Generation Mouthpiece Issue
-
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Fri Aug 08, 2014 11:45 am
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Generation Mouthpiece Issue
I recently received a Brass D Generation whistle in the mail.
It was practically unplayable, due to instability and a horribly scratchy tone.
So far I have removed the mouthpiece, made sure all of the plastic casting flash was gone, sanded every surface on it that I can, and dulled the sound blade a little.
I look into the fipple with a flashlight and can find no visible problem(s)..
When I blow into just the mouthpiece, it makes an odd noise that accounts for the instability and scratchy tone.
So I recorded the noise:
http://wolffstudios.org/wp-content/uplo ... eNoise.mp3
I start out breathing lightly into it, then slowly blow more heavily.
Any ideas on what I should do?
It was practically unplayable, due to instability and a horribly scratchy tone.
So far I have removed the mouthpiece, made sure all of the plastic casting flash was gone, sanded every surface on it that I can, and dulled the sound blade a little.
I look into the fipple with a flashlight and can find no visible problem(s)..
When I blow into just the mouthpiece, it makes an odd noise that accounts for the instability and scratchy tone.
So I recorded the noise:
http://wolffstudios.org/wp-content/uplo ... eNoise.mp3
I start out breathing lightly into it, then slowly blow more heavily.
Any ideas on what I should do?
Re: Generation Mouthpiece Issue
The standard "tweak" seems to be to fill the hollowed-out cavity beneath the windway with poster putty or something similarly pliable enough to fill this gap. You can find a description of the process elsewhere on this site, and Jerry Freeman has written a nice description of his whistle-tweaking process that incorporates this technique. But basically it involves removing the whistle head and forcing a ball of poster putty into the gap with a piece of wooden dowel or the eraser-end of a pencil until the gap is filled.
I don't understand why Generation doesn't retool their mouthpiece to eliminate this cavity. It would definitely help to restore the reputation of their whistles and make them more consistently reliable.
I don't understand why Generation doesn't retool their mouthpiece to eliminate this cavity. It would definitely help to restore the reputation of their whistles and make them more consistently reliable.
- pancelticpiper
- Posts: 5318
- Joined: Mon Jul 10, 2006 7:25 am
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
- Tell us something.: Playing Scottish and Irish music in California for 45 years.
These days many discussions are migrating to Facebook but I prefer the online chat forum format. - Location: WV to the OC
Re: Generation Mouthpiece Issue
If the windway is clear of obstructions and appears to be normal in shape (basically a rectangle) and the blade is even and relatively sharp and free of oddities, then the problem is probably a misalignment between the two.
It's a complex mould, for those plastic heads, and it's easy for misalignment to occur.
What you can do is saw the head right in two, through the middle of the winday, so that the head is now in two sections, the lower section having the blade, and the upper section having the windway. With the lower section still on the metal tube body, glue the two sections back together with smelly styrene cement. You have several minutes before the cement starts hardening to experiment with various alignments between the blade and the windway. You can look down inside the windway to see what these various alignments look like and you can play the whistle to hear the sorts of tone and performance these various alignments create. Usually the best focus is when there's just the tiniest visible sliver of light underneath the blade (when looking down the windway from above). You'll quickly discover the big difference a tiny change in alignment creates.
I've done this modification to a number of my Generations and now they play exactly how I want them to: round full solid low notes, clear sweet easy high notes, and easy transitions between the octaves.
Or, you can go through boxes and boxes of Generations to find one that happens to have this perfect alignment from the factory, or maybe just get lucky. A brand new student a few years ago went down to a local ordinary music shop and bought the first Generation D he happened to see without trying it. It was superb, one of the best Generations I've ever come across. For every great one I've come across, I've tried dozens of mediocre and horrid ones.
It's a complex mould, for those plastic heads, and it's easy for misalignment to occur.
What you can do is saw the head right in two, through the middle of the winday, so that the head is now in two sections, the lower section having the blade, and the upper section having the windway. With the lower section still on the metal tube body, glue the two sections back together with smelly styrene cement. You have several minutes before the cement starts hardening to experiment with various alignments between the blade and the windway. You can look down inside the windway to see what these various alignments look like and you can play the whistle to hear the sorts of tone and performance these various alignments create. Usually the best focus is when there's just the tiniest visible sliver of light underneath the blade (when looking down the windway from above). You'll quickly discover the big difference a tiny change in alignment creates.
I've done this modification to a number of my Generations and now they play exactly how I want them to: round full solid low notes, clear sweet easy high notes, and easy transitions between the octaves.
Or, you can go through boxes and boxes of Generations to find one that happens to have this perfect alignment from the factory, or maybe just get lucky. A brand new student a few years ago went down to a local ordinary music shop and bought the first Generation D he happened to see without trying it. It was superb, one of the best Generations I've ever come across. For every great one I've come across, I've tried dozens of mediocre and horrid ones.
Last edited by pancelticpiper on Sun Aug 10, 2014 5:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
Richard Cook
c1980 Quinn uilleann pipes
1945 Starck Highland pipes
Goldie Low D whistle
c1980 Quinn uilleann pipes
1945 Starck Highland pipes
Goldie Low D whistle
- Peter Duggan
- Posts: 3223
- Joined: Tue Aug 30, 2011 5:39 pm
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
- Tell us something.: I'm not registering, I'm trying to edit my profile! The field “Tell us something.” is too short, a minimum of 100 characters is required.
- Location: Kinlochleven
- Contact:
Re: Generation Mouthpiece Issue
Buy another one.aaronw wrote:Any ideas on what I should do?
Because 1. they can't and 2. it's not necessary?ggunner wrote:I don't understand why Generation doesn't retool their mouthpiece to eliminate this cavity.
Definitely?It would definitely help to restore the reputation of their whistles
Doubt it. But then I've just found mine reliable enough as supplied for 35+ years, and (despite seeing the odd bad one since) really can't see this tweak sorting the OP's problem. At all.and make them more consistently reliable.
Last edited by Peter Duggan on Sun Aug 10, 2014 6:06 am, edited 1 time in total.
- pancelticpiper
- Posts: 5318
- Joined: Mon Jul 10, 2006 7:25 am
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
- Tell us something.: Playing Scottish and Irish music in California for 45 years.
These days many discussions are migrating to Facebook but I prefer the online chat forum format. - Location: WV to the OC
Re: Generation Mouthpiece Issue
As I've said before I once got a crack at a straight-from-the-factory unopened box of 24 Generation D's and tried them all. One was fantastic, one was nearly as good, several were unplayable, the rest mediocre.ggunner wrote: It would definitely help to restore the reputation of their whistles and make them more consistently reliable.
Generation could have thrown 22 of the 24 away and sell their whistles for $150 each and be known as one of the best whistles on the planet.
Or they could have thrown 10 of the 24 away and sell their whistles for $80 each and have the reputation of a good mid-priced whistle.
But no, they let everything go out the door, the unplayable squeaker and the superb professional instrument and the mediocre player alike and sell them for $10.
Richard Cook
c1980 Quinn uilleann pipes
1945 Starck Highland pipes
Goldie Low D whistle
c1980 Quinn uilleann pipes
1945 Starck Highland pipes
Goldie Low D whistle
- AlexD
- Posts: 49
- Joined: Fri Jan 10, 2014 3:13 pm
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
- Location: Ithaca, NY
- Contact:
Re: Generation Mouthpiece Issue
If nothing else it could certainly fool an unsuspecting person into thinking it's tea time
Owner of Hermit Hill Folk Instruments - http://www.hhfi.biz
- ytliek
- Posts: 2739
- Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2012 3:51 pm
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 10
- Location: Seashore
Re: Generation Mouthpiece Issue
aaronw, welcome to the C&F Whistle Forum. You didn't say if you're a beginner or seasoned whistle player. If a beginner, perhaps some of the issue is you, breath control, fingering, coverage, etc., or possible it is the whistle. Buy another one.
Used whistles are a whole another matter...
I don't understand why people don't return their new whistle to the music shop purchased from. Maybe this is a customer service issue, or why not complain to Generation itself thru their customer service. Yes, it is only approximately ten dollars but if enough customers complained and returned their whistles then possibly the Gens could rethink output and get enhanced rep.
And, then of course, you could send your whistle to a professional tweaker. Just saying.
Used whistles are a whole another matter...
I don't understand why people don't return their new whistle to the music shop purchased from. Maybe this is a customer service issue, or why not complain to Generation itself thru their customer service. Yes, it is only approximately ten dollars but if enough customers complained and returned their whistles then possibly the Gens could rethink output and get enhanced rep.
And, then of course, you could send your whistle to a professional tweaker. Just saying.
- Peter Duggan
- Posts: 3223
- Joined: Tue Aug 30, 2011 5:39 pm
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
- Tell us something.: I'm not registering, I'm trying to edit my profile! The field “Tell us something.” is too short, a minimum of 100 characters is required.
- Location: Kinlochleven
- Contact:
Re: Generation Mouthpiece Issue
Well, while I'd usually hazard a guess at the player, did you listen to the recording here and note the description of what it was?ytliek wrote:If a beginner, perhaps some of the issue is you, breath control, fingering, coverage, etc., or possible it is the whistle.
What I said!Buy another one.
- Feadoggie
- Posts: 3940
- Joined: Mon Feb 14, 2005 11:06 pm
- antispam: No
- Location: Stout's Valley, PA, USA
Re: Generation Mouthpiece Issue
Yes, it does sound like it is time for "whistle tea", in more ways than one.AlexD wrote:If nothing else it could certainly fool an unsuspecting person into thinking it's tea time
Feadoggie
I've proven who I am so many times, the magnetic strips worn thin.
- supergeo
- Posts: 46
- Joined: Mon Apr 30, 2012 10:45 pm
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 10
- Location: The free state of Arizona
Re: Generation Mouthpiece Issue
Someone on C&F had posted a recording of himself playing a great Generation and a terrible one. The contrast was night and day.
I've heard that occasionally people find a modern one that plays well, but I haven't found a good one in the past 20 years. I have an excellent one I purchased in the seventies, and I have several that have been professionally tweaked, and they sound wonderful.
I've heard that occasionally people find a modern one that plays well, but I haven't found a good one in the past 20 years. I have an excellent one I purchased in the seventies, and I have several that have been professionally tweaked, and they sound wonderful.
- s1m0n
- Posts: 10069
- Joined: Wed Oct 06, 2004 12:17 am
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 10
- Location: The Inside Passage
Re: Generation Mouthpiece Issue
This is the answer most true to the tradition.Peter Duggan wrote:What I said!Buy another one.
S1m0n's 3 rules of Gens are:
1. Don't buy a Generation whistle you haven't played.
2. Don't buy a Gen by mail if you can possibly avoid it. If you do, you'll get the dregs.
3. Don't buy a Gen from the bottom half of the box. They ship in case lots of 24. If you don't see at least a dozen on hand in the shop, odds are what you see has already been well picked over. The clerk may try to tell you that you can't try them out in advance because of some health regulation. If they do, either walk away or say "The quality control on these is awful. If I buy one unheard, can I return if I don't like the sound?" If the answer is yes, open the package right there in the store and give each whistle a try as soon as you've bought it. Exchange all duds. Demand a refund if they're all bad.
And now there was no doubt that the trees were really moving - moving in and out through one another as if in a complicated country dance. ('And I suppose,' thought Lucy, 'when trees dance, it must be a very, very country dance indeed.')
C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis
- megapop
- Posts: 528
- Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2012 10:13 am
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
- Location: beyond recognition
- Contact:
Re: Generation Mouthpiece Issue
Exactly, it's indeed that simple. If you ordered one by mail they'll generally apologise and send you another one (without extra charge of course). Once it turned out that the entire batch was faulty and they sent it back to Generation, which probably wouldn't have happened if I had not complained.ytliek wrote:I don't understand why people don't return their new whistle to the music shop purchased from.
Oh well, if you prefer to keep a defect instrument and lament instead of just asking for a new one...
return null;
-
- Posts: 509
- Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2011 1:12 am
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 10
- Location: Northern Italy
Re: Generation Mouthpiece Issue
I have a couple of generations. They're good for stirring tea, little else.
In the land of the iron sausage
The torture never stops.
The torture never stops.
- Horse
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Sun Aug 10, 2014 1:43 pm
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Re: Generation Mouthpiece Issue
Get yourself a Mack Hoover Whitecap, stick that on a Gen Tube and you'll never look back.
"That quintessential whistle sound" - Gumby
- Mr.Gumby
- Posts: 6621
- Joined: Mon Jun 07, 2010 11:31 am
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
- Location: the Back of Beyond
Re: Generation Mouthpiece Issue
You'll have a Hoover though, not a Generation.Get yourself a Mack Hoover Whitecap, stick that on a Gen Tube and you'll never look back.
Last night, prompted by the tea stirring hyperbole bandied out here, I played one of my Generations for a while and was ever so pleased I did as it has that quintessential whistle sound, the ease of playing, the responsiveness and just about everything that ever drew me towards the whistle in the first place. But to be honest, I like my Sindts and Killarneys and they do a fine job but they don't quite have the je ne sais qoui that a half decent Gen has.
My brain hurts