Ultra C Wicked Good Whistle

This Whistlesmith product is no longer available. Our current selection of whistles and other Whistlesmith products and accessories are available here.

Buy the latest Whistlesmith Whistles in our Online Store >>

When folks in Maine decide that something is exceptional, they generally say "It's Wicked Good"

The Ultra C is one Wicked Good Whistle !

This is a whistle design that has been in the works for about two years. It is a common sense approach to several vexing problems that face a whistlesmith when developing a whistle that can be reproduced in numbers and retain tuning and playing profiles when played under a variety of conditions.

After observing how whistle players actually place and play a whistle mouthpiece, I noted that the small size mouthpiece on D, C and Bb whistles in general use, had some major drawbacks. The original design of the mouthpieces on these small whistles was developed to fit the small diameter tubing necessary to make the higher pitched whistles.

What if you made the mouthpiece larger and took away the inclination to place the mouthpiece in any other position other than against the lips where it belongs?

When a beginning player begins to play the small mouthpiece, they place too much of the mouthpiece into their mouth. Instead of blowing air into the whistle, this position blows saliva into the wind way and control of the whistle due to its small size is marginal at best. After questioning people who had played the Straight Shot mouthpiece on the Whistlesmith Low A and G whistles extensively, I got the impression that a larger mouthpiece would not only play better, but would feel more substantial and give the smaller whistles a better balance.

I have had great success with the Straight Shot mouthpiece design and I tried a variety of ways to make it work for the smaller sized tubing of the HI-D whistle. After several starts on the mouthpiece, I was delayed in further experiments with more urgent whistle work and had to put the mouthpiece to one side in a box. I worked on the mouthpiece as time permitted, but the answer to making it play correctly continued to be elusive and time consuming and I would lay it away again.

While working on the Low F whistle which incorporates a small bore with a low whistle key, I developed a new concept mouthpiece using a tapered ramp with a round flute hole that really works well and is very stable when played. This style mouthpiece can be modified to produce more or less air flow and the wind way is easily milled to a variety of configurations.

What does all this mean? It means a common style of mouthpiece can be used to make the entire line of whistles and they will be stable and easily played. This is a Wicked Good Idea! and now it works!

So, now we have figured out how to make a larger mouthpiece play correctly on the small bore whistle and here is what it does.

1. Stable air flow in the mouthpiece makes the whistle blow easier, longer and with more volume.

2. Larger cut on the wind way means saliva buildup is no longer a problem.

3. Flute style hole means mellow, rounder sound with more strength and clarity on each individual note.

4. Stable octave bounce from low octave to high octave without squeeks and breaks.

5. Tuning is very accurate and stable in both octaves using this mouthpiece.

What 50 Test Players Said about the new Ultra design.

Test players of the new Ultra design agreed that the instrument felt more substantial to play and gave them more control using the larger mouthpiece.

Testers noted improved sound volume and better low end of first octave.

Testers also judged the appearance of the Ultra design to be well balanced and clean in appearance by using the mouthpiece as the tuning slide and eliminating the tuning collar.

Testers said that the Ultra was very stable to play and twenty testers said it was exceptional in balance between octaves.

The tuning head slide combination was judged to be not only an economical solution to tuning, but was easy to use and reset and provided a very good feature for cleaning the whistle.

After considerable playing and input from testers, the snap off top of the mouthpiece was changed to a slide off top with more grab to prevent it shifting accidentally after it was set in place and adjusted.

When this change was made, the test group played instruments with the change and they agreed the mouthpiece was more efficient to clean and play with the new slide off top.

The wraparound Whistlesmith decal was made to fit the smaller diameter tone body section while still retaining whistle key in bottom of diamond trademark.

If you play your whistle outdoors then the Ultra C is for you! You can play this whistle in a gale force wind and it will not miss a note. The Ultra C will stay in tune in cold weather and the mouthpiece can be easily rotated to the bottom of whistle for playing in the wind. This is a great whistle to take camping, hiking or playing around the fire.

I have improved the Straight Shot mouthpiece in shape and it feels silky smooth against your lip. The mouthpiece has a bevel on the top to fit your lip when the whistle is played in a variety of positions. The tuning slide is part of the mouthpiece and is very easy to use.

Whistle is thirteen inches long, is well balanced and feels substantial in your hand.

The Ultra C lets you play in the Keys of C and F and Dm without having to learn any tricky cross fingering. This is a very handy whistle to add to your collection.

Straight Shot mouthpiece is made of Bristol white polymer and has a clear acrylic plug from TAP plastics. The mouthpiece contains no wood or metal and the top slides completely off for cleaning and can be adjusted to best playing position on the top and bottom octaves.

The Ultra C has a rich, full sound you'll enjoy, with balanced high and low octaves. There is plenty of volume for any type of playing.

Note: International orders will be charged an additional $10 to cover shipping and insurance to destination outside the US. Please check out with your current order and we will send an invoice for the additional $10.

Wicked Good New Ultra Hi-D Whistle

This Whistlesmith product is no longer available. Our current selection of whistles and other Whistlesmith products and accessories are available here.

Buy the latest Whistlesmith Whistles in our Online Store >>

This is a whistle that has been in the works for about two years. It is a common sense approach to several vexing problems that face a whistlesmith when developing a whistle that can be reproduced in numbers and retain tuning and playing profiles when played under a variety of conditions.

After observing how whistle players actually place and play a whistle mouthpiece, I noted that the small size mouthpiece on D, C and Bb whistles in general use, had some major drawbacks. The original design of the mouthpieces on these small whistles was developed to fit the small diameter tubing necessary to make the higher pitched whistles.

What if you made the mouthpiece larger and took away the inclination to place the mouthpiece in any other position other than against the lips where it belongs?

When a beginning player begins to play the small mouthpiece, they place too much of the mouthpiece into their mouth. Instead of blowing air into the whistle, this position blows saliva into the wind way and control of the whistle due to its small size is marginal at best. After questioning people who had played the Straight Shot mouthpiece on the Whistlesmith Low A and G whistles extensively, I got the impression that a larger mouthpiece would not only play better, but would feel more substantial and give the smaller whistles a better balance.

I have had great success with the Straight Shot mouthpiece design and I tried a variety of ways to make it work for the smaller sized tubing of the HI-D whistle. After several starts on the mouthpiece, I was delayed in further experiments with more urgent whistle work and had to put the mouthpiece for the HI-D to one side in a box. I worked on the mouthpiece as time permitted, but the answer to making it play correctly continued to be elusive and time consuming and I would lay it away again.

While working on the Low F whistle which incorporates a small bore with a low whistle key, I developed a new concept mouthpiece using a tapered ramp with a round flute hole that really works well and is very stable when played. This style mouthpiece can be modified to produce more or less air flow and the wind way is easily milled to a variety of configurations.

What does all this mean? It means a common style of mouthpiece can be used to make the entire line of whistles and they will be stable and easily played. This is a Wicked Good Idea! and now it works!

So, now we have figured out how to make a larger mouthpiece play correctly on the small bore whistle and here is what it does.

Stable air flow in the mouthpiece makes the whistle blow easier, longer and with more volume.

Larger cut on the wind way means saliva buildup is no longer a problem.

Flute style hole means mellow, rounder sound with more strength and clarity on each individual note.

Stable octave bounce from low octave to high octave without squeeks and breaks.

Tuning is very accurate and stable in both octaves using this mouthpiece.