REVIEW: PLASTIC YAMAHA TENOR RECORDER
Dennis Cook
Model: YRT302B
Price: A$115
I am now the proud owner of a plastic Yamaha Tenor Recorder. This
instrument is one of their Rottenburgh copies, designed by (among
others) Walter van Hauwe. I found it a thoroughly delightful in-
strument, with very few defects, and thought it very good value.
The instrument comes in the standard baroque shape, although the
foot-joint follows the baroque pattern rather than simply being
a scaled up treble foot-joint. There is a single key -- in two
pieces, resembling a baroque fish-tail key. This was very com-
fortable to operate, and very responsive. There are no means of
getting a bottom c#.
The head-joint has a narrow, curved windway, giving a very good,
consistent sound throughout the entire range. See the qualifier
below regarding the third octave. Initially the windway clogged
up with condensation fairly often, but washing the windway with
detergent fixed that.
Possibly the instrument's best feature was it's response to
articulation. I felt that it was as good as, if not better
than some trebles that I've played.
Intonation was generally good. The second A above middle C is
a bit weak, and the alternative B above middle C fingering
(i.e. 0 23) is slightly sharp -- I added finger 5 to comp-
ensate. Neither of the fingerings for the third D above middle
C were satisfactory: 0* 1 3 4 6 was sharp, while 0* 1 3 4 67
was a bit flat. The latter fingering, with some practice on
the thumb gave better results. The usual variations give you
the first half of the third octave, with the usual unpleasant
timbre.
Rating: 7/10
Justification: I've played better instruments (one by Fred
Morgan, another by Howard Oberg), and in the mass-produced
field, a keyless maple Moeck. [I have yet to find a Moeck
tenor the equal of that instrument -- I am still wondering
how many crimes I will have to commit to get it off its owner!]
It performed far better than a cherry-wood Zen-On tenor.
Value for Money: 10/10
Justification: In Sydney a Moeck Tenor will cost anything from
A$500 (Maple) to over A$1000 (Ebony) and a Zen-On cherry-wood
around A$330.
Any comments or dissent welcomed... :-)
--
| Dennis Cook "Never miss a chance to have sex or
| (den...@socs.uts.EDU.AU) appear on television." -Gore Vidal
Mike Rhine
>Price: A$115
[good comments removed...]
i obtained mine for $40 (approx) thru mail order from frederick weiner
out of NY (?)...
i will supply the 1-800 number if desired...
BAR...@hartford.bitnet
have recommended the Yamaha plastic tenor. I haven't tried one yet myself,
but have heard others play them; I like the sound. (Of course, Wollitz
can make any recorder sound good.)
Bill Barnes
barnes@hartford
QU...@gonzaga.bitnet
range, out of a sense of embarassment over using plastic instruments for
private lessons. It's hard to get them to believe that a) the $15 plastic
Yamaha alto is immeasurably better than anything they can find for $50, and
b) they are going to want a few good plastic recorders anyway for, e.g.,
playing on a misty day at the beach. My advice is always to start out
with Yamaha instruments and only make the plunge when they are sure they
are going to stick with it. The next step up is a Moeck Rottenburg --
or the best instrument they can afford above that.
James Quinn
Ken Koester
and quality of sound. I myself am very grateful for the bass I acquired for
$195 US, as otherwise at the time I would not have been able to think of
getting a bass (ok, "basset" for those outside the US. :-) ).
A trick for cutting down condensation problems and keeping things clean: wash
the entire head joint in warm, soapy water once a week or so. Rinse lightly,
air dry. Plastic does have its advantages, after all!
Ken Koester
>I'm in a SATB consort. Our bass player uses a Yamaha. She loves it, but I
>think it looks like a piece of plumbing from under our kitchen sink. How
>common was the 'bent neck' design in historical times? Also, does anyone
>have comments on the quality of the Yamaha bass?
>
>Steve Skaggs
Ummm, my earlier post should be getting to you shortly. I think it compares
favorably with Moecks and such--I was fortunate enough to be able to borrow
and play a von Huene C bass for a few days that I thought better, though
obviously not the same kind of instrument! The bent neck, and more, the
fixed position of the thumbrest made the Yamaha awkward to play for more
than 10-15 minutes for me, until Pat Petersen showed me how to prop it on
my crossed ankles, abandoning neck strap and all. I'd prefer a bocal or
direct blow, but modified as above I can wail away for long periods with
no problems.
S0SK...@ulkyvm.louisville.edu
Dan Ross
>On Fri, 27 Mar 1992 08:04:55 EST <S0SK...@ULKYVM.LOUISVILLE.EDU> said:
>>I'm in a SATB consort. Our bass player uses a Yamaha. She loves it, but I
>>think it looks like a piece of plumbing from under our kitchen sink. How
>>common was the 'bent neck' design in historical times? Also, does anyone
>>have comments on the quality of the Yamaha bass?
>>Steve Skaggs
>
>direct blow, but modified as above I can wail away for long periods with
>no problems.
Supposedly, it has the advantage of
a) being able to deliver better volume since no bocal
b) projecting better since the blade is on the outside, facing away from
the player unlike a traditional direct-blow bass.
The instructions are kind of funny--one item says "Never swing your recorder
around like a toy--it might hit someone. Ouch!" Hmmm...what audience is
being targetted here?
I think Roessler used to make the "Knick-bass" which was similarly bent,
except that it was a wooden instrument with nice shiny metal (brass?) for
the bent section. I don't think there was a bent form historically--the
technology to bend large piping in such ways wasn't there (except for
crummhorns), so they just made (fragile and leaky?) metal bocals.
I've found the Yamaha Bass to be quite a lot of fun. It has 4 keys
(left hand 3rd finger, right hand index finger, and F/F#); the middle keys
are a bit annoying compared with a Renaissance instrument, but the low F/F#
is nice to have. The tone quality from F, F#, and G is quite full and strong;
G# is a bit weak/sharp, and both B naturals seem a tiny bit off to me. A
couple forked fingerings are "strange" (Low Eb: use the 2nd finger of your
right hand, not your index finger, hence avoiding the key), but it
plays every note the Yamaha Alto does (well, I can't quite get the high C
from the Telemann sonata...).
For stand-up playing, the neck strap seems to be a must. (The thumbrest is
"part" of the instrument--one piece of molded plastic.) You can kind of hold
it back under one elbow a la saxaphone.
I must admit I was rather taken aback when I first unpacked it and saw that
HUGE head joint (actually two pieces) with the bend in it...
Levin Historical Instruments had the best price I could find on it ($223.50);
I think Antique Sound Workshop sells it for about $300 but will customize it,
etc. Some places will sell you a whole set of plastic ones for $300.
Dan
dr...@cs.wisc.edu ..!uwvax!dross
John Rahn
Let me be a fourth professional recorder player to endorse (with appropriate
cautions!) the Yamaha plastic tenor. I recommend it to my students,
HOWEVER . . .
On the question of "liking the sound," there are many other factors to keep
in mind, as well. I "like the sound" of my cat purring, but I wouldn't
care to hear a Handel sonata played with that sound!! A recorder needs to
(1) be in tune with itself, (2) respond well in all registers, (3) depending
on the intended use (tenors are usually employed in Renaissance consort
music, mind), be reasonably well-balanced dynamically between the registers
and match other instruments in the ensemble.
For (1) above, test octaves (easiest to hear), and/or use a reliable tuner.
For (2) try especially the (tenor) second-register G#, staccato single and
double tonguing, high C, and the lowest notes. For (3), just use common
sense.
Finally, keep in mind that the big question is usually value for money.
If you have more than $1,000 to spend on a tenor, and a good clear idea
on what you mean to use it for (Renaissance consorts, Lully opera-orchestra
parts, Shinohara's _Fragmente_, improvising jazz licks, etc.), then the
competition is worth thinking about. But if you're looking for an all-
round instrument in a slightly lower price range (and you're not violently
allergic to plastic!!), you won't do much better. Remember that plastic
instruments have one potential advantage over wood: they're consistent.
A wooden instrument, mass-produced, is a chancy thing, and will on average
cost a good deal more than an (on average) equivalent plastic one.
Jerry Kohl
p...@u.washington.edu
John Rahn
The "knick-bass" (bent-neck) design was very common in historical times,
but only after about 1930! I think the Adler company in Germany may have
been the inventor of this design, but in any case there have been lots of
other makers before Yamaha to use it. Yes, it looks a bit silly, but so
what if it works? If you're worried about "historical authenticity," then
of course the plastic rules it right out, too, doesn't it?
As I said in reference to the Yamaha tenor, value for money is a real
consideration for most people, and the Yamaha plastic bass is outstanding
in this respect. If you have more than $2,000 to spend on a bass, I could
recommend some really fine makers to you, but in the price range of the
Yamaha, it's hard to beat (and impossible to beat, IMHO, in wood).
Jerry Kohl
p...@u.washington.edu