I have a Low G that MAck Hoover gave me. He didnt particularly like it, and he wasnt sure what to think about my attempts to play his whisltes. So he gave me a high air requirement whistle to toodle with.
IT sounded way better once I scraped the bottom, and replaced it with some 3/4" pvc with all the holes in the right place. And an extra hole, and tuned to Just intonation, and voiced for my GHB fingering… Its the “thing that should not be” and Mack still isnt sure about the thing, or my playing But it works for now until I make a fipple I like and toss the Susato fipple.
Not bad I suppose, for the money.. but they definitly need some work.
Have read somewhere that Sean Ryan’s albums are good.
Does he still play Susatos after the two albums? Maybe those who are reder haters might change their opinion should they listen to one of his CD’s. Having said that though, a leopard can’t change his spots. No use arguing the validity of one’s taste for certain sort of noises anyway…
I, for one, own a Susato D and have dramatically altered the shape of the mouthpiece so as to make it suit my taste. I once ruined it whilst working with a burner, but few days ago I re-adjusted the fipple and it seems to be back in normal. I like the sound of this Susato Low D, and I can make it sound like either a Shakuhachi or a Low Recder (sorry, couldn’t resist). But, I tell ye, I wanna have ordered a tunable one!! Without the tuning slide it looks like..eh…a stripped re***der.
I noticed that Susato’s not got a F#. Must go for either Overton or Burke for a F#..? No, wait, actually, I can order a G and pull the slide a bit, thus manually making the whistle in the key of F, or something
I like Susatos, they’re in tune, production quality is great, and they can honk like a goose if you blow them just so. Only drawback is that recorders sound like them, sometimes.
One thing to remember, especially online, is that for every person posting who doesn’t like something, there may be a hundred that do like it but simply don’t post about it.
ABS plastic recorders sound like they are made
of ABS plastic. Susato whistles sound like they’re
made of ABS plastic. But Susato whistles don’t
sound like recorders–only like they’re made of
the stuff that inexpensive recorders are made of.
IMHO.
cj wrote:
Somebody must like the much-maligned Susatos, as they won the favorite inexpensive whistle poll . . .
One thing to remember, especially online, is that for every person posting who doesn’t like something, there may be a hundred that do like it but simply don’t post about it.
–James
This is true; folks dwell on the negative sometimes. I try to balance this and post when I like something. Positive reinforcement is a powerful tool; all you other parents out there likely have figured this out. Also, in the case of a whistle maker or store I dealt with, I like to post here if I had a good experience with them, so they might get more business and know what they’re doing right. Fortunately, other than a few dud whistles, most of my whistle experiences of all kinds have been good ones. And the information I get here, both positive and negative, has been invaluable.
Isn’t a pickle a solution you dunk your silver into after soldering, to clean off the scale? Sulfamic acid or something? Where the hell is Jessie K when we need her!?
serpent
It’s like thickened Worcestershire sauce with lumpy bits. To be enjoyed with a good chedder, or beef, or… if they still exist … a British Rail pork pie and a pint of Ruddles County. I know Ruddles still exists. I’m not so sure about British Rail.
I see the Susato the way I see dry wine. Good with other stuff, not so good by itself. If you find yourself the only whistler in a big session, it’s the weapon of choice.
just today bought myself a susato low G. not too happy about it really. i don’t like susatos much at all, but i’m playing in a friend’s wedding, which will be taking place outside, and the one redeeming quality, which is usually one of the susato’s detracting qualities, is that the whistle is loud. although it does seems to be sounding a tad better as i adjust to its airflow requirments.
Well I just received my Serpent Low D and can now compare it to my Susato Low D.
The Serpent is obviously man-made by a man who loves whistles and making whistles, and who took the time to make the whistle unique from all the others he makes in the same style. Kudos Serpent!! I LOVE your whistle. It is VERY, VERY quiet, so quiet that I can comfortably practice to my hearts content without messing with the neighbors. As far as the tone holes are concerned, they are so well-spaced that I was able to play the whistle from the moment I took it out of the shipping tube. Of course I had practiced on the Susato for a year or so and was able to play that without a piper’s grip, so the Python was a charm with closer holes.
The Susato has a completely in-tune mellow sound, a bit like a hollow pipe to me but full sounding with that same Susato sound that you also find in the soprano D only lower. Its fine and I enjoy playing it.
The Serpent Python low D is quieter but is much easier to play, and is also in perfect tune. It has some interesting chiff a bit like the Clark, and it also has a very comfortable mouthpiece like the Sindt with a with delrin-type plastic fiple block. I have only been playing it for a day or so but I already am in love with it. I played the non ITM , American tunes " It’s A Wonderful World" on it and also " New York, New York" and the sound is very, very nice on the ear with a bit of a fluty sound behind the chiff. The air reqirement is very small compared with the Susato and this threw me at first and had me playing two octaves at once until I learned to ease up and give it less air.
Bottom line. I like the Susato and will continue to play it because it is a fine whistle. I will play mostly the Python however, for all the reasons above.
By the way, the main reason why many, many musicians don’t like susatos is because they are very loud in a quiet/moderate session. I’ve been playing my susato from time to time in Ireland but to my defence it’s mostly when I can’t even hear myself cuz there’s a crowd.
I think many [musicians] are selfish, and the susato becomes a dirty weapon in their hands. How many times have I been in a quiet session where an amazing whistle player would play his generation, and then you get this guy with the susato joining the session and you can’t hear no more of the generation dude.
I could also say the same about whistle players owning a Copeland high D.
Well, now that i’ve actually got one and can try it, i’d say that it’s not louder, but can be played louder. I can control the volume on this whistle more than I can on any other that i’ve got. About the only other thing i’ve noticed is there is a slight buzz when you play a la sweetone. Although not as pronounced as the sweetone. Is that normal?
But it works for now until I make a fipple I like and toss the Susato fipple.
