Is your Susato mature now?

[puipui]

I found an interesting article posted 11 years ago.
https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/susato-difficulty/36696/36

@gonzo914

The only problem I’ve seen with Susatos is that they do not come properly aged. I bought one four years ago when I first started playing the whistle. It was my first whistle that wasn’t bought in a toy store. But when I played it, the upper octave as loud and piercing and unplayable, and when I played “Danny Boy,” it frightened the children, so I stuffed it in a drawer and got a Dixon.

I got that Susato out about two years later and found it had improved considerably, but still didn’t sound as good as my Dixon. So I put it away again.

And now, just a recently, I got it out again, and I’m happy to say it’s finally ready to be played. And I’m playing it more and more. I like it a lot. I’d get another one, but I don’t want to wait another 4 years to age it, so I’ll have to look for a use, or rather, pre-aged one.

It would be nice if Susato aged them for us. You know, put them on a pallet and store them in a cave for four years and then sell them. They could even stamp the vintage on the barrel, so then we could say “I’ve got an '06 Susato. I wish I could find another one from that year.” Or “Is that an '04? That was a great year.” Or “I hear this is going to be an excellent year for Susatos, so I’m going to buy a dozen and lay them down for another four years. They should be really good in 2010.”

I wonder that what he was writing may be true, as a Susato head is assembled from several small parts glued and glue is known to shrink in the course of its hardening over months or years.

And we know that even a slight change in dimensions of the whistle head may cause significant effects on its sound property.

So, I would like to ask the people who were complaining about Susato whistles at that time (11 years ago).

Is your Susato mature now?

[ecadre]

The part I think you need pay attention to is:

“I bought one four years ago when I first started playing the whistle”

The rest is simply a joke.

[Angel_Shadowsong]

Hahaha… im a confessed Susato Lover.

Being a plastic whistle, I don’t think it will mature like a wood does.

What matures/improve is your breathing control.

When I tried my Susato Low D for the first time… it felt like my lungs are gonna come out. Developed a cough reflex for a week, but with frequent tooting… the reflex vanished.

I love the pure round clean sound that it possessess… Such great power requires great responsibility (control).

Ignore my statements if you started from a wind instrument that has a crazy air requirement.

[chas]

You had to know Gonzo to really appreciate that post.

I hope he’s happy and healthy, wish he’d pay us a visit sometime.

[Nanohedron]

@puipui

Is your Susato mature now?

I think that’s a rather personal question.

@chas

You had to know Gonzo to really appreciate that post.

I hope he’s happy and healthy, wish he’d pay us a visit sometime.

Yep.

[pancelticpiper]

I have a very mature Susato, one of the original type, machined out of PVC stock, with a wooden plug.

EDIT:

I added a couple pics for people who don’t know what I’m talking about.

Susato used two colours of PVC, off-white and brown. My mezzo A had a brown body and white top, my high D was all white, and my mezzo G (seen here) is all brown, the only one I have left.

I don’t know if these were better necessarily, though to me they have a more normal/traditional tone than the new injection moulded Susatos. The mezzo A was a great player, superb in every way. It seemed to me to have the ideal bore ID to length ratio. The high D and this mezzo G have bores a bit too wide for my liking. They’re very loud, with the pure clean Susato tone.

These were not available in tunable models, but all had a one-piece non-tunable body. They tended to play sharp, around 442-445, at least here in California.

A friend still has his Low D made at the same time, which was made in 3 sections (as I recall) and is tunable.

[ScottMaurer]

@pancelticpiper

I have a very mature Susato, one of the original type, machined out of PVC stock, with a wooden plug.

I have heard those were a fair bit better than the injection molded ones that came later (maybe from you come to think of it…) I’ve not had a chance to try though.

[oleorezinator]

@Nanohedron

@puipui

Is your Susato mature now?

I think that’s a rather personal question.

A gentleman never tells.

[brewerpaul]

Whistle players mature, whistles not so much.

[sgerards]

In the case of whistlers ‘mature’ is a polite euphemism for age. Maybe ripen would be a better choice.

[Chifmunk]

Well I just ordered an immature Susato Kildare in C…
so we’ll see what happens when it meets its mature new owner.

[ytliek]

@pancelticpiper

I have a very mature Susato, one of the original type, machined out of PVC stock, with a wooden plug.

EDIT:

I added a couple pics for people who don’t know what I’m talking about.

Susato used two colours of PVC, off-white and brown. My mezzo A had a brown body and white top, my high D was all white, and my mezzo G (seen here) is all brown, the only one I have left.

I’m just curious how the wooden plug held up? How old? Was there any deterioration in wood? That is provided the whistle was played often rather than just sitting unused in a box. Any shrinkage or splitting of wood? Thanks.

[Chifmunk]

@Chifmunk

Well I just ordered an immature Susato Kildare in C…
so we’ll see what happens when it meets its mature new owner.

So an update on this- got my Kildare in C, and yes it’s nicely in tune through both octaves, has nice clear tone and strong volume (especially for a C whistle). I like that i don’t need to push a whole lot of air (which i have trouble with on some other whistles).
I don’t really care for the chunky and short mouthpiece/beak, but it’s not presenting any daunting problems. To be honest, I think my Freeman Blackbird in C plays more ‘sweetly’ and nimbly, but this Susato C has lots of clear toned power and would be particularly good playing in a large jam situation. Overall I’m real pleased with my purchase!

[maki]

I love my Susato V.
I play better than I use to, though not as well as I’d like.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7T1c5D2EvQ

[pancelticpiper]

@ytliek

I’m just curious how the wooden plug held up? How old? Was there any deterioration in wood? That is provided the whistle was played often rather than just sitting unused in a box. Any shrinkage or splitting of wood? Thanks.

I bought that thing around 1980 IIRC.

I never played it much. Mostly sat in a drawer. So the wood (cedar?) is like new.

[Chifmunk]

@maki

I love my Susato V.
I play better than I use to, though not as well as I’d like.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7T1c5D2EvQ

I enjoyed your video- sounds pretty to me!
My new Susato C whistle is in the S (small bore) series, so not quite as narrow bore as your V (very small bore) series.

[maki]

@Chifmunk

@maki

I love my Susato V.
I play better than I use to, though not as well as I’d like.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7T1c5D2EvQ

I enjoyed your video- sounds pretty to me!
My new Susato C whistle is in the S (small bore) series, so not quite as narrow bore as your V (very small bore) series.

Thanks for your kind words!

[The_Lurking_Fear]

@ytliek

@pancelticpiper

I have a very mature Susato, one of the original type, machined out of PVC stock, with a wooden plug.
EDIT:
I added a couple pics for people who don’t know what I’m talking about.

Susato used two colours of PVC, off-white and brown. My mezzo A had a brown body and white top, my high D was all white, and my mezzo G (seen here) is all brown, the only one I have left.

I’m just curious how the wooden plug held up? How old? Was there any deterioration in wood? That is provided the whistle was played often rather than just sitting unused in a box. Any shrinkage or splitting of wood? Thanks.

I bought my C in 79 or 80 and played it quite a bit for some years.The last twenty years it’s been in the box more than played.Wood plug still ok,no cracks,no loosening,no expanding and cracking the tube.

Still thinks it’s one of my better whistles.Just wish I had bought the A then also,instead of wasting the money on a Hohner G.