Chiff and Fipple Forums

Is there a general feeling that this whistle needs to be quieter? I'd like to hear from people who actually own one of them. Also, I'd like to know if there are players who like the whistle, but have decided not to buy based on loudness alone.

Walt Sweet,
Designer, Sweetheart Flute Co.
www.sweetheartflute.com

p.s.: Dale said this post was OK.

I don't have one yet but it is on my list. I played one and did not find it to be too loud. I liked it just the way it was.

Ron

I liked the one I played last summer very much. Of course, that was outdoors so it's hard to judge volume. I need another D whistle like I need a hole in the head but I'm still considering one with the piccolo head.

For indoor play the whistle COULD be a mite quieter. Some of the 2nd octave notes can be a bit ear bending.

BUT, that said...it is such an excellent whistle.

my Sweetheart is my favorite whistle right now. It IS a bit louder when playing indoors, especially on the upper octave, as andreaz54. But I wouldn't call it unbearably loud, and my family doesn't seem to complain (except for when I flub the notes ). In other words, when I am practicing, I won't necessarily reach for one of my quieter whistles. It's a great whistle!

I think it's great just the way it is. It has authority, but I'd say the volume is just about right.

Redwolf

I need to hear more about this whistle. I was asking for one for my birthday coming up.

I don't own one of these, but I'll weigh in on the issue of loud whistles. Some people just like them, for various reasons. Among my favorite whistles are Thin Weasels, which I would call very loud. It's not strictly the volume I like, but with it goes something that other whistles just don't have. If you simply change the Pro whistle to have less volume, I suspect you'll lose as many customers as you'll gain. If you're concerned that some people will be turned off by the loudness, why not do what Eric Tullberg does and offer models that are quite similar in characteristic sound, but with a louder and a quieter version?

I think some people confuse volume and balance. The old Sweetheart whistle had good volume, but became much louder (relatively) at the top of its range. In that case my complaint wasn't that it was so loud, but that it was unbalanced. You've done a nice job of rectifying this in the Pro model.

Walt- I picked up one of these at Elderly's a month or so ago as an impulse purchase. Didn't really need it, but the whistle my husband ordered for me for Christmas from another maker hadn't come in and I was SO depressed that when I saw the newer-style Sweetheart I bought it without even hearing it. I've played flute for over 30 years so am used to really blowing and must say this whistle IS loud when I do that. After I read your post, though, I went home and tried backing off on the airstream and it was much quieter. Even with reduced air, I could easily get nice full tones in the upper octave. Maybe I blew hard before to feel the resistance which isn't there when I drop the velocity? Has anyone else mentioned this? By the way, I like this whistle MUCH better than the more expensive one that finally arrived in the mail (and which I will not identify in a public forum in the hopes that it will get better with time).

-Robin

Smart post spring robin. I have my Sweetheart Pro as my computer whistle right now...the one I grab to try out a tune etc. The volume, even on the second octave, can be controlled by experienced breathe control and very good it sounds too.

It's a great whistle, don't change it - and I have a blackwood Kilhoury to compare it to. Great for gigs where a pure timber whistle flips. There are times when the temp/humidity combination make my Abell and nickel Copelands run out of tuning , and the Overton stays frozen.

Trisha

Walt,

I have a Pro D that I use for unamplified outdoor gigs and events because of the volume and the fact that it's basically impervious to temp/himidity and clogging. But for me, it's just too loud for most "unplugged" sessions and general use with other instruments indoors within a closed-in area. For amplified gigs, it's not a big problem since it can be balanced with the other instruments.

I certainly wouldn't discontinue the current Pro D, because it has its place among those who actually need the extra volume for specific events, but I would like to see a quieter offering for those who want a more all-around whistle.

DC
SlipJig Celtic Band

Two votes for temp/humidity stability

By the way, our band, SlipJig, will be opening a Gaelic Storm concert in Birmingham, AL on Feb 26, and I'll be using the Pro D for a waltz (done more as an air) in one of the sets....a very beautiful tune named "Far Away". For that tune, it has a sweeter, fuller tone than my Burkes or Sindt, which is what we want.

If you're in the area, check to see if tickets are still available at http://www.workplay.com. To anyone who plans to be at the concert, please say hi after the show!

DC
SlipJig Celtic Band

Walt,

I don't own a Sweetheart (yet), but I have played one, and I thought the volume and tone were great. May I infer from the way you worded your opening post, that you think there is a market for a quieter version? If so, perhaps you can offer a version for "practice", which I think is the only reason I personally would want that . . . so I can play at home without bothering family later on.

By the way, is there a reason you discontinued the African Blackwood model? That thing is gorgeous!!

matt

Try as I might, I still prefer my Kilhoury (quite an old one with a newish block). Wonderful whistle, but not stable under odd conditions which is where I trust the Pro.

Two minor niggles with the Pro...it's a bit wobbly around the joint if tuned more than a tad out...in all directions so I guess something to do with the cork substitute material(?) being a little spongy (could be entirely wrong of course), and I cannot get rid of the resin smell.

Trisha