Report on 2 new Generations

Redwolf · Post by **Redwolf** » Mon Dec 09, 2002 12:47 am

On 2002-12-09 01:12, ELLIOTT wrote:
The best kept secret in the Generation line is the E-flat. A lovely sound (and guitar players can't ruin your solo by jumping in - at least not the second time round!).

Try O'Carolan's Concerto on a Generation F, by the way. Audiences will be screaming.
Hoo boychik!

--^ = = = = = = = (((
whistle on & on ...

[ This Message was edited by: ELLIOTT on 2002-12-09 01:17 ]

[ This Message was edited by: ELLIOTT on 2002-12-09 01:19 ]

That may be why I've been so satisfied with my Generations...both are Ebs (one is more than 20 years old, and the other is a little more than 10, however, so it could just be that I got them before the QC issues arose). I don't play them much anymore, because they don't quite measure up to my O Briain "improved" and my Elfsong, but they're decent little whistles nonetheless (my daughter has recently started tootling on the nickel one, which is only fair, as it's the one she teethed on when she was about 18 months old!)

Redwolf

Blackbeer · Post by **Blackbeer** » Mon Dec 09, 2002 11:30 am

I went back into my boxes of junk this weekend and what do you know, there was a Gen in Bb. I know I am not at all qualified to say didaly about any whistle but......I love the sound of this whistle. All I did was do the hot water bath to the fipple so I could move it around a little and I haven`t used my guitar tunner on it yet but heck this thing sounds great. Maybe its the fact that its the lowest whistle I have but I realy like it. I must have bought it about 25 years ago and maybe that has something to do with it but I can`t bad-mouth it at all. I wounder if the tweeking you are talking about are the tweeks here in the main site and if I should try them or not. I does look like the blade is a little sharp. What do ya think?
Tom

DCrom · Post by **DCrom** » Fri Jan 31, 2003 1:18 pm

Just got part of my latest order from the Whistle Shop (out of the Dixon D and Brass Gen D I ordered), including 3 Nickel Generations (Eb, D, Bb).

First impressions: the D is very good (nice tone, very responsive, much less squeak-prone than my current-favorite Feadog D).

The Eb is bloomin' marvelous - responsive, non-squeaky, very sweet voice. Neither the D or Eb required any tweeking.

The Bb, on the other hand, was very disappointing out of the box - buzzy, unstable, prone to drop out of the upper register. The head had a LOT of flash on both sides of the gap between windway and blade, while peering up the tube showed burrs at the join of tube and head. Changed radically after the usual tweeks - pulled the head, trimmed the flash, blue-tacked under the windway: now stable (though needs a bit more wind to stay in the upper register than the smaller whistles), no buzz, lovely tone. Wonderful for slow airs, but surprisingly nice for faster pieces like "The Boys of Blue Hill" and "Off to California", too.

I may have lucked out, but out of 3 Generations, 2 were good out of the box and the third only required routine tweeking to make it very playable, too. This was mostly an experiment (getting as many keys as cheaply as possible), but I may order a few more to keep on hand as giveaways.

I'll have to try a back-to-back shootout (Gen D's vs Dixon D) when the rest of my current order arrives.

[ This Message was edited by: DCrom on 2003-01-31 14:19 ]

kevin m. · Post by **kevin m.** » Fri Jan 31, 2003 1:38 pm

I'm a Generation fan,owning all available keys.I have an old style brass D which is fine,and well enough in tune for my ear,New Eb's in brass and chrome(slippery),both only required slight tweaking.My old Bb needed the head cleaning up,and the blade lightly sanding to remove a 'buzz',but is now a very characterful whistle.The head of my brass F cracked under tweaking,but has been repaired with superglue.I have not attempted to tweak a chrome C which I have neglected (not really liking C whistles) previously,but I find it is now growing on me.folks either like 'em or loathe 'em- I suppose this is the 'Generation Gap'!

Kelhorn Mike · Post by **Kelhorn Mike** » Fri Jan 31, 2003 2:37 pm

Thanks Azalin, James, and yes you also Peter.
Azalin for bringing up "an interesting" subject
and James for reminding us all that anyone
playing any whistle whatsoever is not deserving
of contempt. And Peter for warning me about the
"Susato" haters in Ireland. I'm planning on taking
a short investigative trip to Ireland soon and have
now decided to be careful about revealing my
true identity. I'll have to be very, very aware or
possibly risk a tar & feather. It will add a little
excitement to the trip..........

Kelhorn Mike

TelegramSam · Post by **TelegramSam** » Fri Jan 31, 2003 4:52 pm

I've gone through 3 gen Fs and they all have cracked mouthpieces, and they're all cracked through the exact same place. there's a weak point left from the way the put the plastic into the mold, and it just cracks along this line.

So, basically, your Gen Fs won't last forever.

TonyHiggins · Post by **TonyHiggins** » Fri Jan 31, 2003 5:16 pm

I've posted this question at least twice over the past couple of years and got no response whatsoever, not even an "I don't know." Maybe newcomers will be braver about answering...

I've seen several posts that Generation C's are decent to pretty good. So...Will a C fipple fit on a D tube and make a decent or really good D whiste?? Am I crazy for asking???
Tony

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Fri Jan 31, 2003 5:31 pm

On 2003-01-31 18:16, TonyHiggins wrote:
I've seen several posts that Generation C's are decent to pretty good. So...Will a C fipple fit on a D tube and make a decent or really good D whiste?? Am I crazy for asking???
Tony

No. A Gen C head will not fit on a D body: The bore is thicker on the C, and the mouth piece bigger. The toughest thing about the Gen Cs is actually getting the head off with out cracking it. Very tricky & frustrating.

I think that the quality of Generation whistles fluctuates in long cycles. Three years ago I felt that Bb were amazing and I haven't like any recent ones I've seen. Cs used to stink but are very good right now, except that the are sharp right off the rack (which makes the stuck mouthpiece even more irksome). D's are really good, too, at the moment. But try and find a decent Gen Eb, and you'll end in tears. Lesson: When you find a good Gen, buy it (or steal it).

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Fri Jan 31, 2003 5:51 pm

Maybe my ears are 20 cents out, but all the Generations I've ever had are fine - I've never noticed the tuning to be as bad as all that. Theory 2 is that, being made in Britain (yaay!) we get to keep all the good ones and sent the poorer ones abroad. Theory 3 is that I'm automatically adjust my breath pressure to bring them in tune, and don't even realise I'm doing it.

Of late I've been playing Gens and a Susato Dublin almost exclusively. I used to complain that the lowest hole on the Bb Gen was big enough to lose a finger in, but I got used to it. I do notice with the Gen Ds that the bell note is very quiet compared to most of the notes from G up. Doesn't matter when playing alone, but it might get lost in a crowd.

I noticed Susatos (the tunable model - Kildare?) being played in Ireland last March, especially on mike. I saw no 'high end' whistles being played, but then I don't have any, and may not have recognised them if I saw them. Other than the Susatos, it was all Gens or Gen style (I thought I recognised a Feadog or two); I never saw a conical whistle being played.

For those whose lowest whistle is the Gen Bb - try to get your hands on a Dixon A or G - still not too pricey, not a great stretch more on the fingers, and a real treat on the ears after playing a high F.

Kar · Post by **Kar** » Fri Jan 31, 2003 6:08 pm

I second the idea of trying an A or an G if thw lowest you've gone is a Bb. I love the sound of the lower whistles when I am just practicing alone. I wish Gen made an A - for $10 or $15 or so, I'd buy one!

My Gen story: I had two Bb, a brass and a nickel, neither of which I was crazy about but I really like the key, so I wanted something playable. I finally switched the heads & bodies. The blue-head/brass body was not to my liking, but the red-head/nickel body was a definite improvement. It still needed the sticky-tac fix, and it does buzz a little, and the 2nd octave is hard to get stable but I still like it. My Gen Bb doesn't sound like anything else I own.

And odd note as well. My musician friends (ones who play other instruments but know nothing about whistles) all like the Gen better than any of my other whistles. I don't know why.

tuaz · Post by **tuaz** » Fri Jan 31, 2003 7:49 pm

I just noticed something while playing around the last 2 days with the mouthpcs of my not-so-good Gen Bb and my horrible and cracked Gen C:

There is an optimal point on the barrels for my mouthpcs. At this point, the Gen Bb (already "guitar-pick tweaked" to improve it as best I could) actually sounded good and was quite easy to play, although it still lacks the spark/oomph of my favourite Gen D, other C and Eb.

As for the C ("blu-tac tweaked" previously), the strange excessive resistance went away, making it quite easy to play. It also sounded much better, though it will never match up to the other wonderful C I have.

THe optimal point also resulted in a louder, more stable tone. The whistles were on pitch at the optimal point.

So you might to slide your mouthpc up and down the barrel and test the whistles at each diff point.

Blackbeer · Post by **Blackbeer** » Fri Jan 31, 2003 8:13 pm

Well I just got 2 new Gens from the Whistle Shop today. A brass and a nickel Eb. I sat down to try them out and all of a sudden it was 2 hours later. I have to say that I realy like Gens. I love my little F and I have a down right great D. Most of them are tweaked at least soom. Although I don`t think I`ll touch these Eb`s. They do have a sweet spot you have to find as far as where the fipple is on the barrel but when you find it they just come alive. There sound is unique and thats as it should be. I do take some time to let them leed me to their song and for the price, heck you just can`t go rong. In My Humble Opinion of course

Tom