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About The Sweetheart Flute Company

Key Personnel
Ralph Sweet: Ralph SweetPresident/owner, designer and instrument maker, retired physics teacher, caller and teacher of contra and square dancing, fifer and drummer since 1946.
Walter Sweet: Walt SweetWalt (Ralph's son) is now co-owner, specializing in technical design (i.e., improving the performance of instruments).  Walt's other hats are math teacher (MAMT), industrial engineer, musician, and technical consultant.
Jerry Briere: Jerry BriereJerry has been our finisher and quality watchdog since 1996. He also does CAD drawings, shop maintenance, tricky machining of experimental tooling, and much of the fine craftsmanship.
 
Joseph Morneault: Joseph

Joseph  is our shop foreman,  in charge of scheduling production so we will have instruments in stock,  when you order them.  He does wood turning, boring, sanding, voicing of whistles, and more. Joseph has been a member of four fife and drum corps,  and a fife instructor for 8 corps. He is a military music historian focused on fife and drum, 18th century  and earlier.  He has played mandolin, fife, and whistle with several folk bands,  including the Wild Colonial Boys, and still plays with The Jovial Crew every Monday evening at the Griswold Inn,  of Essex,  CT. and more. He perfected his skills for 14 years as the fife-maker at Cooperman Fife & Drum Co.

Hear Joseph play:: Joseph playing mandolin and Sweetheart's new 1/2" bore D whistle
Joseph playing military fife and field drums

Jonathan Warner: 

Jonathan Warner Mac is our voicer extraordinaire for pennywhistles.  When he’s not learning the rest of the flutemaking craft from us, he’s busy making parts for Uilleann Pipes.

See & hear Jonathan play Sweetheart Whistles at: http://www.youtube.com/user/macwarner57

Amanda Warner:
Amy BissellAmanda works part time, processing and shipping orders.  Amanda and Jonathan have been married for 6 years.


We don't have regular store hours, as we are too busy making instruments. However if you would like to visit us to try out instruments before purchasing, or to see our workshop, call for an appointment and directions.

Ralph also runs events in his Powder Mill Barn. See the website for more information.

pennywhistle
raw tubes
Wooden Whistle
Turned Whistles
Whistle
Polished Fifes
The Sweetheart Professional Whistle
Workshop Photos
Workshop Photos
Ralph Sweet measuring flute diameter

Workshop Photos
Ralph preparing to drill
Workshop Photos
Walter Sweet aligning whistle to drill finger holes