Is it worth buying a tunable Susato?

Fishie · Post by **Fishie** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 4:19 pm

I want to try a Susato, but I read that the two piece is limited in its tunability, so i was wondering if it is worth it. To be honest, I like the look of the non-tunable better, not that looks should matter. Any opinions on the subject?

slowair · Post by **slowair** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 4:49 pm

For it's price range, a tunable Susato is always a bargain. I cut my teeth on the high D. I think I still have it here some place.
More than a few famous players use a Susato.

Mike

Byll · Post by **Byll** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 6:02 pm

Fishie: If you harbor the desire to ever play your whistle with other instruments, purchasing a tunable instrument is always 'worth it.'

Simply my $.02...

Be well.
Byll

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 6:05 pm

Byll wrote:Fishie: If you harbor the desire to ever play your whistle with other instruments, purchasing a tunable instrument is always 'worth it.'

Simply my $.02...

Be well.
Byll

Agreed..I played non-tunables for the longest time.

And then I started playing with others

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 6:15 pm

Tunable is a Good Thing.

--James

fearfaoin · Post by **fearfaoin** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 9:43 am

Fishie wrote:I want to try a Susato, but I read that the two piece is limited in its tunability

All whistles are limited in their tunability in some respect...
Did you read why they are limited? Is it that you can only make them flatter
(a problem with unmodified cheap whistles)?

brianormond · Post by **brianormond** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 12:27 pm

-I have both, a tuneable Susato and a non-tuneable in the truck which seems impervious to abuse. The tuneable will pull apart for easier stowing, and Fearfaoin is right -tuning is handy, but maybe not if you play alone only and have no need to adjust pitch. One-piece whistles are often more sturdy than tuneables, but that may be of limited value if you treat yo' whistles well. I treat my indoor whistles well and they beg to be played again and again.

Fishie · Post by **Fishie** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 5:34 am

Byll wrote:Fishie: If you harbor the desire to ever play your whistle with other instruments, purchasing a tunable instrument is always 'worth it.'

I'm aware of the virtues of tunable intruments. What I was really wondering is if the Susato is tunable enough.

Scott McCallister · Post by **Scott McCallister** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 11:19 am

Fishie wrote:
Byll wrote:Fishie: If you harbor the desire to ever play your whistle with other instruments, purchasing a tunable instrument is always 'worth it.'

I'm aware of the virtues of tunable intruments. What I was really wondering is if the Susato is tunable enough.

All of my Susato whistles are tunable. Enough that they can all be brought dead on A=440. I also have the privelage of playing with a fine acordion player (don't laugh, it's possible

) from time to time who's box is about A=447 I would imagine. These work fine there too. The don't require any funky breath controll to be blown into tune. Set it and forget it.

My big question would be "Is the non-tuneable whist in tune enough to get by with out needing adjustment?"

Oreo · Post by **Oreo** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 12:02 pm

Hi,

I visited the makers in NC, and they told me that the non-tunable normal bore (not Very Narrow) can be made tunable. Just use a 12 cent 1/2 inch pvc pipe extension joint/sleeve available at any hardware store. Cut the whistle, file off a little in length, and glue on the pipe fitting to one side. They fit snugly already, so you probably won't even need teflon tape for the tuning side of the joint.

I had one of my non-tunables run over by a passing car when I dropped it on an asphalt road. It only sustained a couple of scratches and is still playable.

Phil

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 12:37 pm

Scott McCallister wrote:My big question would be "Is the non-tuneable whist in tune enough to get by with out needing adjustment?"

If you're playing with others, you likely want a tunable model. I've been to a session in Houston where there was someone who played a Susato, and was enough out of tune to be noticeable. I don't know if they had a tunable model and just never bothered or if they had a non-tunable, but when I looked up to see who was out of tune (since I'm always afraid it's me) , the guy next to me said under the music "nah, it's so-and-so..you just have to kind of ignore their tuning when they're here".

I think it's the things like this that make me so paranoid about keeping myself in tune.

Fishie · Post by **Fishie** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 1:20 pm

O.K. So if I'm really looking for a tunable, I should kick out a few $$ and get an upper-end model. I may pick up the Susato two piece anyway, since people generally have good things to say about them.

Adrian · Post by **Adrian** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 4:26 pm

There really is not much latitude for tuning Susatos BUT i have been glad for the little there is. If you are going to play with others then definitly go for the tuneable ones.

Whitmores75087 · Post by **Whitmores75087** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 5:16 pm

I brought a tuner to a festival this summer because I wanted to buy a good Susato. One of the first ones I picked up could not be put into tune. I forget whether it was sharp or flat, but there wasn't enough adjustment to make it right. The one I tried after that was perfect.
If you get one that's not right just return it. It's a reputable company.

Jeferson · Post by **Jeferson** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 8:41 pm

A vote for tunable and a point to consider: if you end up falling in love with a tunable model, you can buy another body or two in other keys to match it, thus saving some $$ in the long run.

I'm enamored with my tunable Susato A that I bought a couple of years ago, and just picked up a G body to go with it. It'll take a couple of weeks before it really feels like home, but my first impressions of the G are good thus far.

Jef

Chiff and Fipple Forums

Is it worth buying a tunable Susato?

Is it worth buying a tunable Susato?

Re: Is it worth buying a tunable Susato?

You can make non-tunable tunable