Chiff and Fipple Forums

the Rottenburgh can be either in maple or pearwood; the Denner would be in pearwood. These are the models I can afford;all comparably priced.

Any considerations that I should know?

Never mind, I got the Denner in pearwood.

That's a decent choice. I have the same one from over a decade ago and still use it. I have others that give me different sound qualities depending on what I am playing, but the Denner is a solid instrument.

Yes, they are both in the same "class" of recorder and good instruments. It's just a question of personal preference. Which is why a number of recorder shops in Germany will send a prospective buyer packages with a number of recorders so you can choose for yourself in direct comparison. Sadly, if you are in the U.S. that won't help you - unless you can find a shop that offers the same service. In other European countries it's a question of negotiation with the shop owner (I got my selections of recorders (bass, alto, soprano - not at the same time) even though I live in France because my website proves my existence ).

For the record: Moeck and Mollehauer are no longer the only "industrial" manufacturers of wooden recorders. There's also Küng, Fehr, Huber, Takeyama, to name just the big ones I've tried (and sometimes bought - I have a Küng bass, a Takeyama Alto, a Mollenhauer Canta Comfort Tenor (bent-neck with extra keys) and a Soprano by Kunath)