Waltons mellow D bell note extension tweak

Whistle
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I decided to post this, as this whistle comes up in discussion quite a lot.The barrel on this wide bore whistle is consistantly sharp on the bell note, as well as being out of tune internally.Other than this it has a nice round ,warm tone and is worthy of saving.Here are a few ways to extend the barrel,thus flattening and correcting the bell note.

  1. Guitar plectrum method:
    Some of you may remember my alternative to raindogs drink bottle ramp overlay tweak which I,m pleased to see has saved many-a- fipple from the rubbish bin.A guitar plectum(preferably delrin) offers the simplest extension solution…here,s how:Simply cut with scissors or a hobby knife both sides of the plectrum so it fits snugly inside the barrel..it should look a little like a sax reed stickin out and insert it 4 to 5 mm inside the barrel.It beautifully corrects the bell note..simply adjust to taste.

  2. own fipple or brass tube sleeve ext. tweak:

If you have a second Mellow D fipple you can use this as an extension sleeve/ring by sawing off the end of it carefully and smoothing it with sand paper or a nail file or,a sleeve cut and fashioned from a discarded Gen Bb makes an attractive extension with the help of a few wraps of teflon tape or cellotape between it and the barrel.

There you go.Of course there are other methods like wrapping conductor tape or applying enough solder or epoxy inside the tube end, but the methods outlined also add a further tuning dimension by being adjustable.Removing the tacky varnish and the cheap label from a mellow D doesnt hurt the sound either.The brass is of high quality and polishes up beautifully.There you have it…I hope someone gets enjoyment from this. :slight_smile: Peace,Mike

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Thanks, Mike. I put some sticky tack in the end of the barrel and pulled the fipple back out a little. I fiddled with the amount of blue tack until I got the thing in tune (using a $20 Korg CA-30 tuner). Once it was right I applied a couple of drops of crazy glue to hold it. I’ve always like my Mellow D, despite it’s faults. It’s now as much in tune as the high end whistle I tried a few weeks ago, and sounds almost as good (to my ear). And after taking off the varnish, a rub with brass polish makes it like GOLD.

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Mike,
Thanks for the info. How about bringing the second octave A and B more into tune via tonehole enlargement? Do you have tips for that proceedure?
Micah

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On 2002-09-28 09:30, Micah wrote:
Mike,
Thanks for the info. How about bringing the second octave A and B more into tune via tonehole enlargement? Do you have tips for that proceedure?
Micah

Sure do.The basic thing to know is enlarging a hole toward the fipple will raise the pitch of that note.The trick to aligning 1st & 2nd oct notes on a cylindrical bore is to tune the hole so its slightly sharp in 1st oct but 2nd oct will play in tune without the need to overblow it in tune and is especially important on the high oct notes which is the main problem area with this whistle.Another thing to know is the enlargement need not be absolute circular in shape and a slight oval shape especially on the larger F# hole is OK.Leave the G & E holes as they are and tune the other holes relative to these.Work slowly by hand…a dremal is fast but increases the risk of over-enlarging a hole.A slight radius to the retuned hole is not only comfortable but tonaly advantageous,improving air flow efficiency.Take care to remove excess brass filling particles with some sort of swab inside the bore…you dont want to accidently inhale this stuff and be sure to prtect your eyes from flying debris.Good luck. :slight_smile: Mike

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Modified pick. Whistle end+insert(top)

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________)— (side view)

This may help anyone wishing to try my guitar pick bell note extension. If someone makes one and is able to post an actual photo of it with a Waltons mellow D, I,d appreciate it. I used a Jim Dunlop green Tortex guitar plectrum to match the fipple but any old plectrum will do the trick.Thanks. Mike :slight_smile: