The Susato VSB:-
Does the VSB mean very small bore?
If it does, does it mean that this whistle is quieter than the SB and others?
Are they really good whistles?
What do you like about them?
Thankyou
Tony Fletcher Sheffield England
Previous discussion:
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?topic=7892&forum=1
Run a search, Tony. This comes up twice a month. 
Didn’t you beat me by a hair’s breadth on the last Susato VSB thread, too, Tony? You frighten me.
\
/bloomfield
[ This Message was edited by: Bloomfield on 2003-01-21 15:34 ]
Sorry Bloo, I’m hanging on the line w/ Earthlink customer service… just chillin’
didn’t mean to kill your groove.
No, no, man: That’s cool, that’s cool.
On 2003-01-21 15:33, Bloomfield wrote:
Didn’t you beat me by a hair’s breadth on the last Susato VSB thread, too, Tony? You frighten me.
\
/bloomfield
[ This Message was edited by: Bloomfield on 2003-01-21 15:34 ]
Yeah, well, as far as I can tell, when he beats you on a thread, there’s nothing to it…
Aodhan
I think there’s justification for further comments on the VSB.
Tony: The Susato VSB:-
Does the VSB mean very small bore?
Ridseard: Yes.
Tony: If it does, does it mean that this whistle is quieter than the SB and others?
Ridseard: It’s quieter than the SB but not significantly quieter than a Generation or Feadog.
Tony: Are they really good whistles?
Ridseard: Yes, IMHO.
Tony: What do you like about them?
Ridseard: They are extremely easy to play and have response characteristics very much like my brass and aluminum Burkes. (I’ve also heard that they play similar to the Silkstone alloy.) The tone is slightly reedy but very pure (i.e., not chiffy or breathy).
I suspect that maybe half the comments I see on the VSB are by people who confuse it with the SB. They look similar and are made of the same material but are otherwise entirely different.
Hi, Tony
Question 1: Yes, VSB = Very Small Bore
Question 2: Yes, the VSB is quieter than the SB, according to everything I’ve read about them. This does not mean that the VSB is particularly quiet, the SB (I have one)is pretty loud!
Question 3: I would rate the SB at around 6 or 7 out of 10. Since the criticisms people generally raise about the SB seem to have been addressed to some extent by the VSB design, I would be reasonably optimistic about its performance. Some have enthused about the VSB, but others (a minority as far as I can tell) have not been won over. Perhaps a “good” whistle rather than “really good”??
Question 4: What do I like about mine? I only own the SB, but the things I like will apply to the VSB also: consistent tuning and a very nice quality of manufacture. The SB isn’t as crisp and effortless to play as a good whistle of Generation style design, but the challenge is interesting, and while the sound may not be the Holy Grail of whistle tone, it’s far from a disgrace!
Hope this helps, Adrian.
PS I am from Sheffield, though now I live in Derbyshire…any other local C&F people here?
I just tweaked my Susato VSB with mike.r’s flat-blade tweak, as described here:
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=7282&forum=1&start=0
Vast improvement, it takes away the thin, screetchy, grating quality of the VSB sound. Great also with the E-shaft.