In Praise of Plastic Recorders

[Tim2723]

In the wake of several recent recorder posts, I've taken up my old reliable Aulos recorders and blew the dust out. I got to thinking about how much I like these. I have a couple of nice wooden instruments, but I must admit these are remarkably good for their price. Checking them against an electronic tuner, they have surprisingly accurate intonation through their range (for a recorder). I think a lot of players might turn their nose up at plastic instruments, but these aren't the cheaply made, grade-school noisemakers we usually think of when someone says 'plastic'. They are very well molded from a dense resin material. To be frank, I sometimes think these are better than many entry-level wooden instruments, especially the larger sizes. The tenor, currently priced at around US$70, pleases me more than my low-end Gill that cost considerably more. I've gone ahead and ordered the Aulos bass recorder, which I expect later this week. I've always wanted a bass, but they were always beyond my financial grasp.

Putting aside those cheap toy recorders that annoy parents everywhere, and speaking about high quality resin instruments like the Yamaha and Aulos offerings, what do you think of these?

[Kypfer]

I prefer my old Aulos descant/soprano, (the type with the patent number on the foot) to a similar Yamaha. It has, to my ear, a slightly "smoother" tone, but you're right, they are both suprisingly accurately tuned for a "budget" instrument. Another favourite of mine is an ancient "Dulcet", made in that heavy Bakelite-type plastic, similar to the "Dolonite" that Dolmetsch used to use for their entry-level recorders. Certainly from the "playing position", it has a remarkably pleasant tone.

None of these have the "fullness" of tone of my Moeck Tuju, but, just occaisionally, one doesn't want to be too "sophisticated"

[Tim2723]

Oh, certainly no one would mistake even the best molded recorder for a masterpiece of the flutemaker's art, but I do think that the very good ones are in many ways superior to a some entry-level wooden instruments. To expect any of them to surpass a fine, handcrafted instrument would be unrealistic at least, but for what they are I think they're remarkable.

[JackCampin]

The Zen-On "Bressan" altos are great, if you can find one. I have both the original and the model that Lee Collins modified (cedar block, hand voicing). Either is worth having.

[Corgicrazed]

Yamaha makes awesome plastic recorders. I also own an LMI soprano recorder, which considering that I only payed about $2 for it, sounds pretty good,kinda.....

[JackCampin]

Aargh. "Cedar block" two posts ago, not "cedar black".

The big manufacturers make good stuff but they also make some not-so-good instruments, and the bigger they are the more likely they are to have produced a real lemon sometime in the past.

[James_Alto]

I must be the third or fourth here with an Aulos descant recorder.


These are really really good. Mine I used for concert performance when I was about 7 - and it's still in pristine condition.

I don't think the audience really care for tonal quality from a 7 year old. They're just amazed that a 7 year old can play anything that grips their attention without blundering

Of the Japanese ones, I'm not so keen on Yamaha knicks. The Aulos have a very good reputation - they would be my instrument of choice - for practice. I don't like practicing on my best pearwood recorder (my precious!). I could never boxwood, knowing that its destiny lies ... in a warped fate.

Intonation wise - there is a lot missing, which I notice comparing my Aulos to Moeck, Mollenhauer, and Roessler. The Roesslers are probably the best recorders I've ever owned - for what I paid. I like the Moeck and Mollenhauer - but their sound signature is so different, it's hard to pick a favourite. My Mollenhauer is still in its hoarse newborn phase as I burn it in, but plastic for practice is really really good. For the cost, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a new Aulos, instead of damaging a wooden recorder by playing it for hours in one day.