I bought a Susato Low D a few months ago and have had a hard time getting consistent play out of it. For the most part, the low notes are fairly easy to hit but the high B plays almost between octives - both high and low at the same time. The upper register tone is not clean at all.
Well, have others had these kind of problems?
I am happy to report that I have had a small sucess making the whistle play a little better. If I narrow the whistle passageway by sticking two flat toothpicks in (one on each side) so that they go all the way through the airway until they touch the fipple blade, then the upper notes play fairly well and the low notes, while a little harder to hit, are still there. The whistle is also a little quieter. The tone is still not a clear as I would like it to be though.
I put wax on the toothpicks to make them smooth and broke off the ends flush with the mouthpiece. I have not had the courage to glue them in yet and I find that adjusting them a little does affect the result - the narrower the resulting windway, the easier and cleaner the high notes sound but the harder the low notes are to play.
Is this problem characteristic of all Low D Susatos or just some?
Happy new year!