Flavius wrote:
And I don't necessarily mean a painstakingly accurate replica of a specific historical Renaissance instrument (*). Simply a wider-bored instrument, with a rounder voice and a more even volume distribution than the Baroque-style ones, that besides the odd Early Music inclined amateur might appeal perhaps to jazz and folk enthusiasts. Is that such a small demographic as to render the investment unworthy? Apparently the people at Mollenhauer think there's a niche there, and their (wooden) Dream and Waldorf seem to cater to the requirements described. One can't help wonder why Aulos, Yamaha, or Zen-On find the production of an ABS wide-bore recorder inviable.
I didn't really understand what people mean by a 'wide bore' recorder. Surely as it gets bigger, from garkhlein to great subcontrabass, the bore gets bigger?
I've had a number of bass recorders, but never thought to measure the bore. I suppose the rennaissance style ones have wider bores, limited octaves, and more penetrating and voluminous sounds than the baroque ones. And the modern developments might have extended the renaissance recorders by a single note, to move it from 1 octave + sixth to 1 octave + fifth, and the baroque recorder from 2 octaves and a note, to 2 octaves and a minor third, and then 2 1/2 octaves altogether.
I'm prob. one of those 'odd Early Music inclined amateurs who has started to use a bass recorder for jazz and folk. Bass recorders, beyond the ABS plastic school knick style ones, barely sell enough to make it a lucrative investment. As it is, with Mollenhauer, don't forget their superb Denner range - a proper vertical bass with bocal. I really can't stand knick basses. The player has absolutely no flexibility in positioning, and although the knick design is less problematic than the bocal, a proper bocal design makes the sound gorgeous.
Some things to consider other than wide bore: maple is lighter than pearwood (sounds darker, richer). That doesn't mean that the denser the wood, the better. An ebony or boxwood bass recorder would be unmanageable without a stand or cause serious strain after playing. Knick basses cause me more strain than a bocal driven bass recorder which I can sling diagonally. The problem with wider bores .... the pitch becomes dramatically unsettled, the wider the bore, for the wood density, and then the fingering holes and positions need to be altered, and it all ends up being a huge compromise, rather than an improvement. Unless it costs a lot of $$$$
Well if Aulos made a ABS cream bocal bass, like their baroque flute, I think it would be a killer. The Aulos sound is really great, and although it isn't wood, it's good enough for me.
