Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)There is, for some reason, a common belief that the rosewood and ebony finished plastic recorders from Yamaha have slightly better tone than their plain plastic ones. I can't be sure, but it's a cute riddle, as I've had the same impression. So, let's spend a few extra bucks and revel in the question. The wood-like finish is a paint job: the plastic underneath is the same mid-brown plastic as on the slippery shiny cheaper ones that scream "I am plastic" -- so don't sand it. It's certainly a great sounding instrument, it even feels very nice to the touch, and it's very attractive. Even from very close up, your friends (and you) can believe it's a fine Patagonian Palisander baroque blockfloete (isn't that's a much nicer name than "recorder"?). Even those ivory-colored white rings look good. You would have to spend several hundred dollars to get a wood instrument that sounds better. I can't comment on the intriguing low cost wood recorders from places like Vietnam, who knows. I would be concerned about intonation, this is a delicate issue that many people are unaware of. Let's not forget all the different tunings that were used on harpsichords during the Baroque, and frankly I don't yet know how recorder makers handle temperament, though I can see at least that the most professional instruments come in Baroque A=415 as well as the modern A=440. There's an outfit called Antique Sound Workshop that buys these Yamahas in bulk and does intonation tweaking/drilling on them, so they play more in tune. They offer the modified instruments at list price, a great deal. The YRA312B-III comes with a sturdy military green Indian-made canvas bag instead of the tacky leatherette, a rudimentary cleaning rod, and special inserts to protect the pieces when dismantled. Make sure you get a III, as it is rumored the timbre is better, and the canvas case is stronger and feels nice and earthy. The YRA314B-III ("ebony") model's paint job just has a lighter background and wider darker stripes. The barrel-cleaning rod challenges you to find suitable rag material, to insert in the slot, that will leave no fibers in the tube. There is little doubt these are the best plastic instruments on the market for average players, the tone is controllable, and they do sound better, richer, than many wooden ones that cost several times more. Actually ABS turns out to be a good material for a flute, it's strong and it's got a certain ring to it. You know that when pros admit that the plastic Yamaha 300 series sound "almost as good" as their prize wood instruments, what they are saying is that they actually sound much better than most. Of course playing a recorder expressively takes skill. But if you've only played a soprano, know that the alto offers a much more flexible and interesting timbre. The low F# is a bit of a challenge on the Yamaha, especially as moisture accrues, but the rest of the range is even, and wonderfully thick and reedy. Even in the jump around G' you can get a remarkably consistent tone. It's easy to think that a plastic instrument selling for under sixty dollars is too cheap to be really good, so to help dispel the thought, put things in perspective, and to accrue good Karma, if you buy one, simply give the next person who asks you for bus money on the street a ten or twenty dollar bill. There's an Aulos Haka that has a unique baroque "solo" timbre, but it is harder to control. If you look for "Extended Alto Recorder Test", you can hear some relatively expensive wood instruments, and also note what "hard to control" means. The "recorder cream" that Yamaha supplies, to lube the recorder's tight joints, is not an ideal solution, and if the recorder is left assembled for several days, it can be quite, if not very difficult, to dismantle. I have had good luck with adding some One Puff graphite. The condensation problem is inevitable with plastic instruments (though wood ones have their own), and if you don't figure out how to blow with less vapor, or get the instrument totally warmed up to prevent condensation, or develop some sort of procedure to clear the droplets (like sucking), you will suffer a progressive loss of tone clarity as moisture builds up. But, unless you are playing really professionally, come suffer with us, and enjoy the solid tone and low price of this simulated rosewood brown plastic alto (and don't forget to share your savings with that unfortunate who has to ask you for a little money, it could easily be any of us).
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