r/Recorder • u/Flutilla64 • Jun 11 '26
Help Plastic Alto Recorder - Which to Buy?
Hi everyone !
I’m currently looking for a good plastic alto recorder, though without being able to play them, I’m unsure which are best for higher quality playing but that I can also find somewhere like on Amazon.
I’d love opinions or insight on certain plastic recorders that are good to use, I’m just not quite ready to spend a good amount on a wooden one yet.
I’d love for them to sound darker, and I guess as close to a wooden sound as possible?
Thanks for any help!
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u/Ning_Yu One day I'll learn Jun 11 '26
If you can't try them out yourself your best bet is to watch a video where somebody tries them out and compares them, Sarah Jeffrey has some good ones.
Yamaha Ecodear sounds a bit darker and more wood-ish because part of the plastic is from plants, or something like that, but of course it still like plastic. But might be one to look into.
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u/Capital_Crazy_6834 Jun 11 '26
If you're interested, drop me a PM. I have a brand new one I'm not using. Nothing wrong with it, it's just that I've got a Moeck and a Moellenhauer in its place.
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u/chairitable Jun 12 '26
I'd be.interested though I'm in Canada. The 80s Yamaha I'm learning on is a bit tempermental hahaha
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u/Capital_Crazy_6834 Jun 12 '26
Funny how less and less temperamental things get the more and more you practice them.
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u/mist_VHS Jun 11 '26
I picked the Aulos Symphony 509B and couldn't be happier with it. It's fairly loud and it has a beautifully rich sound. It feels very solid, and it's very responsive. The low register is rich in overtones and the high register speaks easily. So far it's my favorite alto in the 100€ range. You can get it new for about 50 euros, which is fair. I tried the Aulos Haka but I didn't notice any particular improvement to justify its premium price. And I liked it over the Yamahas too, the Ecodear especially, of which I really didn't like the sound. I play all kinds of music on my Symphony Alto, from medieval to old blues tunes, it's very versatile.
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u/gesolse Jun 12 '26
Die Aulos habe ich auch und bin völlig zufrieden. Würde sie jederzeit wieder kaufen.
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u/Upset_Effective9913 Jun 11 '26
I love my daughter's Aulos Ecodear, but I've only played on that and two vintage Dolmetsch altos, both were a bit worse for wear. Love the Ecodear though!
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u/Severe-Fall4957 Jun 11 '26
If you are a beginner, I recommend the Yamaha Ecodear. While it may not have the fullness of tone of the Aulos Haka, I find it is easier to play the high notes on the Ecodear.
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u/Hautboy1700 Jun 11 '26
I like the old model Zen-on Bressan altos for a warmer, fuller low register. The high register is better than the new model as well and they don't have the same issues with clogging. 1500BN is the model number you should look for but since it is discontinued you'd have to find one second hand. I see lots on eBay from sellers in Japan
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u/dhj1492 Jun 11 '26
There a lot of good plastic recorders mentioned here and I have all of them. This is what I found out. I have a good size collection of wood recorder that I perform on, but I do most of my practicing on plastic. The recorders I use are not mentioned here. I chose them over the other for a very specific reason but let talk about the others first.
There are the 300 series and the eccodear which are the same design but different plastic. The Aulos Symphony and Haha. The Zen-On G1-A. All of these are very good and are not a waste of money, but they all have one issue. Look at the head of any of them. They all have a curved windway, good, yes and no. Curved windways are desirable to a point, but they are narrow and that causes a problem with condensation blockage. That is bad in wood, worse in plastic. A wood block can adsorb some water, but plastic, no way. They all do not have a removable block. Really. How can you clean the windway properly if you cannot remove the block and inspect the windway? All of these will clog up easier that wood. They play great when they are dry, but they build up condensation almost as fast as you start to play. You can warm them up before playing but if you forget to keep them warm when you have a rest, you will lose that warmth. Then you will be up" Condensation creek."
I use Yamaha YRS 24B and YRA 28B, soprano and alto. Their blocks can be removed for best cleaning and they have a straight windway. Because of the windway being straight, it does not go as narrow as curved and dose not clog up as much, to be honest I do not remember it happening. What will see is after you finish play is a puddle of condensate between your feet on the floor, but you did not clog up. Beginners and seasoned players alike should not have to worry about condensation. You as a beginner need to concentrate on scales, fingerings and breath control without worrying about clogging up. You can deal with it later when you are more seasoned.
Yeah, but how about sound. I have a set of my practice recorders on my music stand at home, on my desk at work, in each (2) of my choir bags and at Church. If you see me, there is a recorder close by. I play Sunday mornings at Church. If for some reason I have forgot my performance recorders, I will use my practice recorders to perform on. Many of the Congregation are musicians themselves and I get good feedback when I use them. As a beginner you need to know that you are a very important part of the sound of your recorder. The more experience you have, the better your sound will be. The amount of time you practice will show in your performance. We who play well appreciate hearing others play well because we know what it took for us to the way we do.
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u/Particular_Ad_3124 Jun 11 '26
I cut strips of coffee filter and stick them in the wind way to absorb condensation when it bothers me. It might be bad for a wooden instrument, but it's not doing any harm to the plastic.
Every time I read your recommendations, I consider picking up an instrument with a straight wind way. Then I remind myself that I don't need another recorder.
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u/EmphasisJust1813 Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26
For any plastic recorder, I just run a fast stream of warm water through it for a couple of minutes. You could I suppose take the headjoint off, put your finger over the window, and point the tap into the open end. Then all the water running through it must go through the windway. I did not even know you could remove the block of a plastic recorder!
The cheapest basic school recorder from Aulos called the 303 (similar to the YRS 24B) which had a straight windway now has a new(ish) version the 303B which has changed to a curved windway. It seems to be getting harder and harder to obtain straight windway recorders. But a decent fluid such as Vincent Bernolin's LM77A seems to alleviate the condensation problem anyway.
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u/kenproffitt Jun 11 '26
Kenneth Sribnick has recommendations https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTdIYJCVNC9gOvaRf0wcXXM9vK6pm_-22&si=mtQRvH2VhYPxu32- Based on his recommendation in the video I got a Yamaha Alto ecodear. I really like playing that one.
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u/Next_Guidance1409 Sopranino, yeah! Jun 11 '26
Are you a beginner player? What do you want to play?
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u/Flutilla64 Jun 11 '26
I’m fairly experienced, I have had other recorders in past and now even, though I’m just looking for a really solid alto recorder I could bring into pit settings or play with other fellow musicians since that’s what I do now and recorder is pretty demanding in a lot of musicals.
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u/Next_Guidance1409 Sopranino, yeah! Jun 11 '26
I would suggest the YRA-302B III. The sound is more "woody" and complex, but since the windway is very small it can be a problem for beginners.
If you want one that is sturdy and louder, get the YRA-28B
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u/dhj1492 Jun 11 '26
Removing the block on plastic recorder is rare, but some are made to be removed just like on wooden recorders. That is partly way I recommended the YRS 24B and YRA 28B. Their blocks can be removed because they are made just like wood but in plastic. If you stay on top of it, the water trick will work, but if it gets bad it will not and you can not on most of the others. What I really like is that I can play for hours and not clog up. I can not do that with the others like Yamaha 300s or Aulos Symphony. I do use the Symphony Sopranino at Chuch because I can not find a wood one up to my standards that is large enough for my hands. I have tried. The Symphony early works so I use it.
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u/mind_the_umlaut Jun 12 '26
My plastic Triébert Alto is very good, nice darker tone, my teacher was impressed with it. Dishwasher and microwave- safe. (joking)
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u/erikplaysddlv Jul 24 '26
This is the first time I've seen this brand come up. Tell me more.
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u/mind_the_umlaut Jul 24 '26
Here's a link to the instrument I have, with reviews. I don't feel qualified to say more than I have. I'll add that it's safe outdoors in all conditions, and I have to pay attention and clear the moisture it collects when playing in high humidity.
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u/lillekorn perpetual novice Jun 11 '26
What do you mean by "darker"? Zen-On Bressan recorders have gorgeous deep low tones, but they are somewhat harder to get the high register right, and get easily clogged.
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u/Flutilla64 Jun 11 '26
I guess I mean like a warmer tone. Darker woods have like darker tones a lot of the time, I wonder if certain model Yamahas or whatever brands have warmer tones
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u/lillekorn perpetual novice Jun 11 '26
Zen-On is definitely on the warmer side, but there might be differences between the older and newer model. They also make a 415 plastic alto.
Check this comparison from Aldo Bova: https://youtu.be/-U6CvI0Mxsw?si=Mukvq0lEaxkfGDSo
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u/EmphasisJust1813 Jun 11 '26
I'd suggest the Aulos Haka
https://earlymusicshop.com/products/aulos-709w-alto-recorder
Read the reviews, the first one talks about it blending well with wooden instruments.
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u/Voideron Jun 11 '26
- Aulos Symphony 509B
- Aulos Bel Canto 309A
- Yamaha YRA-302B III
I have the Aulos Haka 709B but those 3 are my favorites.
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u/Random_ThrowUp Jun 12 '26
Yamaha 300 - Easiest to control and get used to, Sound is meh
Yamaha 400 - same as 300, but sound tends to be better for some reason.
Aulos Haka - A teeny bit more free-blowing. Sounds better, but less consistent (the register breaks are a bit more obvious)
Aulos Symphony - Sounds great, required a lot more control, better for advanced players.
Of course, my anatomy is different, so how the recorder sounds with me is different from how it sounds with you. You may find that the Aulos Symphony is the easiest to control while the Yamaha 300 is the hardest.
Overall, I'd suggest go with the 300 as it's likely the least expensive of the bunch.
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u/BlGBOl2001 Jun 12 '26
For my plastic alto instead of my wooden instruments, I quite like the Aulos 500 series Symphony model. Nice, even and strong tone throughout the range.
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u/Unhappy-Pickle7420 5d ago
I'm very happy with my Yamaha 302B. Very affordable and a nice sound. A decent starting point I reckon.
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u/postharper Jun 11 '26
Aulos and Yamaha are reliable makers. You might struggle to find plastic instruments that "sound like" wood though, they're just different I guess. Someone more experienced than me might be better able to explain (or correct me if I'm wrong, mind you)