I ordered a tweaked Clarke and have
been sort of worried about its
having a wooden fipple. Since wood swells with moisture, might this cause a serious clogging problem? If so, is there some way you can treat the wood to prevent it’s being absorbent? The whistle will be exposed to a lot of moisture even when not being played because I have a swamp cooler. I worry because I got a crack in a recorder once which I was told was from getting wet and then drying out. Thanks.
well this is a pretty darned humid place here, and i havent had any problems with the wood. They can get a bit soggy from that mysterious “dew” from playing…but mine doesnt completely clog.
This is very much a non-issue. You would have to play a real long time for the fipple to swell enough to make any discernable difference. However, some folks find a new Clarke fipple to be a little rough, and there are numerous strings here on the message board that have dealt with that–try a search on obvious keywords and you will see. A little fine sandpaper and a dab of chapstick will go a long way. A Thom Larson Tweaked Clarke remains a fine entry level whistle. It can have a folksy sound not present on much higher priced whistles.
Good Luck,
Tom D.
On 2002-05-08 22:18, Kendra wrote:
I ordered a tweaked Clarke and have
been sort of worried about its
having a wooden fipple. Since wood swells with moisture, might this cause a serious clogging problem? If so, is there some way you can treat the wood to prevent it’s being absorbent? The whistle will be exposed to a lot of moisture even when not being played because I have a swamp cooler. I worry because I got a crack in a recorder once which I was told was from getting wet and then drying out. Thanks.
Kendra,
worrying over things that might occur and have occured in the past are a major reason for needless anxiety.Worry is not worth worrying about especially when it involves wet fipples.Best to wait and see, and forget about that old recorder.Some people have noticed a sweetening of the tone as the wood swells and no,it doesn,t cause clogging.
Peace,Mike
Actually, according to the “Favorite whistle” thread, you are about to receive one of the most consistently favored whistles ever created…not always on the top of a players list, but always hovering near the top. One of those “must have” whistles. You made a fine purchase!
Maybe the dog from “Turner and Hooch” would be able to clog a Clarke, but I doubt you would.
Good luck,
Eric
Kendra,
worrying over things that might occur and have occured in the past are a major reason for needless anxiety.Worry is not worth worrying about especially when it involves wet fipples.Best to wait and see, and forget about that old recorder.Some people have noticed a sweetening of the tone as the wood swells and no,it doesn,t cause clogging.>
Thank you, Mike. My thoughts exactly. I myself play a Clarke with a wooden fipple (though not tweeked) and have’nt had any significant problems. In fact, I like the wood block. Even after a year it retains that sweet woody odor. I find it comforting.
Please remember, Kendra, that Mike and I are always here to talk. Whether you need a helping hand, a caring ear, or a (virtual)shoulder to cry on, you can always count on
I’ll further confirm that you’ll have no problems with your tweaked Clarke. Mine is my favourite whistle…what a beaut.
Jef
I live in Nevada where 15% humidity is a constant. My poor Clarke whistles just
don’t survive here. Within a year the fipple
dries out so bad the whistles just fall
apart in your hands.
Glueing doesn’t seem to help the problem.
So I had to go to PVC…which sounds better
anyway.
Just thought I would give you something else to worry about, ha ha
Lolly
So sorry for you Lolly!
What about Arizona? Anyone from AZ who has the same problem with a Clark original?
I’m in Florida, the prettiest swamp you ever did see, so things drying and cracking are never a problem here.