Tweaking out the recorder-like tone from a Susato

Whistle
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Someone mentioned on a recent thread that he/she had done some tweaking of the fipple block on a Susato in such a way as to reduce clogging. It made me think…has anyone had any success tweaking a Susato soprano whistle so that it loses the recorder “buzz” sound? I’ve noticed that the garbage bag tie mute not only quiets a Susato, it also seems to improve the tone IMHO.

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Yes,voicing adjustments on a susato can smooth out the second octave but its already tight focussed voicing means its a tricky procedure.This thing about susato having a recorder tone is a bit exagerated dont you think?Susatos are great little whistles for the money and its no secret that some of the worlds top players record and perform with them..like Generations,one only needs to seek out a good one and learn how to deal with their idiosynchrosys with the help of a little tweaking.Peace,Mike

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Susatos don’t sound like recorders,
IMHO. They sound like plastic.
Plastic recorders also sound like plastic;
hence the idea that Susatos sound
like recorders.

How does one tweak them, anyway?
I agree that they are great whistles,
especially the C.

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On 2002-09-02 01:58, jim stone wrote:
.

How does one tweak them, anyway?
I agree that they are great whistles,
especially the C.

Jim,there are many things that can be done to enhance the performance of a Susato.A simple tweak is to remove the fipple block of a tunable susato and lighly matt the airway surface with very fine sand paper to aid moisture dispersion and sand back the flat side of the plug slightly.Lightly matting the labium ramp and slightly dulling the knife edge also helps but its very tricky and requires extreme care and patience.I wouldnt recommend the whistle mute thingy on a susato at the risk of harming the knife edge…its very soft and easily indented!I havent done anything yet with the new very small bore susato D and was disapointed with the one I have tried out but I’m eager to mess around with one eventualy.My Susato C is faltless and required only slight and minor adjustments.Of course,many folks feel susatos are fine exactly the way they are so please dont sue me anyone..my aproach is the same with any whistle be it susato ,generation or overton.The only ones I dont bother with are sweetone..you know the saying"you cant polish a t***". Peace, Mike :slight_smile:

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Thanks!

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Thanks for the input, guys.