After fairly recently joining a small group of "recorder" players (except that one recorder is actually a cello ...), I've been looking into the costs of instruments. In the recorder world it is possible to get some very cheap plastic instruments, and some more expensive ones. Most of the cheapies are descants or treble recorders, though there are one or two fairly cheap tenor recorders. Also, "cheap" is perhaps relative. In the US it's possible to get a really cheap plastic descant for under $3 if you know where to look, though the instruments are very possibly really not very good. £20 in the UK will get a serviceable plastic model, while few plastic (ABS) models are over £50. Really cheap ones are under £2 - https://www.gear4music.com/Woodwind-...eaning-Rod/7NL
For trebles the prices are higher, but again it's possible to get reasonable ones for no more than £50 - there may be some more expensive ones. Tenors and basess - a big jump in prices.
The general wisdom seems to be that for recorders wooden ones are better, though I think there are some caveats there too. There are some cheap wooden soprano ones for about £20, and some which have some plastic parts as well as wood. It's possible to spend £100 or more on a wooden soprano model.
As with the descants, prices for wooden trebles go up considerably, with the lowest priced new models probably being around £100 and then go on up.
Basses and tenors are much higher priced. The cheapest basses are the ones with the kinked neck, while the bassoon like ones are expensive even in plastic.
This has to be put into context with other instruments though. Electronic keyboards are pretty cheap, and really rather good - for the money. It's possible to get a perfectly useable keyboard for under £100, which is fine for learners - though not good for budding pianists. Not everyone wants to play a keyboard like a pianist, though - many younger people like experimenting with electronic sounds, which is possible with electronic keyboards, and also electronic guitars. A moderately decent portable electronic piano will cost over £1000 - probably more - and might have a piano like touch. A real piano will cost more, and of course takes up space in a house.
Comparing bass recorders to provide a solid lower foundation to groups with cellos it seems that despite the high cost of a bass recorder - and you might need several (with several players, of course) to get anything like the depth of sonority - that a cheap cello for a beginner costs about £2000, whlle a good instrument is going upwards of £5000. Even the "IKEA" like Paetzold bass recorders - http://www.lazarsearlymusic.com/Paet..._recorders.htm - are actually cheaper than moderately good cellos.
All of this makes one wonder how many young people can ever get started in playing music. Rich and enthusiastic parents might help, but many young people are not so fortunate. Schools (the state sort) in the UK very possibly don't have money to buy instruments, and in any case cuts in teaching mean that there might not be a music teacher to encourage performance.
I started with the recorder many, many years ago, and then moved on to flute and piano. The flute came first, but then I needed an accompanist, so we had a piano, which I then struggled to learn. Recorders are a great start, but won't be seen as "cool" by many young people now. Finally, I was amazed to discover a Youtube video about a $70 Amazon flute - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lMJ-CPbCw0
I think there are similar ones for between £60-£100 in the UK. Amazingly, while the $70 flute is very probably not very good, the player who tries it manages to make it sound acceptable in Mozart's first flute concerto, and perhaps there is hope that some people will learn to play instruments, and then as (and if) they improve, gain access to better instruments later on. One can but hope!
For trebles the prices are higher, but again it's possible to get reasonable ones for no more than £50 - there may be some more expensive ones. Tenors and basess - a big jump in prices.
The general wisdom seems to be that for recorders wooden ones are better, though I think there are some caveats there too. There are some cheap wooden soprano ones for about £20, and some which have some plastic parts as well as wood. It's possible to spend £100 or more on a wooden soprano model.
As with the descants, prices for wooden trebles go up considerably, with the lowest priced new models probably being around £100 and then go on up.
Basses and tenors are much higher priced. The cheapest basses are the ones with the kinked neck, while the bassoon like ones are expensive even in plastic.
This has to be put into context with other instruments though. Electronic keyboards are pretty cheap, and really rather good - for the money. It's possible to get a perfectly useable keyboard for under £100, which is fine for learners - though not good for budding pianists. Not everyone wants to play a keyboard like a pianist, though - many younger people like experimenting with electronic sounds, which is possible with electronic keyboards, and also electronic guitars. A moderately decent portable electronic piano will cost over £1000 - probably more - and might have a piano like touch. A real piano will cost more, and of course takes up space in a house.
Comparing bass recorders to provide a solid lower foundation to groups with cellos it seems that despite the high cost of a bass recorder - and you might need several (with several players, of course) to get anything like the depth of sonority - that a cheap cello for a beginner costs about £2000, whlle a good instrument is going upwards of £5000. Even the "IKEA" like Paetzold bass recorders - http://www.lazarsearlymusic.com/Paet..._recorders.htm - are actually cheaper than moderately good cellos.
All of this makes one wonder how many young people can ever get started in playing music. Rich and enthusiastic parents might help, but many young people are not so fortunate. Schools (the state sort) in the UK very possibly don't have money to buy instruments, and in any case cuts in teaching mean that there might not be a music teacher to encourage performance.
I started with the recorder many, many years ago, and then moved on to flute and piano. The flute came first, but then I needed an accompanist, so we had a piano, which I then struggled to learn. Recorders are a great start, but won't be seen as "cool" by many young people now. Finally, I was amazed to discover a Youtube video about a $70 Amazon flute - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lMJ-CPbCw0
I think there are similar ones for between £60-£100 in the UK. Amazingly, while the $70 flute is very probably not very good, the player who tries it manages to make it sound acceptable in Mozart's first flute concerto, and perhaps there is hope that some people will learn to play instruments, and then as (and if) they improve, gain access to better instruments later on. One can but hope!
this place has them for around £15 - 
One snag, they were totally unplayable.
We once harrangued the assistant in a music shop in Norwich about this and asked him if he could sleep at night; imagine the loving parent with a limited income investing some of it in an instrument for their offspring to get started on - the distress that it would cause.
He just shrugged and walked away.
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