I’ve been fortunate lately to come across some of the older Generation whistles. One thing I’ve noticed is that it’s been impossible to remove the fipples using the hot water method. I’ve removed them on newer Generations w/ no problems, but the older ones seem to have a stronger adhesive. That or I’m getting wimpier. Is there an alternative method?
Another question, since I haven’t had an opportunity to use these in a group or session situation, is how in tune are they with other instruments? Especially since everyone seems to use these electronic tuners that weren’t available back when these were produced. Will they be close enough w/ the factory tunings or should I bring backup tunable whistles?
Find a whistle with a tube slightly larger than the tube of the whistle you want to disassemble, such that the tube of the one whistle slides inside the tube of the other (e.g., if you want to remove a D whistlehead, you can use a C whistle’s tube).
Holding the larger tube in one hand and the smaller tube in the other, propel the smaller tube into the larger one, as if throwing a dart, so the socket of the whistlehead you want to remove smacks against the end of the larger tube. Repeat. And repeat. And repeat. Eventually, the whistlehead will come off, miraculously undamaged by the violence.
For vintage Generations (and also Oaks and Acorns, which are similar in this respect), this approach, although slower and more labor intensive in most cases, may be safer than the hot water method. The plastic used in vintage Generation (the ones with the ridge on the beak) and all Oak and Acorn whistleheads I’ve encountered becomes flexible at lower temperatures than current Generation, Feadog, etc. whistleheads.
I’ve removed several vintage Generation and several Oak whistleheads using the hot water method, only to discover I’d ruined some of them by permanently twisting and distorting the plastic.
Now that you mention it, I remember reading about that in one of the posts. I’ll try it on the G this weekend before attempting on one of the D whistles. Thanks Jerry!
Bri, once you have the heads and glue removed and the heads back on, they’re as completely tunable as any other whistle. More so than some in fact, because Gens have quite a bit of leeway to tune both both sharp and flat. People play Gens, old and new, in sessions all the time. Just tune to whatever reference pitch your session uses.
For tuning, move the heads by twisting them gently and repositioning. If you find the heads are a bit tight on the tubes, you can try some cork grease or Vaseline as lubricant. You can also sand out the inside of the heads a bit where they fit onto the tubes. I carry a pair of latex surgical gloves in my whistle kit for extra grip in moving stubborn whistle heads.
BTW, as a complete aside … If your Gens really are pre-1984 vintage, I’d urge you not to try tweaking or modifying them irreversibly unless you know what you’re doing. (The reversible putty tweak is fine, of course). Vintage Gens are increasingly rare nowadays, and most will play just fine as-is if you know how. The thought of beginners hacking up the remaining ones to “improve” them unnecessarily gives me nightmares. Not that you said you were going to do that, of course!
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