Curved airway flat blade?!Susato fun

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Jerry Freeman
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Post by Jerry Freeman »

Hi, Mike and E = Fb.

I wonder if I could ask for clarification on a couple of elements of the geometry?

1. Mike said, "I filed the curved blade of my susato Dublin flat ... . After filing it should resemble the Alba whistle style blade... just trim the edge with a hobby knife to reveal the curvature. The overlay positioning will require some experimentation ... ."

E = Fb said, "I just trimmed back the blade ... ."

I don't know what an Alba whistle looks like, and I have no idea what Mike means about trimming it with a knife to reveal the curvature. I would appreciate any further description you can offer.

What I'm wondering is how much to file to begin with. Where does the end of the blade rest with respect to the height of the airway? On non-curved airway/blade combos, I believe the edge of the blade is usually just slightly above the centerline of the airway. Can you give some idea of how the end result of your tweak is aligned with the airway?

2. Mike, you say, "and positioning should be a little more than 50% of the window area ... ." Do you mean that the new blade fills up a little more than 50% of the area that was open before, making it smaller? EDIT: I assume that "window" refers to the opening you see when you view the fipple from the top. END OF EDIT Or, if you mean something else, please clarify.

Thanks!
Jerry

P.S. This string is especially intriguing in light of the fact that I'm in the process of choosing a quiet, well in-tune, preferably not too expensive, easy to play whistle.

The Susato VSB was one of the finalists, but I'm not crazy about the sound. However, it's not an expensive whistle so I could afford to experiment. I'm thinking that with this tweak, it might be exactly what I'm looking for at a fraction of the price of a Silkstone PVC or Water Weasel. Cool!

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<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Jerry Freeman on 2003-01-16 19:31 ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Jerry Freeman on 2003-01-16 19:34 ]</font>
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Aodhan
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Post by Aodhan »

On 2002-11-05 15:21, mike.r wrote:
The Clarkes original curved blade flat airway set-up got me thinking how this would sound in reverse on a Susato... so I filed the curved blade of my susato Dublin flat(I know,I'm a maniac)and did my guitar plectrum tweak using a yellow Jim Dunlop Tortex pick.The result?Its THE most dramatic improvement of an existing whistle by tweaking I have ever experienced.Does anyone know of any existing whistles that feature this design? :smile: Mike
Mike-

Is there any way that you could do this process and take pictures along the way of each step? (Preferably digital, but I can scan if necessary).

Part of the website I am working on I would like to have instructions, etc. for "whistle tweaks". If possible, I'd like to do this as one of them. PM if you think we can work something out for this.

Aodhan
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Ridseard
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Post by Ridseard »

I haven't done the tweak to my VSB because I'm concerned that I might mess up its responsiveness. As it is, it plays like certain high-end whistles, notably the verious Burkes and the Silkstone alloy. (Too bad it doesn't have the rich tone of my brass Burke.)
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Bloomfield
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Post by Bloomfield »

On 2003-01-17 13:15, Aodhan wrote:

Mike-

Is there any way that you could do this process and take pictures along the way of each step? (Preferably digital, but I can scan if necessary).

Part of the website I am working on I would like to have instructions, etc. for "whistle tweaks". If possible, I'd like to do this as one of them. PM if you think we can work something out for this.

Aodhan
Definitely let us know if you can work something out with pics. I can offer to take & post pictures if Mike will send me the tweaked whistle (hehehehe). Ok, I'll send it back, too.
/Bloomfield
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Bloomfield
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Post by Bloomfield »

I gathered up my courage and took the exacto knife to my Susato SB D over the weekend. I wasn't playing it, anyway. I did not have a file small enough, not even a nail file worked. I don't know if I did it the way Mike did it, but I am very pleased with the results.

Here is a brief description of what I did:

First, using the exacto knife I marked on both sides of the window where the blade ended, to use as reference in voicing later. The plastic of the Susatos is pretty soft and I just cut back the curved blade about an eight of an inch, perhaps a littel more. Then, holding the exacto knife sideways, I tried to flatten the stump of the blade, which worked somewhat. (I took a picture of this, but the cut-back blade did not show clearly.)

Next I took a very small amount of blue tack and, using the flat of the pointy knife blade, I spread the blue tack around, trying to get an even, flat support for the blade.

Image

Then I cut a Tortex .50 mm (red) to size, about 1/4 inch wide, 1/2 long. I tried to get the pick to fit as snugly as possible in to the Susato's window. I used the nail file to bevel and smooth the blade edge of the plectrum (It's not easy bevelling something that is only .5 mm thick...). All this took some trying and I was only satisfied on the third try.

I stuck the blade in the wind way on to the blue tack. I could adjust position and angle of the new blade. I got a beautiful and satisfying sound almost right away, and spend some fun time voicing the whistle. Chiff, breathiness and purity, volume and timbre all depend to a fair degree on the angle and position of the blade, as I found out. Very small movements can make a big difference.

I played around with it until I was happy, took the blade out again and cut off the excess length that had been useful in voicing. (I wish I could have cut it without taking it aout.) Then I put it back the way I wanted it; a few more tries and I glued it in place (epoxy. I was out of super glue).

Image

If there is interest, I'll try to get some sound clips up.
/Bloomfield
mike.r
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Post by mike.r »

Hi Bloomfield.Thats pretty much the way I described it...well done mate. Mike
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Wombat
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Post by Wombat »

Hi Mike. Nice to see you post again.

And Bloomy: you forget the most important ingredient—a good pure malt.
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Bloomfield
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Post by Bloomfield »

On 2003-01-21 03:12, Wombat wrote:
Hi Mike. Nice to see you post again.

And Bloomy: you forget the most important ingredient—a good pure malt.
Wombat, you're right of course. Although there is nothing like a good Calvados for tweaking Susatos.

Mike good to have you back, and glad you confirmed the tweak. Can't tell you how grateful I am for the tip!
/Bloomfield
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Bloomfield
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Post by Bloomfield »

Update:

Last night I tweaked my VSB D, cutting away the curved blade and replacing it with a flat guitar-pick blade (tortex .50mm). The windway is a trifle smaller, the curve more pronounced, but the tweak worked exaclty the same. The sound is so much better: I really did not like the VSB sound before. It is screetchy and thin. But now it is more complex, huskier and less cutting.

I played around with it a bit, and then placed the blade back a hair from where the orginial blade was. The result is a breathier sound that requires more pressure and has more timbre than before. The trade off is a weak bottom end (bell note) and the whistle requires a bit more breath control.

This stuff is so cool.

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/bloomfield

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Bloomfield on 2003-01-22 15:56 ]</font>
mike.r
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Post by mike.r »

Its good to know this tweak works well with the VSB...the Question is,will it also work with a low D?I chickened out here, since I only have the one and rather like it as it is, but the low A is beckoning and I 'm tempted to try it since its my least favourite.I have a nice,painless and completely reversable susato low D tweak you may like to investigate.This is the" ping pong ball blade overlay tweak" and needs little explanation except to say the curvature,thickness and density of a dissected PPB makes a very nice overlay.A slight concave cut along the ramp edge is good idea and you'll see why when you are shaping and fitting it(when cut straight it appears convex when fitted to the original blade surface).A very thin layer of blue tack is all thats needed to secure it.I find the nicest sounding position is with the overlay edge almost directly matching, and on top of, the original edge.Im rather proud of this tweak as it not only looks realy cool(white on black)but the sound it produces is really excellent and due to its easy removal,comparison tests are a snap to get that just right sound.Good luck. Mike

Jerry,I'm sure Bloomfields pics have answered your questions.Alba whistles utilise a unique concave shaped blade edge and its this I am referring to in answer to your first Q. Mike

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: mike.r on 2003-01-22 17:17 ]</font>
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