Yesterday I received my Jerry-tweaked nickel Generation high D. Today, there was a single package from Mack Hoover, containing a Whitecap on an nickel Oak tube (also high D, of course) and a soprano E CPVC tunable with brass trim.
The tweaked Gen and the Whitecap-Oak are surprisingly similar in timbre, playability, and loudness. The Oak is marginally purer than the Gen, but not as pure as my Burke. It’s hard to tell much difference in loudness among the three. They all seem equally easy to play. It’s too bad all these fine whistles have to put up with being played by me. 
I think that the Whitecap-Oak is both a little less pure and a little louder than my Whitecap-Feadog, but I’m going by a two-month old memory, so it’s impossible to be sure. I hope I’m right, though, because that will give me that much more variety.
With a Delrin Busman in the works, I think I may finally be set as far as high D whistles go. I still need to get a copper whistle, but maybe I’ll try another C for that.
The Hoover soprano E is interesting. It’s essentially a Whitecap head on a tube of the same material, with a nice one-inch brass outer slide. It’s very nice looking. The Whitecap material isn’t a dead white, but has a slightly ivory cast that goes nicely with the brass–much prettier than I’d expected. It has a really nice, resonant timbre that makes me think I should try that same material in a lower key. I’m thinking about low A, since that is also available with the brass slide. Actually, if I hadn’t just said that I already have enough high Ds, I think a high D made like this would be as good for slow airs as the Burke–without being exactly like the Burke.
So, I was wrong. There’s no such thing as enough high D whistles.
Oh, and Mack gets even more points for being a great guy. I wasn’t able to send him my Oak tube so that he could fit it to the Whitecap, because it’s on loan to a friend, and both of us have trouble getting out and about. I thought I’d have a tubeless Whitecap laying around for weeks or months, but to my surprise, my new Whitecap came already mounted on an Oak tube, so I don’t have to wait to enjoy it. Mighty nice. 
In fact this is doubly good, because it has prompted me to finally get my friend to ship back all three of my whistles that he has, so that I can get the Oak tube to Mack. This means that I’ll also have my Village Smithy back in time for the West Coast Chiff Gathering and Martial Arts Competition.
That should really get me hooked.
