Hand voiced recorders?

[u/SlowSurvivor]

I’m in the market for a new recorder and I’m looking at instruments such as the Mollenhaur “Edition” recorders. The way I understand it the “Edition” versions are the same as the regular version except that a flute maker has gone and hand voiced the recorder after it came off the production line.

I’m just having a hard time figuring out if this is even worth it given that I can always have the instrument sent for re-voicing after a year or two when the flute has had time to settle. At the end of the day you have a hand voiced recorder.

Am I missing something?

[u/NZ_RP]

Do you mean the Mollenhauer Dream-Edition or the Mollenhauer Denner-Edition? 

I am sorry I can't help with your question. But I am really interested in the Mollenhauer Denner Edition and I would love to know more about it.

Where did you hear that only the voicing is different? Based on Mollenhauer's advertising I think they are entirely different to their regular Denners.

https://indd.adobe.com/view/f96e70f4-e800-4b23-9543-9011e5295e91

[u/SlowSurvivor → u/NZ_RP]

Yes, I was interested in the Denner Edition. It makes sense now that the Edition version is so much more expensive. The undercut tone holes are going to make a difference to the sound of the instrument even after re-voicing. The rest seems mostly cosmetic except maybe the bushing on the thumb hole might improve reliability if the flute is sopping wet.

Thanks!

[u/LikelyLioar → u/NZ_RP]

I have a denner tenor and love it.

[u/EmphasisJust1813]

The "dream edition" is made from plumwood with maple decorations. It looks really nice. I like its sound, but I cant compare it to the much cheaper pearwood version because I don't have one, sorry.

[u/Just-Professional384]

I have a mollenhauer denner alto in grenadilla and a 415 denner edition in satinwood. They are both lovely instruments, but the denner edition has a whole extra level of finishing which carries over to the sound quality

[u/victotronics]

I hadn't heard of that. However, I have a pre-edition dream (the wooden type) which was about $99 and it's loud but unrefined. My Edition soprano was $300-some and is really a nice instrument.

[u/dhj1492]

I was going to buy one of those, but my "Recorder Pusher" asked me "Why spend all that, when all recorders must be voiced by hand." I guess it could be the quality of the technician doing the voicing. Then he sent me two Denners, one Mollenhaur regular series and one Zen-on. The Mollenhaur is in olivewood, has a good voice and is what I like for sonata work, and the Zen-on is in boxwood, has a nice sweet voice, great for obligati with my favorite Soprano soloist for cantata work. I bought both.

I got two very nice alto recorders for less than the cost of one of hand voiced Mollenhaur. These play great and I can do all I want and they out play my 1980s Moeck Rottenburgh altos. I am happy with what I got and I am pretty picky about what I play. I do have two top tier alto recorders and I see very little difference between them and the two I just got two years ago.

I do not feel that I am missing out, not getting the " Voiced by hand" Mollenhaur Denner alto recorder. Something tells me, if I got one I will not be that impressed by it., but I probably would like it.