Susato High D harsh in Upper Register

Yup - it’s a whistle. :slight_smile:

Here’s a nice example of how a Susato can sound in the right hands: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ood1yphY82k&feature=youtu.be

What, with all those rushing air noises? (Unless that’s just a recording problem, I prefer my Susatos straight!)

I second MTGuru’s statement. I struggled with the high register of my susato for quite a while, but the trick is not to back away from it. If you back off (without dropping into the low register) you get the screechy, squawky sound. Keep you airstream nice and fast and it shouldn’t be a problem. High A and B will always be a little rough on susatos though.

disagree completely.

be well,

jim

Me too! Can’t describe any note in the first two octaves of my -S- Series Dublin D as anything worse than ‘clear’ when it’s good for over two-and-a-half octaves…

So, what are folks opinions about other whistles and how they compare to the Susato in terms of air pressure in teh high A,B, C, and D? Best regards.

Mike

A great whistle for the top notes is the W. D. Sweet. Has an easier response which means you don’t have to blow as hard to get the notes up to pitch. You can actually play fairly easily up into the third octave without blasting your eardrums. The Sweet does cost quite a bit more than the Susato though. Worth it in my opinion.

I’m one of those players that likes free blowing whistles. I like the Susatos in general. It’s a whistle you play not a whistle playing you, IYKWIM.

Your question is rather open ended I am afraid. There are a lot of whistles out there and to compare the Susato to all of those on air pressure and top end would be a daunting task to complete without qualifying things by price, materials and other characteristics. So I am sure folks will join in offering their personal favorites. But keep in mind you have to be the judge and it is best if you can get out and about and try some other whistles for yourself. From a design standpoint making a whistle which is equally strong across two octaves is a bit of a balancing act. The whistles I own that have the sweetest and easiest top ends frequently have weaker low ends. So keep that in mind.

I would think whistles like a Generation, Oak, Sweetone or Feadog would be favorable to what you are not comfortable with on the Susato.

A Sindt might also work for you.

I would also think a Mike Burke narrow bore would be of interest. The Burke has one of the smoothest breath curves out there. While you will have to increase the air velocity to hit high G,A,B on all whistles, you won’t notice a particular wall as you go up on the Burke as you feel you do on your Susato.

As an alternative you could try a Goldie high D. You might find you have push sooner but the top end may seem easier in contrast.

Feadoggie

Actually, his high notes sound pretty harsh too!

I’ve always found Susatos to be a bit harsh on high A/B, which I guess is the tradeoff for the really solid low notes. I’m mainly speaking of the high D Susatos. The lower pitched ones around B/Bb/A are awesome.

-Brett

Brett, have you given an ear to the V series High D Susato?

Personally, I like the rock solid second octave of the Susato. I have four of them. But, I also recognize that everybody has different tastes.

Be well,

jim