well worth your consideration
Wow. I hadn’t heard of those yet. I really like my Sweetone D.
In fact up til a couple days ago it was the only one I played. The C is nice too.
I’ll have to see if Elderly’s is carrying them.
Can anyone post a photo? The old one was…well…a r******r really - or it looked like one anyway.
the first thread i started was on this new sweetheart–it was what got me to join the forum: i had to tell everyone how much i like it. on that thread, someone posted a picture of the new wood laminate version. i think it may have been walden. look around and you should be able to find it. by the way, tyghress has the rosewood version, i have the northern birch laminate version.
even better than the picture, tyrghress had a thread on this topic a while ago and she posted three good quality mp3’s, comparing her sweetheart to a burke, a thin weasel, and an overton (i think). very interesting clips–maybe she could repost them on this this thread? 
anyone who has played an older sweetheart and is now getting a new one is in for a big surprise. whereas the old ones couldn’t, in my opinion, be used too comfortably for fast reels, etc., the new one is definitely all purpose. the sound is different, too. while it’s very pure and clear, it’s by no means delicate–really quite substantial. the volume is very good, but not obnoxious. when i go to the top on my susato my wife generally reacts with a sharp “Hey!” but she finds the sweetheart to be non-shrill even up to its top end. at the low end, like all sweethearts, the tone is strong and the volume is also good. i can’t imagine that you’d ever get lost in a session with this whistle.
re the material. ralph sweet says there is no difference in sound or feel between the rosewood and the laminate versions. he should know, of course; based on tyghress’s clips, it sounds that way to me. there are two big differences: 1) price: $195 for rosewood (pretty), versus $135 for laminate (well, functional, but attractive enuff, too); 2) care. the sweet’s believe that the laminate should require minimal care. this material is used extensively in flooring, like in kitchens, and comes with a 20 year guarantee, so that should tell you something about how resistant it should be to humidity and moisture of all kinds.
as for design. the bore is slightly conical, but not as conical as the older model. ralph says this is what makes its pitch so true–and it really is, from top to bottom of its range. the windway and blade are curved. i don’t know what that does. the second lowest hole is quite large, so you may have to rethink F natural. On the other hand, xxoxxx gives a very true low G#, and C natural has several acceptable possibilities (maybe 4 or 5). for high G# you’ll have to half-hole. i like the choice of C’s because i’m used to whistles with flexible C naturals (clarkes and gens–i don’t like being confined to oxxooo because it restricts a lot of ornamentation). breath requirements are quite minimal until you get all the way up near the top end. one thing: i find that it’s a big help to clear the moisture after every couple of tunes. i do that by sticking a fingernail between the blade and the windway and blowing hard. no big deal.
This is the new model:
The old one was…well…a r******r really - or it looked like one anyway.
No, no, no, a recorder has 7 fingerholes, and a thumb vent. These have 6 fingerholes and no thumb vent. By definition it cannot be a recorder.
Arh… so it’s a whistle in drag then.
Sweetheart is not the same as Sweetone…not even close. Sweetone’s are mass produced, metal/plastic. Sweethearts are hand crafted from wood/wood laminate.