Considering the ability to swap fipples and tubes to at least some degree, and the availability of third party fipples, what does each provide to the whole whistle experience?
This would be nice to know when considering custom blending parts.
I have two nickel generations d and Eb, the Eb is absolutely amazing with both fipple heads, and the d is mediocre with both fipples. Shows you how much the body has to do with the sound. Many will tell you it’s all in the fipple (to some degree thats true), but the body plays it’s fair share.
A whistlehead will be best suited to a certain key, or in some cases, couple of adjacent keys.
I believe it’s widely reported that Generation Eb whistles are consistently better than D whistles, no matter which whistle, a D or an Eb, the whistlehead originally came from. The head on both keys is the same, and it’s apparently better suited for one than the other.
Best wishes,
Jerry
There are a lot of factors that influence which head works best on what whistle. For any given key, there is an optimum length of window, from edge of blade to end of fipple plug, for any type of head. If the distance is too short for the key, you get squeaks and accidental octaves. Too long, and you can barely get into the second octave, and the third takes extreme breath pressure.
I’ve been trying to work out these ratios for my own whistles, and it’s not only difficult, but the equations get affected by blade curvature, hollow fipple plug ends, blade angle, and height of the blade with respect to the windway floor.
Probably, the best way is the experimental way - just try head A on whistle B and see if it’s in tune and you like the sound. After all, those are the only things that really make a big difference! 
serp
That’s right. The interface between the windway dimenions and the window interact with the bore size. There is not a magic formula for one perfect set of whistle dimensions. That is why there are so many styles of whistles.
I was one of those who thought it was all in the head. But then I broke an Oak mouthpiece and put that shaft on a Feadog head. The Feadog had sounded very muddy, barely musical, but with the Oak shaft on it, it makes a pretty nice whistle. If only I could get someone to make me a boxwood shaft for it. . .
Nickel plated tubes sound a bit brighter than brass tubes.
Generation tubes tend to be sweet sounding.
Feadog tubes tend to be somewhat raspy or edgy sounding.
Waltons tubes are close to Generation tubes, but maybe a little huskier sounding.
Anecdote in Favor of “It’s All (or Largely) in the Head”
Folks on the Board may recall that a while back–approx 4 years?-- there was a one time sale of Clare Two Piece Whistles for the mere price of $5.00–including shipping, as I recall. (Who was that masked man, anyway? Does anyone recall the seller?)
In any event, I could not turn that offer down. The whistle came with an angular looking pale green plastic head with a rather tacky gold and green shamrock stick-on. I rarely if ever played it. I had at least a dozen whistles that sounded so much better that I just never played it. The two piece body was decently engineered, and the idea of being able to ‘fit it in your pocket’ was also a plus. But that did not offset the limitations imposed by the head.
Then I encountered Mack Hoover White Caps. The result in a fine whistle with a total cost of about $25.00. The two part body had a lot more playability in it than the head.
Tom D.