Been listening to ITM more lately thanks to some advice given on here. The more traditional sounding recordings -minus reverb and other effects- make me appreciate the less polished tone. My Waltons and Generation had the putty tweak. Took it out of them to hear the difference again, and there it is! The traditional tone I’ve been wanting. The Waltons Irish Whistle in D sounds a lot like the Generation Ds I’ve seen and heard being played on YouTube by the likes of Mary Bergin, Micho Russell, and Sean Potts. Could it be that all this tweaking is making the whistles sound, like the older players would call it, dull?
Let’s see what other folks think about this question.
Feadoggie
In my case the putty tweak hasn’t taken away anything tone-wise, just some ‘jaggedness’ for lack of better word, but maybe it’s that tone you associate with old Generation(type) whistles?
Feadoggie- Hopefully I’m not doing that. It’s not my intent anyway.
Maybe a better question would be:
Who likes their whistles more jagged and chiffy?
It’s hard to think of how to word this stuff to avoid opening up a can of worms. 
Yes it is. I read somewhere that there are whistlers who prefer the jaggedness, but can’t find the article now.
Feadoggie,
Nice graphic. 
Cayden
here’s my take on it, sorry for reposting it, if ya don’t like tea just go to 1:36sec or so
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNw1PwlNRWk&feature=related
he’s trying to convince them organic fertilizer, worms, is best! then again, ya need to get them worms certified ITM 
The first time I read a book on recorder technique there was a paragraph that completely confused me.
After re-reading several times, I finally realized the author considered “chiff” to be something undesirable. That was what had confused me.
Since you were polite enough to rephrase and Feadoggie was polite enough to suggest there would be alternate opinions, I’ll play the polite game too.
Your question might presuppose that there is only one choice of “sound”. To chiff or not to chiff, is that the question? I’d surmise that there are not only “different strokes for different folks” aka those who prefer a specific tone quality under all conditions, but those like me who believe that certainly tonal qualities like chiff or “jaggedness” 
are preferred sometimes while a more pure or clean quality is more suitable at other times.
It also appears to suggest that Joannie Madden, who has recorded with all manner of instruments but seems to lean toward Burke; or Paddy Moloney who I’ve seen in person recently playing one of John Sindt’s finest, should limit themselves to only one school or the other. I’ve also seen heard of Mary Bergin playing a Sindt. While I agree that Sindt’s are not as pure as Burke’s they certainly are a far cry from “jaggedness”.
In the end, does it matter? Paddy Moloney still sounds like Paddy whether he’s playing a taped up Gen or Walton (not sure) or a Sindt.
I prefer them all, from time to time and tune to tune.
And to Feadoggie, are those night crawlers or red wigglers?
ecohawk
In the end, does it matter?
Over 20 years of playing bass and searching for the one…when that one was found, actually put together and set up to my liking…you bet it mattered! I don’t see why tonal and playing qualities wouldn’t also apply to tin whistle. But I’m just a newbie, so maybe I should shut up and lurk for a while.
As a newbie, I thought the putty tweak would make things a little easier on the ears while in the learning process. That, there isn’t much doubt about. It helped. But… now that there’s a little more experience with the instrument it might be time to accept the challenge a putty-less whistle with more chiff has to offer.
Your question might presuppose that there is only one choice of “sound”. To chiff or not to chiff, is that the question?
Not necessarily. Some other genres of music, IMO, have suffered from recording processes and overuse of effects that make them sound sterile. Pitch shift has replaced good vocal control for many singers, every buzz or rattle is eliminated from the track, dynamics is replaced by compression, etc. In the end it loses any character in the quest for perfection.
But, the pendulum swings both ways. Some people refuse to use any modern means of improving the quality of sound, limit themselves, and miss out.
I think this can also apply in some ways to ITM and tin whistle.
I’m just trying to check things out, take the middle road, and make sure I don’t miss out on either.
Coming from an electric guitar back ground 100% of players are always looking for tone. After they try 100 guitars and 500 amps some are never satisfied. How can I sound like BB King? How does Stevie Ray Vaughn get that sound. What they need to realize is that tone is in the fingers … take Lucille from BB and give him a Stat … he still sounds like BB King.
I’d be willing to bet that if you give Mary Bergin any whistle that’s playable she will still sound the same. It’s in the fingers and no place else. Get a good whistle, listen and learn and start to build your own voice.
I can play the same tune on five different whistles and it will sound a bit different on each one. There is no particular reference point “sound” that a whistle is supposed to have. The same is true for most other instruments, I might add. Saxophones sound a bit different, and when you get into the variations in mouthpieces, reeds, and even ligatures, the possibilities are endless (if subtle, sometimes), but all are “authentic” sax sounds.
Not only that, but you may find that your own preference in whistle tone varies over time, even from one day to the next. In fact, it’s just about certain that you will experience this.
I have an electric guitar background too and I agree. I don’t hear a “traditional” tone in whistles as much as I hear the personality of the player projected in their whistles. Mary Bergin can lend me her old Generation (totally hypothetical) and I still won’t sound like her. But I also agree with:
A brass Generation sounds different than a nickel one. But if I was listening to Mary play a nickel Generation I probably wouldn’t distinguish the difference.
I disagree with that old saying that your tone is in your fingers. If that were so I wouldn’t need an amp for the bass. 
Dynamics, attack, etc… ok, yeah. Dynamics and attack do have a contribution to tone, but they’re not the only factors. That saying would be more accurate if tone was replaced with style.
… take Lucille from BB and give him a Stat … he still sounds like BB King.
His playing would. His tone would sound like a Strat.
If tone was truly only in our fingers, all of the custom whistle makers and tweakers would be out of business.
Just to be clear:
I don’t plan on, or want to, dedicate a lot of time in search of the Holy Grail of whistles so that it detracts from learning and having fun playing 'em. Some exploring of tonal options is good though IMO. Taking putty out or putting it in doesn’t consume so much time that it isn’t worth trying and letting my ears decide. And, I fully realize there isn’t one ideal whistle tone out there. To each his own, as they say. Whoever they are.
I don’t know really. I was focusing on the can, not the worms. They’re both the traditional kind. That’s it.
I’m a “different horses for different courses” whistle player. The playing should be the big thing. And styles can differ too. But we know the good stuff when we hear it.
Mr. Ed, I’m glad you found the tone you like. There is a certain magic to a simple, inexpensive and unadorned whistle played well.
And, since I’m also an aging, over the hill guitarist, BB King would sound like BB king on a Strat (ok, he played an Esquire). Some of you may be too young to remember him in the fifties, early sixties. He did not always play the ES-355 Varitone. He played the best guitar he could get his hands on. It is in his hands, his vibrato is his classic signature.
Same for SRV. Strong hands on heavy strings
Feadoggie
Mr. Ed, I’m glad you found the tone you like. There is a certain magic to a simple, inexpensive and unadorned whistle played well.
Not sure about the played well part, but I am simple and inexpensive. Wait, you were referring to the whistle. Oh well, in this case it applies to both. 
There’s a nice variety of tone in the three whistles I have (at the moment). I’m still surprised at how nice the Generation Bb sounds with or without the putty. Makes me wonder if a D in nickel would be similar.
The Gen Bb is surely a nice whistle. I presently have 3-4 here that are all quite good - no tweaking on those at all.
I do find the high D Gens to be a bit less consistent in their tone but most I have owned played well and sounded nice - right off the shelf - but not up to the level of the Bb’s for some reason. Could just be my tastes. I own mostly nickel plated Gen high D’s. I have a couple in plain brass but without analyzing or thinking about it much I seem to prefer the nickel ones. No reason not to own a few of these since they are so affordable and available.
Feadoggie
Wish I could say the same thing about bass guitars. I used to have quite a stable of them, but they were nowhere near as friendly to the budget. A nickel D is on the wish list. Will soon have to let a few moths out of the wallet. Might add a brass one to it also. Or maybe a Waltons Mellow D… or maybe a…
I wonder if the Bb is a more forgiving key to make than the D. Maybe with the smaller dimensions of the D there’s less wiggle room. Just guessing on that. There’s so much that can effect the sound that these deceivingly simple instruments put out.
I think we’ve pretty much established over time that the Gen Bb is a really special instrument right out of the box and is clearly an anomaly since the D’s are so alarmingly inconsistent. Though I’ve heard the tales about searching through a box of Gen D’s at the store searching for that perfect one. I have pretty strong feelings that brass Gen D’s do not sound different than nickel Gen D’s. But it is also true in my experience that two brass Gen D’s will sound just as different when played side by side as will two nickel Gen D’s played side by side. I have no confidence or no evidence at all which supports that brass in general sounds different than nickel in general. There are far too many other variables in play here.
Of course that type of comment will generally spur several arguments with those who have different experiences and I won’t argue with their experience.
I personally have no preference of brass or nickel when playing other than cosmetic appeal. YMMV.
Good luck with your choice,
ecohawk
Some wisdom there. After seeing many heated discussions on other forums about the differences in tone with various woods used in guitars and basses I don’t pay much attention to them anymore. And never owning two instruments exactly alike other than fingerboard or body wood, I have no first hand experience to share anyway.
At least with the Generation whistles I have one that sounds good to me, and there is only one variable I have any control over other than the key. That makes it simpler when deciding on what to order. It may not actually be a simple thing, but I’m making it that way by choice. Whether brass or nickel would make a noticeable difference to these ears, I don’t know, but us country folks like shiny stuff.