Aulos 709W "Haka" Treble Recorder, Ivory, Brown

Although I've only played a few minutes on the instrument, I am incredibly impressed with the instrument, both tonally and with the exterior æsthetics. I've been playing the recorder for nearly sixty years, and this is the first plastic I've owned since I was about five years of age (although I've tried a few over the years).A quick history of the Haka. Richard Haka (c.1645-1705) was a woodwind maker born in London but with most of his working life being based in Amsterdam. The originals were obviously magnificent instruments (the Medici family in Florence being recorded as having no less than sixteen of them).And now to the review: firstly, it sounds magnificent (better than some woodens at ten times the price). As soon as I opened the parcel, I tried its tuning, together with octaves, thirds, fifths etc, all of which seemed 'bang on'. Then, as my interests are mainly in the 17th rather than 18th century repertoire, I tried out a couple of pieces from 'The Division Flute', which suited the instrument to perfection. From a player's point of view, for well under £50 I was completely shocked by the quality of the instrument. Once little word, not of warning but just to let prospective purchasers know, holes 5&6 are a little closer together here than they are on most instruments; however I acclimatised to this in a few seconds.And now to the instrument's looks. Firstly, there's none of that awful high gloss of the typical plastic recorder: this is nicely matt, apart from the faux-ivory fittings. Advertised as 'woodgrain', on first encounter (in fairly muted light) the instrument appeared nicely matt, but with no hint of the woodgrain effect; however, in decent sunlight, the woodgrain is there, and rather nice it is too! The matt finish also feels very comfortable under the fingers.The instrument comes in a nice zipped 'case' (not quite a case, but certainly better than the average pouch most plastic recorders come in). Supplied is a maintenance kit: (cleaning rod (cloth needs to come from one's own supplies), little tub of joint grease, and a right thumb-rest (never used by me).Overall: If I could give 10 stars, I would! It's a complete bargain!

This is a surprisingly fine recorder, given that it is ABS plastic and could not be expected to have all the sonorous qualities of a good wood recorder. I’d chosen the Aulos ‘Haka’ on the basis of a recommendation as a ‘practice’ recorder for when my other (wood recorders) are resting or drying out.It comes in a neat soft case to hold the three parts, with a fingering chart and mop, and joint grease.The first thing that is remarkable about the Aulos ‘Haka’ is its tactile sensation. Although one wouldn’t mistake it for wood, the touch of this recorder is distinctly pleasant, not at all like other plastics I have (like the otherwise excellent Yamaha 304B Tenor). Each section is made as a single piece without any moulding seams, and the thumbhole has the appearance of being ‘bushed’. It is a genuinely nice recorder to hold, and does not feel cheap (nor indeed is it, being at the upper end of the plastics price ranges).The sound is pleasing and round, and notes, including those in the lower register, are quick to speak. In some ways I prefer it to my Moeck ‘Rottenburg’, which has a tendency to sound breathy.Intonation is accurate throughout the range, showing bang-on when measured by a chromatic tuner (after about an hour of warming-up in ensemble playing), although the C# in the lower octave is audibly on the sharp side with standard fingering of 012-45, at least on my copy. Shading around 012-456 brings it back on target. There were no such issues in the upper octave.Like all plastics, it can ‘wet up’, needing a judicious suck or shaded blow, but not more so than my hard wood grenadilla recorders.I’d recommend this to a new-comer as an instrument that will last long enough into the player’s development to delay any need to ‘upgrade’ to a wooden recorder too soon. It has a slight price premium on other plastics, but it is well worth the few pounds extra.It’s a delightful recorder. If you’re thinking of testing the waters, don’t hesitate. Buy it. Top marks to Aulos for the 'Haka'.

This is a very good plastic recorder, but I do find the spacing of the holes for the right hand a little uncomfortable.