Checking around I noted that the Harper D/C tunable set says it is made out of aluminum not gun metal on Lark in The Morning. Wondering if that was a type error or if only the pitched Harpers are made of gun metal.
I just sent a PM to Stuart Harper in hopes of getting some first-hand info regarding the material Steve is using. If I receive a reply, I’ll post the answer…although he’s yet to respond to a couple other PMs I’ve sent.
This is the description from The Whistle Shop
Harper whistles are hand-made in the U.K. of aluminum alloy by Whistle Player/Gunsmith Steve Harper. They have a narrow windway (meaning very low air requirements), and a beautiful full, round tone that is very smooth throughout it’s entire two octave range.
Unlike the Engraved D or Non-engraved D that we sell, this set is tunable. It comes with one head that fits the D body and the C body. Both whistles have the highly polished look of nickel or chrome - a truly beautiful set.
Harpers have a little flair (or bell) at the the end of the whistle, adding to the unique look of this whistle.
I had a chance to compare a tunable Harper with the non-tunable. It was more polished and appeared to be made of a slightly thinner material than the non-tunable. I think they are both aluminum, just different types. I liked the slightly more resonate sound (to my untrained ear) of the non-tunable.