YRA-402B

Lovely tone. Definitely a step up from the YRA-28. It comes with a canvas carry case, cleaning rod, and a small container of recorder cream (grease).

This Yamaha alto eco dear surpassed my expectations. I've some wooden altos so I can compare. The high notes in the ecodear are easy to hit and the sound is sweet. The low F is easy to get with a dark and mellow tone. Beautiful indeed for the price.

I had the same kind of recorder in regular plastic, but wanted to try this one out. It really does sound more like a wood instrument. It has a really nice tone, and the higher notes sound less sharp. If you’re deciding between ecodear plastic and regular plastic, definitely get the ecodear. It will be worth the extra money.

Nice quality alto with a unique and bit more mellow sound than normal plastic. I really like the color combination too. A bit difficult to get used to due to it's thinner archer windway, but you get used to it. Not as loud and annoying as normal plastic, but if you want tons of volume, choose something in the 300 range of recorders. Maybe even the cheap old standby with the straight windway, the 28 (eggshell white). Be prepared to clear the moisture a little more often with this style windway. It helps to pre-warm the recorder quite a bit. I paid $35, and I would absolutely recommended it at that price point or less. At that price, you can easily afford to spend another $23 and get the model 28 so you have both styles of windways on hand to play around with. I'm receiving my 28 tomorrow.

This alto recorder has a very nice tone, is easy to play in tune, is well made, and feels sturdy. This alto recorder is good for anyone learning to play the recorder or for more experienced player who want to have a backup recorder or to use in practice. Like other alto recorders, a beginner with small hands may have some difficulty to reach the last hole with the right pinkie; but this is not specific to this model and applies to any model. It is easy to clean and comes in a storage/carrying bag with a cleaning rod and recorder cream. The price is great for a product that is well made and has good sound quality.

A few dollars more, but definitely worth it. Just a beautiful sound with a high quality feel.

I clearly received a defective instrument, and I know that Yamaha has had problems with quality control in their better plastic recorders in the past. I own a YRS312B soprano and a YRA312B. Both are good for students and for teaching. The new Ecodear instruments are supposed to be identical in tonal design. I purchased the soprano to evaluate it and it plays very much like the 312B with a subtle difference in tone that I like. It provides an attractive alternative to the YRS312B and carries a slight ecological advantage with the Ecodear material. This alto is, by contrast, very stuffy and unresponsive and quiet when compared to the YRA312B. It should not have passed quality control. I cannot recommend it to students and I have returned it.

Outstanding quality; sound is fantastic. Highest recommendation. Item shipped fast, well-packaged. All good! Love that the instrument is eco-friendly!

A remarkably good recorder at an incredibly low price and with a lovely tone equal to a wooden instrument. Perfect for practicing without the need to “play-in” or swab out immediately - I tend to snatch very short practices between interruptions! There is an initial tendency for the windway to clog, as with most recorders, but this goes away when the instrument has warmed up. When the recorder is pushed to its limits the low notes can be satisfyingly loud! When is the tenor model coming out?

I think Yamaha instruments are always reliable. This EcoDear (30% corn starch?) model 402B is said to be the plastic recorder that sounds closest to a wooden ones. I bought the Alto size (YRA-402B) which sounds warm and something like a clarinet. The golden colour looks great too!

Étonné du magnifique son. Flûte alto en plastique végétal... mais le son chaud, grave, est digne d'une flûte en bois. Vraiment...Après il faut s'habituer....à l'alto....pas évident pour les notes basses finales main droite....mais persévérons. Pugnacité donc...

Muy bien.

Good solid instrument, nice tone. Better for my XL glove size hands than a soprano. I used a little clarinet cork grease to slide the pieces together easier. Shipping took a while due to COVID-19 but worth the wait and seller very responsive.