I just got my Gen B-flat in the mail today from HMT.
I don’t quite understand why people have complained about Generation’s unplayability w/o tweaking. I can play Amazing Grace with D fingering on it and it sounds quite good (and rather haunting).
The head is fire engine red and it’s quite big. The bigger holes mean I have to be more careful with the fingering. Too easy to leave a hole slightly open and get a ghastly noise.
I can see some bits of plastic in the fipple tho. How exactly can I get them out w/o having to remove it? I’m afraid to do that 'cause I don’t want to spend another 14 dollars.
Great to hear that you like yours. The thing is, this company is notorious for inconsistency. You may have received a solid one, but the one I ordered sounded like crap from day one. It’s awaiting some tweaking if I ever get around to it. It’s one of those rare situations when I wish Bloomfelt (sp?) was a neighbour.
My very favorite whistle. (of course, I haven’t yet received my Burke or my water weasel, so that might be changing in the near future ) Mine is from back in the 70s. I got one for my daughter too, and she loves it.
Mine sounds quite nice after some work. I rarely play it (usually only play whistle when lazy at sessions, or my laughing at home) but one of my favorites.
One thing I noticed right off is that it is nearly impossible for me to hold the note in second-octave F, G, A. It flips down real fast to the lower octave.
I think that might be a breath control (this thing requires a great deal of air as opposed to a D), but I’m casting an eye at those odd bits of plastic that I see in the mouthpiece.
I’m very reluctant to go fiddling with this thing myself, if it sounds good as it is.
In my experience (having done it to 8 whistles now), if you use really fine sandpaper (I use 500 grit fre-cut, which i use to get a glassy-smooth surface on my fingernails for guitar playing) you’re not likely to harm it at all. I was not particularly precise but I’ve made real improvements to every whistle I’ve done it on so far. You shouldn’t have to worry about the 2nd octave shifting registers like that.
Ah, I just ordered a Generation Bb a few minutes ago and then stumbled across this thread! I’m very glad to see it gets such good comments. I don’t think anyone could have used a better word than “haunting,” joshwichita, to make me impatient to receive it! Now I can’t wait to try it out for the first time.
I have a nickel Gen Bb with the blue head, and it’s not bad. But I got a Hoover white cap head for it and I like it better. It’s not the Gen sound but I like it.
Got my Generation Bb Thursday and absolutely love it! I wouldn’t tweak it or change a thing about it (except maybe send the bright red mouthpiece back to the fire station). And I may never buy a whistle in any key but Bb ever again. Besides sounding awesome, this key seems more natural to my fingers than even the D’s I’ve been playing so long.
A new favorite whistle!
(More thoughts on this at my blog.)
I think the Bb Generations are one of their better whistes. Mine is nickel with the blue head, and it’s pretty decent.
We had a thread going on another board (or maybe this board) about a popular tweak - the head from a Meg or Sweetone D is an almost perfect fit for the top of the Bb Gen barrel. Some folks had to cut a small length off the top of the body for correct tuning, but otherwise, folks said it was a great tweak.
I have wanted to try that, but I think I will buy another Bb to do it, because the one that I have is really very good. Curiously, the Eb Gen seems to also be pretty good, though mine was greatly improved with a Hoover Whitecap.
Just got a Generation Bb. The first one I tried was shocking. It had such a large bump of plastic on the floor of the windway that the lower few notes were barely audible! Also it had scraps of plastic residue from the moulding process inside the fipple. How can they send this rubbish out of the factory for sale??? Luckily the shop had an old model lurking, long forgotten, in the bottom of a cupboard. It was a bit chewed (well, visible teeth marks) but had no bump or other visible plastic residue in the fipple. For £3.95 this is a good value, decent sounding Bb whistle, baring in mind a Dixon or Susato costs about £20 and I don’t need to play in Bb that often. I will have fun tweaking it and experimenting with various other fipples on the tube. Might even experiment with making my own tube out of a more substantial bit of metal.
I purchased a red top from bigwhistle and it sounded pretty good but it improved greatly after the Blu-Tack tweak. Given the price it’s worth having a go.
Try blunting the leading edge of the blade a fraction (fine nail file will do it). It removes some of that Generation scratchiness (presuming you dont want it!).
Good retailer Bigwhistle
What kind of dog are you Dazzle?
Hi folks in my experience the Bb Generations are pretty good.
I’ve made an A and G for this head, using electrical conduit tubing from B&Q and they’re very nice if a little quiet.
) Mine is from back in the 70s. I got one for my daughter too, and she loves it.