As the owner of 3 MEG Ds (one that came with the book “3 Minutes to Flute” and two just ordered from WhistleShop.com), I thought I detected a different mouthpiece design on the new MEG Ds from WhistleShop - which accounted for the better sound. But I contacted Thom Larsen at WhistleShop.com and he tells me that he’s pretty sure that the MEG’s design has not changed.
There are, however, Clarke knock-offs and he posted an image of a counterfeit Sweetone mouthpiece that’s all but indistinguishable from the real Sweetone.
I don’t know if the one that came with the book was authentic or not. Perhaps I mis-measured the sound windows - the dimensions are very tiny and my first MEG has had its soundblade tweaked. For the record, the sound window on my new MEGs (the ones that sound very good) are 8mm x 5mm.
Why in the world would anyone go to the expense of counterfeiting items tha sell for less than four and ten dollars respectively? Looking at start up costs (machinery, plant floor, packaging, shipping, etc.) I can’t for the life of me see a profit opportunity.
Yes, I thought it was odd too that there were counterfeit Clarke whistles. These are hardly high-price, high-demand items to make an easy profit. Yet, there is the picture of the counterfeit mouthpiece.
Today, I modded the second MEG I received from WhistleShop.com. I took it outside - it was cold this morning - and again, it was wonderful. The mod, a simple bevel on the bottom edge of the windway, prevented clogging in the chilly air. I am going to retweak that first MEG later on.