Dear Richard:
Thank You for your response! I very much appreciate a second opinion/perspective…and though I have not had the opportunity to play the resin instruments of either manufacturer, I must concur with your general assessments based on your playing experience with the Bernolin instrument(s), as well as your research regarding the Coolsma offerings….prior to posting my inquiry on the “Recorder Forum”, I too researched as I could regarding both manufacturers’ instruments, and like you, found VERY little information regarding the Coolsma instruments, (and NO reviews…), price very possibly being a significant reason…
Though I would much rather purchase both the Alto as well as the Soprano Bernolin resin recorders, (nothing like a complimentary/matched set), THAT almost doubles the cost…so that I am leaning toward the Alto…(I grew up playing the French Horn, and prefer the more “mellow” timbre/sonic qualities of lower instruments, and despite initially learning to play a Tenor, “C” instrument” about 40 years ago, my venerable keyed Moeck Tenor), I recognize that the Alto not only offers a greater(?) wealth of playable, period literature, but would continue to be playable as my fingers/hands become somewhat less flexible with time…
I DO have a mild concern regarding the reach of my right little finger, in that about 40 years ago I fractured it, such that I can only extend it about “half-way”…(imagine a prim Victorian era woman drinking a cup of hot tea…lol…)… For this reason, I play a keyed Tenor, (the Moeck), as well as a Mollenhauer keyed alto. I do possess and am able to play the Mollenhauer Prima, as well as the Aulos and Yamaha keyless plastic altos, though the right little finger stretch can be a tiny bit challenging…I wonder how the Bernolin resin alto feels relative to those instruments, (and I will assume it will be similar, but I HOPE that perhaps the little finger stretch is a bit shorter…)…
By the way, I very recently acquired a soprano/alto pair of the Yamaha Ecodear recorders from the Antique Sound Workshop, and must say that for an ensemble instrument and/or for inexperienced players/children who “need” a reasonably priced and relatively mellow/nice sounding instrument, these are the best compromise I have encountered! (I like the Prima sopranos/altos as well, however, they ARE somewhat more expensive)… I am curious about your perspective on these Ecodear instruments…
From what you have stated, I can only imagine that the Bernolin resin instruments would be wonderful to play AND hear…the recorded sound bites are great, however, of course the do not fully capture the entirety of their sonic qualities. I noted that Bernolin no longer uses the “ivory” color resin for his instruments, and that the “ebony” is very slightly brighter…though the website suggests that the sonic differences are very slight…and not sure if you had detected a difference between your “ivory” resin model and the website recordings…
In any event, again, thank you for your informative and very helpful response, and should you be inclined, I would like to hear back from you regarding the above.
Peace/Namaste,
Tim K