I have a soprano D that has a flat bell note. It’s about 20 cents flat. Has anyone tried to sharpen the bell note by altering the tone hole? Any tips would be helpful; Thanks in advance, Cyril.
There’s no tone hole for the bell note is there? Only one way:
Unless you blow the other notes sharp ofcourse
What Peter said, although a more delicate tool may be in order.
Jason
Nah, you just need a light touch. 
Seriously though, what sort of whistle is it? Cheapie with a plastic top? Home made? Or perhaps one of Peter’s favorite she she “Boutique” whistles? 
If it’s a homemade one piece jobbie, then yeah, it might be time for some surgery. If it’s a plastic head cheapie, well I know you’ve already tried moving the head on the tube…
Boutique whistles shouldn’t have that sort of problem (we can only hope)…
Loren
Michael Copeland made it; it’s like the one Mary Bergin plays; you know, boutique.
BTW, I am proficient with tools. I have heard that one might shorten the tube, which made sense. Then I heard that one might alter a tone hole; huh? Cyril.
Leave the toneholes alone. You need to cut off a piece of the bore, that’s the only way to do it.
Thank you. That makes sense. BTW, did you get your Copeland?
Dude, don’t go hacking off the end of a Copeland. I assume the key of the whistle is stamped right on it? I mean there’s no chance it’s a different key? (This has happened more than once)
Send it back to Michael and Jim, they’ll get things sorted. I doubt you are going to be happy with the results if you start hacking a bit off the end.
BTW, when you say “Proficient with tools” do you mean jeweler level proficient, or carpenter level? I’m not being sarcastic at all, just curious.
Loren
Loren’s right! Otherwise make sure there isn’t a nut loose at the head of the whistle. 
Feadoggie
Loren, First of all, I am not a dude.
It is stamped correctly. It’s just a little flat; I will probaly live with it or send it back.
I am on a semi-conductor level on tool usage.
You will make more friends if you don’t treat complete strangers like they are morons. 
So… Verilog?
I don’t think that was necessary. Loren was just trying to qualify advice that’s
meant for cheap whistles. No one wants you to cut up your $300 whistle, but
you’d be surprised how many people might do this. We don’t know you from
Adam, so it’s better to err on the side of caution.
Loren gets this a lot… I think sometimes people just come off badly in text.
Everyone please remember that you read posts with a bias, in an environment
devoid of vocal cues. Step back and relax when you get offended, you may
have read the post incorrectly. It happens all the time.
BTW, did you get your Copeland?
I haven’t got it yet, so Hobgoblin Music tracked the shipment, and it’s been at Parceline’s depot here in my hometown since January 25. -Guess who’s going to town tomorrow to kick some butt? 
These people just never get it do they? This is not about shipments, this is about suffering from a disorder that feeds on whistles. Tomorrow they’ll get the picture 
You will make more friends if you don’t treat complete strangers like they are morans
Do you consider Morans misspelled morons or just people with roots in Mayo?
Since it is not a cheapie, I suggest that the first thing you might do is consult the maker. If you are unhappy with the whistle, give them a chance to make it right before you resort to attempting to ‘fix’ the problem yourself.
“moran” is an internet meme.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=moran
Well, that certainly cleared that one up
You are certainly the English expert; where in Holland are you from?
What I think is necessary is to presume the person you are addressing is on your level or higher. It’s called courtesy.
People used to write “letters” back in the day. Interpreting the written word is not a new “issue”.
If Loren “gets this a lot”, it just might be that his rude manner grates on others; not because others do not step back and relax etc. It is certainly not my problem.
I’m inclined to disagree. Loren has made instruments professionally. There
have been times that assuming everyone knew as much as he would have
resulted in a destroyed whistle. Is this what we’d want? I think it’s courteous
to be humble and not to yell at people who offer help when you have asked for
it…
People used to write “letters” back in the day. Interpreting the written word is not a new “issue”.
I didn’t say it was new. People had the same problem when writing letters.
I don’t think you determine someone’s attitude solely from their writing.
Some people have writing styles that are clipped or that sound sarcastic,
when the writer’s original thought did not sound that way in their head. I
frequently delete or edit posts which I realize sound completely different
than I had intended.
If Loren “gets this a lot”, it just might be that his rude manner grates on others; not because others do not step back and relax etc. It is certainly not my problem.
It’s not just Loren getting it, either. Other instruments makers and repairmen
run into this. Rob Sharer was accused of uppittiness when he tried to keep
someone from following advice about fixing a mandolin which might have
resulted in an even more damaged mandolin. I submit that offense can be
taken where it wasn’t given in this type of situation.
If I was told by others to do something detrimental to an instrument, I would
much rather someone step in and stop me. It might hurt my pride a little, but
it would save me heartache later. But it’s becoming increasingly clear from
past discussions that I may be in the minority about this.
You are certainly entitled to feel as you do, so I apologize for opening my
mouth about this. I just get tired of the makers and experts leaving over this
sort of thing.
There are other parameters to consider besides the flat bell note. That’s my 2 cents. You’ll have to get the other 18 from someone else, preferably MC himself.