Introduction of Mopane Wood

Regarding the wood used for our alto recorders, we would like to inform you that special orders for Grenadilla and Ebony will be discontinued. Instead, we will be using the heavy hardwood "Mopane" for alto, and we kindly ask for your understanding in this matter. Please note that Grenadilla will continue to be available for soprano and sopranino.

It is known that the higher the specific weight of the wood used in a recorder, the more powerful and farther the sound can reach. Therefore, players who frequently perform recorders as solo instruments in large ensembles or orchestras have often requested instruments made from hard and heavy woods such as Grenadilla and Ebony.

However, in recent years, grenadilla and ebony have been seriously depleted, and it has become almost impossible to stably obtain sufficient diameters for recorders larger than alto.  In our search for alternative wood materials suitable for woodwind instruments, we discovered "Mopane," which also belongs to the Fabaceae family like Grenadilla.

While Grenadilla typically has a density of 1.1 to 1.2, the Mopane wood we source for our workshop has a density almost identical to Grenadilla at 1.2. It has a bright reddish-brown color, and its surface, after finishing, is similar to Grenadilla, exhibiting fine texture. Despite producing a warm and rich tone, Mopane does not compromise on the robustness found in Grenadilla, making it an exceptionally balanced wood for recorder production.