SMARTWOODI Recorder Set RS-605B Black & Ivory (Bass, Tenor, Alto, Soprano, Sopranino, & Garklein)

I purchased this set for $200 because I hoped to have a reasonable bass recorder in my classroom, and a second set of the other five instruments to keep at home. A plastic bass recorder on its own is easily over $300 so I thought this set might work out well for me. It turns out I was absolutely right.The instruments arrived in a nice zippered vinyl case, with a fuzzy interior and individual sleeves sewn in to keep each instrument from jostling/bumping/rubbing against each other. The only downside of this case in my opinion is that the fuzzy interior seems to leave a thin layer of black, fuzzy dust on the instruments. As long as you don’t mind wiping the dust off, this is not a big deal at all.In terms of playability, intonation, and tone, I will say that there are incredibly slight issues, with all six of these instruments. To be fair, I would never have known about the playability or tone issues, unless I also had really nice versions (Yam. and Aul.) of the garklein, sopranino, soprano, alto and tenor recorders. The tone on the alto, tenor, and bass are vaguely less “present” than the higher-dollar instruments but they all still sound very nice and play easily throughout the whole instrument. Serious woodwind players (band/orchestra types) may feel that the plastic keys and foam pads on the bass and tenor recorders are not ideal. The reality is that all of today’s instruments in any quality level less than a professional wooden recorder are going to have plastic keys and foam pads. They may take some getting used to, but they play very well, and the set arrived with extra keys, pads, and screws for the two lowest instruments should they ever need to be replaced. (a sidenote on playability: I do wish my fingers were a little narrower every time I pick up a garklein. This one is no exception.)The intonation issues I have experienced are on the extreme upper end of the range for all six instruments, and again, to be fair, without spending the money for a professional quality instrument, there will always be intonation issues on that highest set of notes (FGA).The bottom line is that I am thrilled with my purchase! My students are excited to see, and hear the full range of recorders in class, and I find, particularly the tenor and bass, extremely helpful when playing along with sopranos and altos in class. They can see my fingers and hear what I am playing/demonstrating, and to be honest the reality of getting 8 - 10-year-old students to play with great tone and intonation is, shall we say, elusive. if you’re looking for the absolute best instrument out there, these may not be it. If you’re looking for a complete set that are all very usable, I believe you will be very happy here.A S A B O N U S ! ! !The company sent me two very nice plastic ocarinas that my own kids and I are really enjoying! I hope your experience here will be as positive as mine has been!

These very nice Recorders came in a nice stylish zipper case that holds all the instruments. All the Recorders work well, including the Bass Recorder. It is nice to have all types of the Recorders, when playing ensemble Recorders music. Glad I got it.

These recorders are a great quality instrument, but economical. Having to buy out of my pocket for my students, it is important to get quality I can afford. I have purchased more than 2 complete sets and am very pleased with the sound and durability. I had a misunderstanding with my last order and contacted Woodi USA. They immediately responded and went ABOVE AND BEYOND to make sure I was satisfied! I highly recommend these recorders and this company! I have bought several more and look forward to continuing to buy from Woodi USA!

I am a multi-instrumentalist and one of my primaries is baroque style recorder. I was really excited to see a full recorder set at this price point and was throughly surprised with the build quality and sound. One thing of note tough; the intonation when playing in keys other than C can be a little tricky. Recorder is an instrument that’s intonation can be heavily manipulated by breath control and wind speed, however, so if you can hear and correct the sound you should be all set. Really pleased with this purchase.

I was attracted to this deal because the description of material says ‘wood.’ I seriously doubt these are wood. If they are, they’re the most plasticky wood I’ve ever come across. On the positive side, it’s a very nice set; impressive case, velvet sleeves for each recorder, and thank you very much for the bonus ocarinas!

My grandson loved it

Tenors should have at least a range of C4-D6, but I can't get past A5.The same fingerings and higher work just fine with the alto, bass, etc.I went on to the internet to see if I was doing something wrong, but I found other people with the exact same problem with what looks to be the same manufacturer.

great