Whistle tweaking -Merlin Excalibur

[scottie]

I have a Merlin high D Excalibur tunable whistle that is a little flat even when I have it shortened all the way. Is it a good idea to grind off a small amount of the main barrel so that I will be able to tune it properly? I am only thinking about taking off a couple mms at a time between testing. Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks,
Scottie

[Elvellon]

sorry, double post

[Elvellon]

By using the tuning slide you are sharpening high notes more than low ones. I.e. the lows are flat. By sawing off the end, you are sharpening the D and maybe E. So you'll have in-tune D, maybe E, then flat notes, then OK ones.

Oh, realised that you may want to grind off the top end . Then the high/low notes discrepancy will just increase.

[scottie]

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I was thinking of grinding just a little off the upper end of the lower barrel. Since most of the notes appear a little flat I figured that would bring all of the notes up in pitch.

[Feadoggie]

I'll offer a couple of thoughts here. Take 'em as you will.

First, have you been in contact with the maker? It seems like someone in the Crystal Palace may be in the best position to offer you a remedy.

If the whistle plays uniformly flat, is it possible that you are not playing it as aggressively as the maker intended? In other words, does the tuning improve if you blow harder and keep the pressure high?

Feadoggie

[dspmusik]

^^^Good thoughts. This whistle specifically (I had one) wants to really be blasted. Very high air requirement and volume.

[scottie]

I'll offer a couple of thoughts here. Take 'em as you will.

First, have you been in contact with the maker? It seems like someone in the Crystal Palace may be in the best position to offer you a remedy.

If the whistle plays uniformly flat, is it possible that you are not playing it as aggressively as the maker intended? In other words, does the tuning improve if you blow harder and keep the pressure high?

Feadoggie

The tuning from what I can tell does not improve with harder blowing. Good idea about contacting the mfg.Just thought I would check with the people on the forum to see if any have had this type problem with their whistles. These are cheap and I figured they would be a little more in tune. I will have to contact Merlin and see what they have to say. Have a great day.

[Jerry Freeman]

On several of the tweaked whistles I do, I trim a little off the top of the tube to allow room for tuning. If you do this, take just 1/16 inch off and see where that leaves you. Then, if needed, take a tiny bit more until you have the result you want.

Best wishes,
Jerry

[ecohawk]

Maybe it's just me but if I'd paid more than $100 for a whistle that wasn't playing in tune, I'd contact the maker. I don't know any maker who won't replace a bad whistle. If you do decide to tweak it, you just got the best advice you'll ever get from probably the best whistle tweaker around.

ecohawk

[scottie]

On several of the tweaked whistles I do, I trim a little off the top of the tube to allow room for tuning. If you do this, take just 1/16 inch off and see where that leaves you. Then, if needed, take a tiny bit more until you have the result you want.

Best wishes,
Jerry

Thanks for the info Jerry. That is what I was thinking. I will first wait to see if I can get a reply from Merlin. If I do not get a satisfactory answer I will probably do what you recommended.
Thanks,
Frank