The new model is made very slightly thinner aluminum. The airway height has been reduced from .062" to .049", but the windway is wider. The old whistle has a bit of black tape on it.
The narrower tubing made it so the tuning slide now just has teflon tape placed over a section of threads instead of the two o-rings. Chuck says he is working on a using teflon gasket material, which will be much more permanent.
Here's what I like better on the new instrument:
- There is a very, very slight increase in back pressure.
The tone is more even, with lower registers more evenly matched.
The whistle is "quicker," not as mushy in getting out fast ornaments, though still not the fastest of whistles.
The low bell note is firmer/more focused.
The too-narrow hole spacing has been fixed. (see near black tape on older whistle)
So which one should I keep? Here are two comparisons:
http://www.sweetums.net/oreo/GFMFarewellToWhiskey2.mp3
http://www.sweetums.net/oreo/CollegeHornpipe.mp3
And should the GFM be my favorite, or this mystery whistle? (Sorry, no prizes will be given for guessing what this is!)
http://www.sweetums.net/oreo/mystery1.mp3
http://www.sweetums.net/oreo/mystery2.mp3
Oreo Phil