Yamaha YRA-402 B Ecodear Alto

Beginner friendly

I bought this so I could learn to play the instrument and so far it has a good sound is light enough as not to tire to easily and very manageable in upkeep.

best alto

it's plastic, but it sounds better than plastic. I really like this line of yamaha recorders. The finish looks professional.

very good

after trying many plastic recorders, this one is mine favourite .

it's very same to the 300 series , but has a more sweet and mellow sound , also every note speaks so clearly.

Superb Recorder

Probably in the top 2 for plastic alto recorders. Clear sound, good projection, lovely tone.

Not as good as the regular plastic recorders

I loved the idea of ecodear, an environment friendly material. I have also the regular plastic recorders by Yamaha and this one for some reason has a very narrow wind canal, so it cloggs up sooner than all the other models. Also the low notes do not respond as well as the other Yamahas. Also, it catches dust (from static?), more so than the other models. So I am going to return it.

Etonnant !

Chouette flûte pour débutant ! Le son est joli et fin (pas aussi puissant qu'une flûte en bois, mais c'est normal), juste et la flûte se tient aisément en main. Je la conseille maintenant à mes élèves débutant ou comme seconde flûte d'entraînement à mes élèves avancés. A quand une ténor dans ce matériau ?

Good in concert

The recorder is not exactly what one would ecpect to use in contemporary jazz/pop situations, however, this recorder has not failed me in live contextes. Here Yamaha has provided a recorder that respects a sound quality worthy of being listened to, and which is applicable to many diverse situations.

It is used at home and on tour, and so far no complaints. a quality recorder... however i wish that this series would expand to the sopranino and tenor, I do not know who to contact to make this happen.

The style is more akin to a recorder made of lighter wood and ivory gothic recorder players beware !

But fo me to have a choice that is light in color but heavy in sound gives me hope for all future concerts.

I hope to meet with the factory and discuss the potential of this agreeable instrument.

Good for folks that are into alto, on a budget

or on tour in a multi-intstrumental configuration

Second order of this recorder the best plastic recorder I own but I didn't at all like the first version I received

I was impressed with the soprano version of this recorder and ordered this alto model. The first I ordered was flat and the sound wasn't very focused requiring large breath pressure to play at 440. It was loud (organ-like), indelicate and slow to articulation, requiring large breath speeds for the highest notes- I really didn't like the sound much, particularly when playing it up to pitch. The second instrument I ordered a month later was very different, without the problems I had before and I really like the warmth and fullness of it's sound, it is sharper in pitch under the same breath pressure and has a more focused sound. Both instruments weigh the same 212g and they look identical, so it is very peculiar for the variation in performance. The only thing I have noticed is the actual part numbers on the back of the top, middle, and bottom sections are different, and perhaps the instrument has been improved in newer stock.