YRS-402B

Excellent recorder!As you can see by the images, it's a more refined recorder than the basic student recorder.Slightly more slender.Slightly shorter by 1/4".Arched windway.Eco friendly Ecodear plastic with more density that projects a more wood-like and mellow tone.The 3 lowest holes are spaced slightly closer for better playability.Overall, it has a more refined and elegant look to it.The colors are a nice change from the typical seggshell white or dark brown.One thing I would like to see is a short pouch and dust caps like the alto version comes with.As is, The pouch is full length for a fully assembled recorder.I would have preferred a takedown pocket sized case.I also purchased the alto 402B.Love it, and highly recommend it!These Ecodear recorders are a definite buy!I would REALLY love to see a sopranino and Garklein version!Are you listening Yamaha?

I give it five stars because amazon asked if it was easy to learn, for beginners, and had the value for the money. I think all of those are five stars. This is definitely something a beginner could pick up and trust that they're not learning bad habits because of a poorly manufactured instrument, and the sound is nice enough to want to play it. But that's not to say I think it's the best soprano recorder. It's in tune and it plays nicely, but it still leaves something to be desired in the sound. I'm not quite sure what it is. Maybe a nasaly sound, or slightly shrill. Some sort of pressurized sound, I guess. Yamaha tends this way I've noticed in their higher registers. I much prefer the aulos robin for this reason, but this recorder is good for what it is. I purchased it for my 9 year old son who said he wanted to learn, and as we home school and it was for third grade, it seemed appropriate. It easily sounds ten times better than those recorders the kids often get in public school, or what we had as kids in school. For the price, and depending on the purpose, I definitely recommend this recorder. If you are more professional and play the recorder passionately, I think you can find something with a little sweeter of a tone elsewhere. Depends on what you need.

I am an elementary teacher who has never learned to play the recorder. I decided last year, I would like to begin teaching it to my 4th graders, and so, it was time for me to learn. I knew I wanted a plastic recorder because it will be used at school and needs to be fairly indestructible, and I didn't want to spend a fortune. This model piqued my interest because of the eco-friendiness of the materials and production. Also, Yamaha is a trusted name in school instruments, this would not be simply a toy. I knew I wanted to teach Baroque fingering, and I knew I wanted a curved windway for better intonation. So, after watching a few online reviews that agreed this would be a great model for an adult beginner, I bought it.I have been pleasantly surprised by it's quality! It is easier to play pleasing tones in tune on this than on another cheap "toy" style recorder that had been left behind in my classroom by a previous teacher. With this and my online music ed curriculum that I'll be using with my students, my playing has progressed nicely over the summer break and I'm feeling comfortable, confident, and excited as we approach the school year

I just received my Yamaha YRS-402B today . Wow , it's really nice . This recorder sounds better than my other Yamaha plastic recorders . The material is denser , giving it a fuller and smoother sound . Compared to my Mollenhauer Dream all plastic soprano ( a bit more expensive ) , I can't decide which one I like better . They both have advantages over each other .This Yamaha is a great musical instrument . It is very rugged , looks great , and performs better than most plastic sopranos . The goldenrod color of the 400 series eco dear plastic makes them a bit unusual . I like that . It's not the typical run-of-the-mill look or sound . I highly recommend this quality instrument to beginners or pros . It's a Yamaha !