Yamaha Simulated Rosewood 300-Series 3-Piece F-Alto Recorder

by Yamaha

Product Features

• Yamaha 300-series three-piece F-alto recorder, with Baroque-English fingering.
• Brown simulated rosewood finish with ivory trim; double holes for low F & F#, and low G & G#.
• Includes a zippered green leatherette bag; cleaning rod; fingering chart; and joint grease.
• This recorder is approximately 18.5" long.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 13 x 4 x 2 inches ; 9.3 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B0002E1GYI
• Item model number: YRA-312B
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,375 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments)
  • #43 in Musical Instruments > Band & Orchestra > Woodwinds > Recorders

Product Description

The 300 series offers a complete range of top quality recorders. This instrument delivers a rich body of sound, while providing the convenience of durable, maintenance-free ABS resin. This wood grain finish model has a rich, warm tone surpassed only by expensive wood recorders - it thinks it's wood!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Probably best plastic alto, June 29, 2009

By 

Fernand Raynaud (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yamaha Simulated Rosewood 300-Series 3-Piece F-Alto Recorder

There is, for some reason, a common belief that the rosewood and ebony finished plastic recorders from Yamaha have slightly better tone than their plain plastic ones. I can't be sure, but it's a cute riddle, as I've had the same impression. So, let's spend a few extra bucks and revel in the question. The wood-like finish is a paint job: the plastic underneath is the same mid-brown plastic as on the slippery shiny cheaper ones that scream "I am plastic" -- so don't sand it. It's certainly a great sounding instrument, it even feels very nice to the touch, and it's very attractive. Even from very close up, your friends (and you) can believe it's a fine Patagonian Palisander baroque blockfloete (isn't that's a much nicer name than "recorder"?). Even those ivory-colored white rings look good. You would have to spend several hundred dollars to get a wood instrument that sounds better. I can't comment on the intriguing low cost wood recorders from places like Vietnam, who knows. I would be concerned about intonation, this is a delicate issue that many people are unaware of. Let's not forget all the different tunings that were used on harpsichords during the Baroque, and frankly I don't yet know how recorder makers handle temperament, though I can see at least that the most professional instruments come in Baroque A=415 as well as the modern A=440. There's an outfit called Antique Sound Workshop that buys these Yamahas in bulk and does intonation tweaking/drilling on them, so they play more in tune. They offer the modified instruments at list price, a great deal. The YRA312B-III comes with a sturdy military green Indian-made canvas bag instead of the tacky leatherette, a rudimentary cleaning rod, and special inserts to protect the pieces when dismantled. Make sure you get a III, as it is rumored the timbre is better, and the canvas case is stronger and feels nice and earthy. The YRA314B-III ("ebony") model's paint job just has a lighter background and wider darker stripes. The barrel-cleaning rod challenges you to find suitable rag material, to insert in the slot, that will leave no fibers in the tube. There is little doubt these are the best plastic instruments on the market for average players, the tone is controllable, and they do sound better, richer, than many wooden ones that cost several times more. Actually ABS turns out to be a good material for a flute, it's strong and it's got a certain ring to it. You know that when pros admit that the plastic Yamaha 300 series sound "almost as good" as their prize wood instruments, what they are saying is that they actually sound much better than most. Of course playing a recorder expressively takes skill. But if you've only played a soprano, know that the alto offers a much more flexible and interesting timbre. The low F# is a bit of a challenge on the Yamaha, especially as moisture accrues, but the rest of the range is even, and wonderfully thick and reedy. Even in the jump around G' you can get a remarkably consistent tone. It's easy to think that a plastic instrument selling for under sixty dollars is too cheap to be really good, so to help dispel the thought, put things in perspective, and to accrue good Karma, if you buy one, simply give the next person who asks you for bus money on the street a ten or twenty dollar bill. There's an Aulos Haka that has a unique baroque "solo" timbre, but it is harder to control. If you look for "Extended Alto Recorder Test", you can hear some relatively expensive wood instruments, and also note what "hard to control" means. The "recorder cream" that Yamaha supplies, to lube the recorder's tight joints, is not an ideal solution, and if the recorder is left assembled for several days, it can be quite, if not very difficult, to dismantle. I have had good luck with adding some One Puff graphite. The condensation problem is inevitable with plastic instruments (though wood ones have their own), and if you don't figure out how to blow with less vapor, or get the instrument totally warmed up to prevent condensation, or develop some sort of procedure to clear the droplets (like sucking), you will suffer a progressive loss of tone clarity as moisture builds up. But, unless you are playing really professionally, come suffer with us, and enjoy the solid tone and low price of this simulated rosewood brown plastic alto (and don't forget to share your savings with that unfortunate who has to ask you for a little money, it could easily be any of us).

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Currently the best plastic recorder made, May 23, 2010

By 

J. Gwen Ingram (Dexter, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Yamaha Simulated Rosewood 300-Series 3-Piece F-Alto Recorder

Even 25 years ago, I found that the simple Yamaha recorders gave me more consistent response and better intonation and tone than plastic and wooden recorders costing several times more. No, they were not then and still are not high-quality wooden recorders ... and they also aren't as vulnerable to damage.

This Yamaha YRA-312B III recorder is a cut above the Yamaha alto I played for many, many years and never could find a plastic upgrade for. The curved windway gives sweet response in the high register and improved tone that only my fine Moeck Rottenburgh recorders can best (and, in many common playing environments, the finer points of the Moeck would be lost). As with my former favorite Yamaha, the intonation is true, setting me free to make music instead of turning my attention to correcting unnecessary instrument flaws.

Why choose the fake Rosewood over the other Yamaha 300 series recorders? First of all, the Rosewood looks GREAT. My only beef is that I can't very easily line up the head and middle joints with the plastic seams the way I used to with my "plain" plastic recorders. :-) But there's a functional reason, too. The "simulated Rosewood" finish has a matte appearance and slightly textured feel. That means fingers, especially sweaty fingers, don't slip as easily ... and clip-on thumbrests stay where they're put while you're busy playing instead of creeping up (always right before that tricky fast passage where everyone listens to YOUR part).

Does the simulated Rosewood sound better? I can't say, but it doesn't sound worse and if the appearance causes the listener to perceive the sound as more pleasing, who's to argue with the end result? Or maybe the player is more inspired by the appearance, bringing about a more inspired and musical performance. The latter is quite possibly true for me.

Included is a wonderful, breathable cloth zippered bag, joint cream, a fingering chart in case this is a first instrument (or if it's an upgrade and you need help remembering how to get those obscure high notes), and a cleaning rod (you supply the lint-free cloth to thread through the rod's eye and swab out the recorder, washing or discarding the cloth when it gets dirty).

Between the playing quality, high-end case, aesthetic appeal, and the slightly textured finish, this recorder is well worth the additional cost for someone who is a serious player (it's still 20x less than a Moeck Rottenburgh in real Rosewood, and it's totally replaceable). The Yamaha YRA-312BIII simulated Rosewood Alto Recorder immediately became my new alternate concert instrument for those times when plastic is the appropriate choice to spare the valuable wood instrument, and it sits out at my desk, at the ready for random noodling without causing undue worry about the consequences should the cat get creative and actually manage to knock it on the floor.

I just wish Yamaha made simulated Rosewood sopraninos and tenors as well as the soprano and alto!

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Value for the Price., March 15, 2007

By 

Steven K. Szmutko (EWING, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Yamaha Simulated Rosewood 300-Series 3-Piece F-Alto Recorder

For the price, this recorder provides a nice sound which, while not on par with top-of-the-line recorders, is an excellent value. The tone is good and the notes ring true. It comes in a nice carrying case. The only disappointment was in the provided cleaning rod, not really something to clean the recorder, but rather a piece of abrasive plastic - perhaps not even the intended accessory.