It seems to me, generally, that so called wide bore whistles are less balanced across the octaves than similar narrow bore models. Why is this? What about a narrow bore makes the higher notes less ear-splitting?
Tres
I think you’re right in general, but I would like to point a couple of things out. I’m not at all sure that the effect is real, and if it is, I’m not sure it’s really due to the wide bore. I think that the designers of wide-bore whistles are trying to make loud whistles. And because the whistles are loud to begin with, and you simply have to move more air to get the high notes in any whistle, I think it may appear that they’re less well-balanced because you’re reaching the point at which the sound is loud enough and in the right frequency range to be painful.
Of course, there are exceptions to this. The Burke wide-bore brass has a huge bore and is very nicely balanced. The Busman is a wide-bore and has plenty of volume, but is about the most balanced whistle I’ve ever played. OTOH, something that reinforces the rule is the difference between the Thin Weasel and Water Weasel E’s. The WW is a 1/2" bore and absolutely screams in the upper register (still a very nice whistle). The TW is maybe 7/16 and doesn’t scream at all. I’m not sure, though, whether it’s really the volume or just a difference in the quality of the sound that makes the WW seem so much louder.