Has anyone ever owned a Sweetheart wooden whistle? I am especially interested in the Low D whistles. How is the quality of the sound and production? As far as the value goes, how do they rate among other wooden whistles? Also, is the difference between wooden whistles and metal ones significant? Thanks.
See this thread:
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=36087&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=
And this review:
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=29952
There’s also a clip of “Wayfaring Stranger” under slow airs at Clips and Snips here: http://www.tinwhistletunes.com/clipssnip/slowairs.html (The playing isn’t perfect, but you can get a sense of what the Low D Resonance sounds like.)
FWIW-- I have a Sweet Resonance low D and absolutely love it. Sold a Copeland low D to buy it if that tells you anything. It’s not that the Sweet is better than the excellent Copeland: it was more of a subjective thing. Besides, as a wood guy, I have an image to maintain 
I have a “non-low” D. Called “Pro” I think. It’s in that imitation wood that’s beter than wood. The D was so flat that in order to tweak the whistle I took about a quarter inch (probably more) off the end before it came into tune. The volume is high (good). The tone is pretty good. It resists wind very well (good for outdoors). Can’t lean into it at the high end or it becomes way too sharp. For me it’s one I hang on to for use on St. Paddy’s day floats, when it gets windy.
I don’t know if the low D has the same characteristics as the high.
There are significant differences between different makes of wooden whistles. There are significant differences between different makes of metal whistles. Same for plastics and composites. Every which way. The whistle world is wide and varied these days. Many voices, body-types, handling characteristics, etc. All with their devotees.
Sweet, Copeland, Overton, Burke, Reyburn, Reviol, MK; these are Low whistles I’ve either tried and/or own, and they all have wonderful individual traits. (Some others I’ve not liked as well…but that’s simply personal taste.)
Trial and error. Careful listening. Maybe intuition? In any event, welcome to the world of whistle choosing and playing! It’s a beaut!
I have got a sweetheart high D and I am really disappointed with it. It has a harsh kind of tone. I’ve kept it thinking that I maybe just have to learn to play a different way but so far it’s an expensive let down.
Is it a “pro” or the older verson? I bought mine back in 98, fell in love with both the lower notes and the fact that it’s absolutly beautiful to look at. But the more I played, the less versatile I found it. It is loud in the upper register. I older I get, the more I reach for the quiet whistles. I want to hit the high notes and not lose my hearing in the process.
I love the solid tone, non the less. But I don’t pull it out of my bag for practice. Which means it doesn’t get much use.
I’d strongly suggest that you contact the Sweet shop and tell them your concerns. Walt is eager to please and (if I can go out on a limb and speak for him) I’m sure he’d want to check that whistle and perhaps revoice it to play a bit more the way you’d like it. All of the Sweets I’ve tried have been easy to play with a, well, sweet tone.
I would hate for people to get the impression that the high D “Pro” whistles are inconsistent. As you can tell from other discussions on Chiff and Fipple, most people are very happy with the most recent model.
I consider it the best outdoor whistle I have ever used. Extremely wind resistant. Like a Susato, it tends to be on the loud side and, therefore, may not be for everyone. But you can say that about almost any whistle. 
i love my sweetheart, it was the first high end whistle i bought. it is still one of my favorites. when my whistle broke, mr.sweet fixed it right up for me.
Yes, it’s loud, but it can be muted to become a very nice indoor practice whistle. This is how I do it, with a piece of leather lacing and a rubber band:
I have a high D, an older model. It is a crowd favorite. I give it a big thumbs up.
Ive had a Sweet Heart Pro for about 6 months, at first I was disapointed and found it to be yes easy to play, not a lot of air required, but be prepared for the jump to the upper octive and very taxing, unforgiving and very fast. But Ive come to learn that it probably isnt the whistle but my playing. (my other favorite whistle requires a considerable amount of air and is forgiving/slower). So on it’s third chance I focused on breath control and tounging. Now its becomming a favorite. What Ive found is that it’s teaching me to play better and to be more focused.
Beginners point of view anyway.
Could be why its called a pro.
Hope it helps
i love my sweetheart, it is easily controlled, and nice and loud. you can also play it outside very nicely. this is great for pros and beginners alike.
First time poster, but I own several Ralph Sweet instruments (flutes & whistles), so here’s my opinion. I have wooden two high D’s, and both are OK. The old one sounds like a recorder. The newer one is the laminated wood and I like it better because it’s more whistle-like. It’s in tune, plays easy, and the high notes aren’t as brash as the Susato, nor do they take as much air. When I play outside the wood changes pitch a bit so then I use my Susato plastic D (which I like almost as much).
I played the wooden low D from Ralph & Co and while it sounded kinda cool and haunting, it was a bit quiet and the notes weren’t definite enough for my taste. Also took a lot of air. I like a brash sound because I play in loud places and need volume more than tone, sadly enough. Last summer I scoured Scotland looking for a metal low D, compared 7 or 8 to my Susato, and it beat out every one for tone, volume, tuning, and playability. Remember, this is all just my opinion, but the Susato low D is the one I would choose over the Sweetheart. It’s plastic, but for me it’s function over form. The Sweetheart looks really nice, and sounds fine if you’re not in a loud environment. Hope this helps.
Yeah, you hit it on the head. I have an old Maple one that sounds like a recorder too. I think its about from 2000 or earlier. It sounds very pretty in first octave but gets shrill on second and just will barely play the high A and B. It’s a nice piece of craftsmanship but I can’t use it for trad. It collects dust. I bought it when I didn’t know any better from Lark in the Morning. I just wanted something nicer than my Gens etc.
Although I’ve only seen the more recent models, there’s a couple of things about the Sweetheart Resonance whistles that really impress me. Firstly, the finger placement is more like what you’d find on an Irish Flute - the spacing has been manipulated by some clever bore-work to keep it all nice and comfy. Secondly, the bore is conical, so the octaves are nicely balanced. Third is the sound - it’s not a recorder, and it’s not an Overton - it’s what it is. This sound has a very special thing all to itself - I could see it being used in recordings or as a solo feature. The volume is not as big as a Chieftain, but it does sit nicely in a small session. This goes for both the laminated and blackwood versions with the blackwood being a bit louder.