Hi,
I was talking to Bagpuss today and she suggested I buy a treble recorder made by Yamaha which is plastic but looks like wood. She couldn't remember the model though. I'm going to Bath tomorrow and might buy one there but does anyone know which model she means?
Nicki

I have a Yamaha 302, which I think is great.

Mine isn't fake wood though, although I think you can get a fake wood 302....

Anyone know anything about "Kent" treble recorders. It was all I could find just before Xmas for my eldest - so I couldn't compare it with anything else. But it plays very easily & sounds good (- to our ears anyway & certainly much more pleasant than a cheap descant!).

YRA312B and YRA314B

Not bad for the price.

Liz

Why go for a fake one when you can get a REAL one!

Zamir make budget priced maple recorders, ahhh my Zamir descant Lovely sound too!

I hope to replace it with a Moeck Rottenburgh in ebony though

I had a word from a wise cat Irish Looney

Errr now I am confused. I know 302s are good - I have a descant one...

Get the Yamaha, they are excellent value for money and are far, far better than many low priced wooden instruments. Another alternative to try is the Dolmetch Nova range. I purchased one of their tenors at the Early Music Festival back in November, I found it much better than some of the wooden instruments at over £200. I don't think the wood look makes any difference to the instrument, just makes it easier coping with the 'plastic recorders aren't real instruments' attitude that is far too common.

I have an Angel F Alto. It's plastic and sounds quite nice. Wooden instruments cause me allergies so I've always used ABS resin recorders.

Angel made wood recorders too. Check out www.angelco.com

The plastic Yamahas that look like wood are really very very good. We have a number of these and they play beautifully - I would definitely recommend them to anyone. They are cheap too, which has got to be good. Wooden ones are great, but I find they can squeak if they aren't warmed up properly, whereas I can just grab a Yamaha and play without any preparation at all. They always seem to be in tune with each other too (ie, Yamaha and Yamaha).

Thankyou! I'll get one when I have the chance.

I absolutely second this recommendation, however I always wanted to know if there was any difference between the 312 series and the 302 series other than the fake wood appearence. If the fake wood is the only difference, then I would concider the 302 a much better bang for the buck.

I've been playing a 312 for about a year or so and the finish is wearing off around some of the holes. I suppose it has that "worn" appearence. The 312 series has a textured finish whereas the 302 series has a flat finish. The textured finish is nice, but as I mentioned, it does wear down over time.

One thing is for certain, the Yamaha 300 series seems to be a "standard" to which most other Recorders are compared to. It has a great tone that's very easy to play in both octaves. I think most recorder players have at least one of this recorders in their collection.

As a comparison: A Yamaha "300" series recorder to the Recorder world is like what the Susato "S" series whistle is to the Penny Whistle world. It's a baseline instrument that most recoreder (or whistle) players would have in their collection. If you could only buy one recorder, this is the one I'd recommend.

BTW: I started on a Yamaha "24" series recorder. Those too sound nice, but for slightly more money, the "300" series is a much better whistle. The biggest difference is in the fipple design.

On an unrelated note: If someone wanted a Whistle recommendation, don't bother with the Clarks and Generation cheapies. Start with a Susato. If playing with others, get the "S" series. If playing by yourself, then opt for the "V" series. Although the "V" series is touted as being a quieter whistle, it also has a better balance between octaves. Meaning the "V" series is generally easier to play with less squeaking. If you're a die hard whistle player and can't stand the thought of a plastic whistle, then a ~$12 Oak whistle is by far the best bang for the buck. It's a nice heavy nickle plated whistle with a pure flute like tone to it. Very durable and could probably be used as a weapon. However, if music is all that matters, a Susato will be far easier to play and for a beginner will sound much better. The Susato "V" series is very similar in play and tone to a Dixon whistle, however I think the Susato is made better. And like Yamaha is more popular in the Recorder world, Susato tends to be the popular choice in the whistle world. Just be like me and get one of each

I seem to recall that Andante has both the normal plastic and a fake rosewood, maybe she will be able to recommend - I think she said that there isn't supposed to be a difference in sound but she could detect one.

I have a 302 treble and it's an excellent instrument.

Just recently I bought a plastic bass identical to the Yamaha, at a third of the price (yes really!). Try "Thomann" in Germany (web-ordering and prompt delivery). They also do the wooden Moeck range, also significantly cheaper than their British counterparts.

Moeck is just fab!