This week I had purchased the low D susato dublin and the low whistle book/CD that was for sale here. I had been wanting to purchase the book prior to this and the combo at the price offered was too good to resist. I have been trying to work through the low D on my own but my alba is just not that forgiving so I figured the susato would be more forgiving to my attempts.
Well I opened the package in front of my husband. He picked up the whistle and said “How much is this thing worth?” He who doesn’t blink when I spend hundreds on a recorder doesn’t understand that even a PVC whistle needs a good head on it.
BTW..the whistle IS much more forgiving than my alba, and quieter than i had been led to expect from reading the reviews.
I find the volume of the Susato low D to be good but certainly not loud. There are definitely quieter low D’s out there
The reputation Susato has for being a loud whistles stems mostly from the second octave of the S-Series high whistles, most particulary the high D. The M-series and L-Series whistle are generally pretty middle of the pack in the volume department, IMO, and generally well behaved too.
How are you getting on with the BH2 (bottom hand, middle finger) hole?
Congratulations on your new whistle.
Feadoggie
I thought you were going to tell us an example of something that you husband buys that is crazy priced and doesn’t bother him in the least.
Yeah, if I want something that “is crazy priced” in the wife’s opinion then I " just don’t get it", simple as that. There are rules.
I suspect Cutterpup had something else in mind.
Feadoggie
You mean like $400 plus on a non-working vintage bandsaw because he doesn’t have one in that brand? But once it’s restored he can sell one or two of his other bandsaws to make his money back. If he had a sig line for his vintage woodworking machines it would make mine look like a single word.
And to answer the other question, I am getting along with the lower tone holes just fine. They are a little larger than I’m used to but it’s workable for me. I have smallish hands but spent close to 30 years playing a strraight (not knick neck) tenor recorder sans thumbrest and keys. So the size of the Low D isn’t an issue.
Yep, that’s the kind of burn I was looking for. Brava!
We have rules as well. I’ve never told him not to spend the money, yes we do ask each other before purchasing. He has never told me no either, it’s just that once the item is here he occasionally questions the value. Like I had said, a beautiful wooden Mollenhauer alto recorder raises no questions. Yet a whistle that costs soooooo much less is questioned because of the material it is made of. Maybe I should take the hint and buy only expensive hand made wooden whistles. he actually was upset with me when he came and sat in at the pub my group was playing in and saw I was using a plastic recorder instead of one of my “good” wooden ones. I don’t think that he bought my explaination that my plastic Mollenhaur “dream” soprano is the only recorder I own that can be heard above three hammer dulcimers, two guitars and a fiddle.
Bandsaws are important. Can’t live without one. So it sounds like your husband is a wood guy. He probably understands what it takes to make a wooden instrument. He can see the art and the skill needed to make one. While plastics are really no different, it is easy to assume that plastic instruments just get spit out of mold or extrusion machines. How good can a plastic recorder be if making one produces no sawdust or swarf?
Here’s what you need to do. Does he have a lathe (or two or three)? Have him make you a whistle (or two or three). It’s not too difficult a project for someone who is good with the tools.
Feadoggie
I would very much like to hear the results of this. 
And what about the head?? Or do i have him make just the tone body to fit a head I already have? No that won’t work. I’ll get grief about having a plastic head on a wooden instrument. But yeah, I think the last count was something like four lathes, all for wood.
note to self: change sig line to reflect new whistle(s) and add psaltry and vintage clarinet
You can take things in steps if he likes the thought of that. The head is the harder part but it’s not too difficult if you have some instruments around to emulate. There are a couple piece of tooling he may not have at first but he’ll sort that out.
Have him watch this.
And ten look at this site.
More references are available if needed.
Feadoggie
Plastic is water/moisture proof. I have never seen anyone pour Guinness through a wood instrument. Some where in some old posts a flute player from the UK talks about pouring Guinness through his flute to seal the porosity of the flute so it will play better. Perhaps that was just to get extra money to spend at the pub session. 
Thank you, yet another point in the non-wood favor. He knows that when I am practicing for a performance with my recorder group I play my wooden instruments enough to keep them broken in but do the heavy rehearsing on their plastic counterparts to keep the wooden blocks from getting overly wet and being damaged. I did this once on my favorite tenor, cracked the block during the final song of the last rehearsal before a Madrigal Feast where we were supplying the music.
I’ve pointed out posts on recorder forums where players for country dances actually have to bring two wooden instruments with them because one just can’t take the abuse of heavy playing for the whole dance.
Think I’ll use this argument to point out the economy of most whistles..you only need one if it’s not made of wood.That is one of each key/type/sound that you want. 
He will hear you say, “I think I am saving money. I’m really causes us to go broke.”
I have to say, I feel the same way when I buy things. If something is made out of wood or metal, I equate it to higher value. If the wood feels solid and not that glued sawdust mesh crap you see in Walmart, it gets an evaluated even higher value. If I pick up something metal and it feels nice and sturdy, higher value. Even my cups are those heavy strong glasses.
I really don’t like plastic, plastic things just feel cheap and out of place. Nice sturdy heavy things are awesome. If you drop something it should go KERPLEW, not plip.
But… with that said I do have a few plastic instruments, after a while I “upgrade” to more heavy ones made out of wood, corian, or metal though.
Sorry, but I disagree with you on sterotyping all plastic as being cheap and out of place. this link is to my current workhorse tenor. http://www.lazarsearlymusic.com/Yamaha-Recorders/yamaha_recorders.htm
It is definitly not inexpensive, nor is it cheap, flimsey or in many groups out of place. Yes hubby was a bit argumentative when I said I wanted it but it most closely represents the build and “handeling” of the tenor I would buy if I wanted to spend $600 or so. There is no upgrade in recorders to corian or metal.
The susato in question was purchased at a reduced price from a C&F member for me to learn on. As I said in my first post, I already have an upgrade to it that I just couldn’t play properly and I have high hopes of returning to it soon once I have a few practice weeks on the susato.
So, is corian, which is yet another acrylic polymer from DuPont, a mo’ better plastic? It’s still plastic. How about delrin?
Susatos whistles, made of ABS resin, are rock solid, impervious to the elements and will last longer than most of us will. It does not have the condensation issues that aluminum whistles do in cool environments. It does not dent. It does not tarnish or turn green (well at least mine have not after ~16 years). The joints do not sieze up. It does not need lubricating. It does not swell, shrink or crack when the humidity changes. Sounds like a good material for making whistles. The edge of the blade is the only part of a Susato that needs to be guarded against damage.
The Yamaha 300 series recorders are also molded from ABS resin. They are good instruments. (I have a set too.) I would not be surprised if the quality and durability of the Yamaha recorders were the reason that the Kelischeks chose ABS for their whistles.
My prediction is that you will stick with the Susato.
Feadoggie
This reminds me of a telephone I bought years ago. It had a bit of heft and seemed solid, 4 months later the thing stopped working, and I being the tinkerer I am disassembled it to find a large cast iron weight bolted on the inside. Instead of being over engineered and solid, it was just a marketing gimmick.
How about Delrin, then? Since it’s denser than most woods (just weighed my two keyless, short-footed D flutes with the Copley Delrin recording 292g compared to the Sweetheart rosewood’s 150g!) and plays like a quality hardwood, it’s just nonsense to talk of ‘upgrading’ in the manner implied above…
The Yamaha 300 series recorders are also molded from ABS resin. They are good instruments. (I have a set too.) I would not be surprised if the quality and durability of the Yamaha recorders were the reason that the Kelischeks chose ABS for their whistles.
Think there are probably enough folk still playing original Aulos ABS recorders (production started October 1966) to vouch for the quality, durability and suitability of the material!
I thought this thread was about making fun of husbands, not plastic.