Bought this recorder recently and already the tone is full-bodied, mellow and mature (like the woman who plays it :-)) It quickly responds to loud and soft playing without any hint of breathiness and is accurately pitched in both high and low range. It is rather heavy, being grenadilla, but I guess that's why there's no hint of reediness in the tone. Overall this recorder exceeded my expectations and I'm finding it difficult to control the time I spend playing it in its early days as it's a total delight to the senses.