In last month’s CP, I showed you an ironwood whistle set that had an extra brass ring around the bottom of the mouthpiece. I got some positive responses, both here and by email. So I have made three more whistles in some of my more popular woods to see what you think. Should I make all of my Rovers with the new ring, offer it as an option (at a slight extra cost), or forget it? It’s a little too early to know for sure, but I think it improves the sound of the whistle. The woods in the photos are torrified (heat treated) maple, African blackwood and Bolivian rosewood.
Another bit of news: I have been experimenting with a tapering windway, which gives a significant volume increase. I plan on offering it as an option at no extra cost.
I’d keep the ring on the top. It balances the design visually. There is brass all over the rest of the whistle. It needs the brass on top to keep the black mouthpiece from looking like an afterthought. But that’s just my opinion.
Are you tapering the windway width, the height or both?
The mouthpiece ring works in a lot of ways - at first, visually stunning ..
I imagine the consistency of the metal will help - interesting if the interface in the windway roof has some baring on the result. Delrin is wonderfully good at reducing clogging .. the combination makes sense.
Recorders often have a curved windway roof - I have noticed a brand of mass-produced whistle also has a graduated windway profile. Tiny little things can make so much difference!
I’d say stay with it - even if it’s a little more work and cost - the result with a 3-peice whistle is obvious.
Mitch-
The brass is only on the outside. The windway is lined entirely with Delrin. I’ll see about getting a sound sample available in the next couple of days.
I love the new look!
Wish I had waited a year to buy my Blackwood Rover. When I got it I remarked (silently) that it would look even nicer with a ring closer up.
Gerry
I’ve played around with vibration damping a little, and found just putting some O-rings on my Hammy Practice Flute and sliding them to the “right” spots did change the timbre of the sound. Something to do with stopping the pipe from vibrating and absorbing some of the energy meant for the air column. I liked them best on the anti-node near the bell end and between the embouchure and first hole.
People have claimed benefit from simple O-rings on fiddle bows and gun barrels for the same purpose. I read about it in a patent, so I thought I’d give it a try. The lighter the pipe (like my PVC) the more it impacts the sound. Is it possible that heavy brass rings in the right places would do the same? Could you try the same whistle with and without?
Carey,
I was thinking along those lines, too- that the brass ring dampened the vibration of the thin Delrin roof of the airway, giving a more focussed air stream.
