To tweak or not to tweak

michael_coleman · Post by **michael_coleman** » Fri Dec 20, 2002 1:33 pm

I just recently bought a generation bflat nickel plated (yeah I know, I here they are absolute bear cats), but I saw a show on Bravo that showed what looked like to me a generation bflat and it sounded absolutely glorious. That aside, I tried tweaking with the fipple because the bottom Bflat would get a slight gurgling or breaking like it wanted to slip up to the next octave. I did the typical sanding and taking the edge a bit off of the fipple, but it has not changed a bit. So, any suggestions other than making it club to use against angry pub goers?

Ridseard · Post by **Ridseard** » Fri Dec 20, 2002 2:49 pm

I had an Oak which was like that. Tweaking didn't help at all. Then I noticed that the the end of the tube which goes into the mouthpiece was rough and slightly irregular. I smoothed it up with sandpaper, and that fixed the problem.

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Fri Dec 20, 2002 3:37 pm

Did you remove the head and slide it out slightly?

Think about narrowing the wind way, too. Either with a match or toothpick, or by using StevieJ's heat tweak.

Good luck: A good Gen Bb is one of THE best whistles around, imho.

PhilO · Post by **PhilO** » Fri Dec 20, 2002 3:48 pm

AGreed Bloomfield; I too have one great and one darn good Bflat Gen. (wo tweaking) They're old and one is nickel plated and the other brass. Amazing isn't it, I guess I'm just a collector nut with things I love. I love the Gen Bflats, and I'm sure I'll love the Copeland Bflat that's on the way. I love 'em all - cheap, expensive, metal, wood, plastic.....I need help don't I?

Regards,

Philo

chas · Post by **chas** » Fri Dec 20, 2002 4:30 pm

Did you fill in under the airway with sticky tack? I find that's the most important thing to do to stabilize the octaves.

I also have an excellent Gen Bb that's one of the few plastic-fippled whistles I've owned that didn't require the standard tweaks.

Mandolingirl · Post by **Mandolingirl** » Thu Dec 26, 2002 4:59 am

I'm sorry but I'm not really into the the tin whistle vocabulary yet. What exactly is tweaking???

Bob Bolton · Post by **Bob Bolton** » Thu Dec 26, 2002 6:57 am

G'day ManodlinGirl,

"Tweaking" is (should be ...) making small adjustments to perfect an instrument or process. Mass produced instruments like tin whistles often need small adjustments ... sometimes, as in the case of this Bb Generation, may be to correct design flaws, rather than minor inconsistencies in production.

Whichever applies here .. I bet that any new Bb Generation is incredibly better than the Bb whistles I bought from them 40 years ago - back then no Generation lower in pitch than the standard C was worth playing! (Hmmm ... maybe I should dig out the 40 year-old ones and see if they respond to some modern tweaking ... ?)

Regards,

Bob Bolton

E = Fb · Post by **E = Fb** » Thu Dec 26, 2002 11:00 am

Mandolin,
Here's how to tweak a whistle that is buzzy. Go to Dale's instructions on this web site. Personally, I start by cutting back the blade until the whistle can hardly play at all. As do all tweakers, I then replace it with s small sliver of plastic. By positioning the plastic exactly right I can get a much better sound. (Thanks to all on this site for teaching how to do this.)
Here's a reprint of an earlier post:

You must put a TINY piece of sticky tack on the whistle lip to hold the plastic piece...just enough to hold it in place temporarily. (I prefer to cut the plastic from a very thin plastic bottle. I think guitar picks are too thick). Cut the piece wide enough to fit snugly into the width of the window. Push it down hard on the sticky tack. The sticky tack should be so thin it doesn't show. It should not squeeze out when you push. If it does, reduce the quantity. VERY little will do. To adjust the position of the piece, press down hard, with very slight pressure towards or away from the window. I have noticed big changes in sound even when the plastic doesn't appear to move at all. Once you have the sound you want, use a drop of crazy glue to hold things in place. Don't apply the crazy glue too soon. Play it for an evening. You may start to notice things. Even after applying the crazy glue you can pull the plastic off, scrape things clean and try again.