Please note: we regret to inform our customers that the owners of the H. C. Fehr workshop have retired and their workshop has been closed. We have since then been selling out our remaining inventory of their fine instruments and have relatively few Fehr recorders left in stock. Please call us for information on current availablity of these instruments before placing an order. Thank you for your understanding.
These famous recorders from Switzerland have for many years set an international standard for quality of wood, workmanship, and performance, and have been used by many fine professional players such as Hans-Martin Linde and Clas Pehrsson in their recordings and public performance. There are two different and complementary design series, each having its own ardent enthusiasts. These two series differ in tone quality, registral balance, and blowing resistance, but both feature exceptionally easy response in the high and low register and outstanding projection. The hardwood models in particular are usually our first choice for public performance of solo literature and hold their own in ensemble with modern wind, string, and keyboard instruments much better than most other recorders.
The well-known original Model II pearwood instruments are now unfortunately no longer available. The original Model III recorders, are still available in soprano and alto sizes in a few select hardwoods. They have a plain, clear, and substantial tone quality, with a very full and solid middle and low register and an easy-playing high register. They are excellent for playing with modern woodwind instruments or piano.
The newer series of Model III and IV recorders, designed in the early 1990s by Heinz Ammann, are more complex in tone quality, slightly smaller in bore and therefore easier to hold and finger, less resistant and therefore more responsive at lower breath pressures, are somewhat less full in the middle and low register, but even more responsive in the higher register. Most players, however, find them much too high in pitch; we prefer to retune them so that they can be played at more normal moderate breath pressures in order to provide a richer, fuller tone, improved projection and response, and less propensity to clogging. This retuning is included in the price of the instrument at no additional cost.
New for 2009 is an entire series of baroque alto recorders with highly curved, more conical windways, which have somewhat greater blowing resistance and a more complex and overtone-rich tone quality. These superb instruments are eminently suitable for the performance of early 18th century late baroque solo and ensemble repertoire.
Both series of Fehr recorders are, quite simply, the finest modern recorders currently available; we recommend them most enthusiastically to those discriminating players who want the ultimate in quality of design, wood, and workmanship. Please note: Fehr recorders are supplied with padded canvas bags in a choice of dark blue or wine red, but are no longer are supplied with cleaning swabs. If you want a swab or fitted hard case for your Fehr recorder, please order one separately. See our listing of Recorder Cases and Accessories.
| Instrument | Features | Wood Choices | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soprano in c" | two piece, original model | pearwood | NLA |
| Alto in f' | three piece, original model | pearwood | NLA |
| Instrument | Features | Wood Choices | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soprano in c" | three piece, original model | boxwood | 443.00 |
| palisander | 511.00 | ||
| Alto in f' | three piece, original model | boxwood | 784.00 |
| tulipwood | 986.00 |
| Instrument | Features | Wood Choices | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sopranino in f'' | two piece, new model | pearwood | 196.00 |
| Soprano in c'' | two piece, new model | pearwood | 231.00 |
| haldu | 283.00 | ||
| Alto in f' | three piece, new model | pearwood | 336.00 |
| haldu | 490.00 | ||
| Tenor in c' | keyless, new model | pearwood | 556.00 |
| haldu | 779.00 |
| Instrument | Features | Wood Choices | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sopranino in f'' | two piece, new model | plumwood | 280.00 |
| boxwood | 305.00 | ||
| European boxwood | 416.00 | ||
| Soprano in c'' | three piece, new model | plumwood | 412.00 |
| boxwood | 443.00 | ||
| bubinga | 455.00 | ||
| palisander | 511.00 | ||
| tulipwood | 536.00 | ||
| grenadilla | 555.00 | ||
| Alto in f' | three piece, new model | plumwood | 747.00 |
| boxwood | 784.00 | ||
| bubinga | 835.00 | ||
| palisander | 909.00 | ||
| tulipwood | 986.00 | ||
| grenadilla | 1,097.00 | ||
| Tenor in c' | keyless, new model | plumwood | 984.00 |
| boxwood | NLA | ||
| bubinga | 1,045.00 | ||
| palisander | 1,365.00 | ||
| tulipwood | 1,470.00 |
| Instrument | Features | Wood Choices | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alto in f' | three piece, new model curved windway, undercut toneholes |
pearwood | NLA |
| plumwood | 1,011.00 | ||
| boxwood | NLA | ||
| bubinga | 1,123.00 | ||
| palisander | NLA | ||
| tulipwood | NLA | ||
| European boxwood | 1,973.00 |
Stanesby Jr. Baroque Reproduction Alto Recorder: a'=415 Hz., with a full, sweet, overtone-rich, baroque tone quality and fuller low register volume than most other baroque altos. They are also much easier to manage than most reproduction baroque recorders. These excellent instruments were out of production for a number of years but are once again available -- and at substantially reduced prices as well. Production, however, is still relatively limited due to the substantial amount of handwork required in their making. Please check with us for current inventory before placing your order.
| Instrument | Features | Wood Choices | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alto in f" | curved windway, undercut tone holes | pearwood | 865.00 |
| plumwood | 1,133.00 | ||
| European boxwood | 1,973.00 |
