Yamaha YRS-61 Professional C Key Soprano Recorder - Handcrafted Castello Wood with Baroque Fingering System | Perfect for Beginners, Music Education & Classical Performances

I bought this recorder from a supplier in Seattle. I was looking for a companion soprano to my excellent Yamaha YRA-801 alto. However, it is of a completely different design concept. It has a very narrow windway and a very small bore. This results in elevated back (or blowing) pressure which reduces the volume the recorder can put out. In this case, the lowest tones are also dull. Some professionals prefer recorders with high blowing pressure because they seek a rarified kind of expressiveness, but they have expensive microphones and audio technicians at their disposal. They also spend a thousand dollars and more for a soprano and wouldn't consider this relatively inexpensive Yamaha soprano. Mid level amateur players who live in apartment complexes with strict noise controls might benefit from this particular instrument, but anyone playing it outside the home, say in church or in a group will be drowned out. To be sure, you can safely buy this soprano from Amazon because of its good return policy, but not all suppliers are so easy to deal with.See also my reviews here on Amazon of the Yamaha YRGB-61 great bass recorder (decent instrument, bad customer service), YRA-801 alto (excellent), and YRT-61 tenor (bad instrument).