I sent a Chieftain C back to Thom at The Whistle Shop and I asked him to recommend a nonplastic C. He told me the Sweetheart wooden whistles have been redesigned for balance in volume across octaves. I ordered a maple because I like this wood’s appearance.
The volume is indeed balanced across the first and second octaves, compared to my Susato C, (which is definitely worth its price but I was ready for a more valuable C). I like the slightly muted tone of the SH. Some may say it sounds recorder-like for lack of chiff, but it has a different timbre than recorders–it sounds like a muted, chiffless flute, very pleasant to me. This is definitely not a traditional sounding whistle, and I need to lean a bit into the b past a slight flatness, but a strong attack on a note produces a very nice quick octave embellishment. To me this whistle sounds much more like a Plains Indian flute than a recorder. It has very quick response, and with practice I can produce a third octave c.
Lisa
[ This Message was edited by: ysgwd on 2002-06-25 17:39 ]