mouthpiece and tone of Sweetheart professional whistle
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mouthpiece and tone of Sweetheart professional whistle
Could anyone tell me please if the fipple of the sweetheart professional whistle (new model) is made from delrin or laminate material?
Thanks a lot,
Dublingirl
Thanks a lot,
Dublingirl
Last edited by dublingirl on Thu May 19, 2005 4:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
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On the topic of Sweetheart whistles, I was wondering if anyone would know how the tone of the Blackwood compares to the dymondwood. Is the natural wood mellower-sounding? I'm very interested in the blackwood model on the sweetheart website and am wondering if the blackwood tone is worth an extra $200! Can anyone advise me please?
Dublingirl, I'll be going up to the Sweets within a week and will try it out if you'd like and report back. I may....MAY be able to get soundclips while playing if I dig up the recorder and figure out how to use it again.
Remember, you didn't get the tiger so it would do what you wanted. You got the tiger to see what it wanted to do. -- Colin McEnroe
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I owned a Blackwood Sweet professional whistle (a D) and it was exceedingly intense, easily got shrill. It was also very poorly made and fell apart within a few months. I returned it to have the block refitted (and paid for that service), and it simply fell apart again a few weeks later, although now it was living in an entirely different environment. I was not dealing with Ralph Sweet but with the guy who sold it to me. Anyway, I don't recommend these instruments.
- Redwolf
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You should have dealt directly with Ralph Sweet. He and his son Walt stand behind their instruments.Emrys wrote:I owned a Blackwood Sweet professional whistle (a D) and it was exceedingly intense, easily got shrill. It was also very poorly made and fell apart within a few months. I returned it to have the block refitted (and paid for that service), and it simply fell apart again a few weeks later, although now it was living in an entirely different environment. I was not dealing with Ralph Sweet but with the guy who sold it to me. Anyway, I don't recommend these instruments.
My Sweetheart Professional is one of the best whistles in my gig bag. It's a well-made instrument with an exceptional tone that people frequently comment on. Mine is a laminate, not a blackwood, but I can't imagine that the Sweets would make one with more care than the other...nor can I imagine them giving you the kind of treatment the person you bought the whistle did.
Next time, I highly recommend you give the maker a chance to put things right. That's one of the reasons one buys high-end whistles, after all.
Redwolf
...agus déanfaidh mé do mholadh ar an gcruit a Dhia, a Dhia liom!
Major ditto...Sounds like the previous owner didn't take care of the instrument at all.Redwolf wrote: You should have dealt directly with Ralph Sweet. He and his son Walt stand behind their instruments.
My Sweetheart Professional is one of the best whistles in my gig bag. It's a well-made instrument with an exceptional tone that people frequently comment on. Mine is a laminate, not a blackwood, but I can't imagine that the Sweets would make one with more care than the other...nor can I imagine them giving you the kind of treatment the person you bought the whistle did.
Next time, I highly recommend you give the maker a chance to put things right. That's one of the reasons one buys high-end whistles, after all.
Redwolf
This is the first I've ever heard of a Sweetheart being anything less than superb craftsmanship.
Remember, you didn't get the tiger so it would do what you wanted. You got the tiger to see what it wanted to do. -- Colin McEnroe
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My first Sweetheart Pro D (Dymondwood), purchased directly from Ralph, fell apart about a month after I got it. But it was my mistake not taking it apart after each use, which is highly recommended by Sweetheart. Since none of my other whistles require disassembly, it's not a common practice for me, and I'd forget. The cork material became hard and shrank, and the barrel would just fall out. But, as many others have said, the Sweets are a class act, and the whistle was replaced at no cost...except shipping the first one back. Only thing is, that first one was a very nice sounding whistle, and the replacement isn't quite as good. As a result, I only use it for unamplified outdoor gigs when I need extra volume. I much prefer my Burke narrow bores for everything else. The best thing about the Sweetheart Pro is the impregnated laminate design that is basically impervious to extreme weather conditions and needs no maintenance normally associated with wooden whistles...other than disassembly after use.Emrys wrote:I owned a Blackwood Sweet professional whistle (a D) and it was exceedingly intense, easily got shrill. It was also very poorly made and fell apart within a few months. I returned it to have the block refitted (and paid for that service), and it simply fell apart again a few weeks later, although now it was living in an entirely different environment. I was not dealing with Ralph Sweet but with the guy who sold it to me. Anyway, I don't recommend these instruments.
I'm not a big fan of the Sweetheart Pro's tuning slide cork material. Again, I much prefer the Burke design. If you do get a Sweetheart, ALWAYS disassemble it after use.
BTW, I had a nice phone conversation with Ralph Sweet, and I asked him about the tonal and playability differences between the blackwood and Dymondwood. He said that overall, they sound and play the same.
From what I've heard, and from my own experience, the Pro Ds can vary widely in tone and playability. Some are sweet and some aren't. Some screech in the upper register, and some don't. So if possible, always try before you buy, or buy from a vendor who offers a no-nonsense return/replacement policy. I'd suggest ordering direct from Ralph. If there are problems, he and Walt are great to work with and stand behind their products....at least from my limited experience.
DC
SlipJig Celtic Band
- cavefish
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i have returned a second hand flute back to Ralph because of some defects---------------without even a thought , he told me to return it to him and he gave me a new one right off of the assembly line -Ralph sweet is a highly regarded man in my books -he in kind and cares about his product and the people using them ---------he would have not thought twice about this issue--------------guaranteed is his middle name ----a great American buisness man--------- ----just PM me anytime Ralph with that brother in-law discountRedwolf wrote:You should have dealt directly with Ralph Sweet. He and his son Walt stand behind their instruments.Emrys wrote:I owned a Blackwood Sweet professional whistle (a D) and it was exceedingly intense, easily got shrill. It was also very poorly made and fell apart within a few months. I returned it to have the block refitted (and paid for that service), and it simply fell apart again a few weeks later, although now it was living in an entirely different environment. I was not dealing with Ralph Sweet but with the guy who sold it to me. Anyway, I don't recommend these instruments.
My Sweetheart Professional is one of the best whistles in my gig bag. It's a well-made instrument with an exceptional tone that people frequently comment on. Mine is a laminate, not a blackwood, but I can't imagine that the Sweets would make one with more care than the other...nor can I imagine them giving you the kind of treatment the person you bought the whistle did.
Next time, I highly recommend you give the maker a chance to put things right. That's one of the reasons one buys high-end whistles, after all.
Redwolf
Last edited by cavefish on Thu May 24, 2007 6:12 pm, edited 7 times in total.