For a bit of a different ocarina unveiling for this month’s batch, I have finally had the opportunity to finish up a unique ocarina I had put on hold for almost a year. I am pleased to finally reveal a look at the second part of batch 5, which was unveiled early last year. I explain more of the details in the video linked below to why this batch ended up being released in several parts over the course of a year. This ocarina, SN 026, consists of a beautiful alto A4 inline ocarina crafted from a unique piece of madrone burl with a beautiful natural inclusion running through the center of the back of the body, a black matching wenge accent stripe, a figured piece of curly maple for the top, and a rich curly old growth mouthpiece.
The aesthetic of this ocarina is particularly unique in that it uses the natural rawness of the inclusions found in the burl to highlight the natural beauty of the wood, and is personally one of my favorite things to do aesthetically in instrument design and crafting. The madrone burl exhibits beautiful grain striping, and a rich, earthy reddish-brownish, almost pinkish salmon type hue to it. The dark wenge stripe perfectly accents the dark natural bark inclusions on the back, and the elegant lightly curly maple top further compliments the darker body, and the curly old growth redwood mouthpiece ties together the entire color palette beautifully. This ocarina set is probably one of the most unique I have made to date, and has really left an impression on myself.
The tone of this ocarina is absolutely exquisite, equally matching the beauty of the woods. I have made a number of alto A4s in the past, and this ocarina (as well as the pair of this ocarina, SN027) is one of the finest alto A4 sets I have made to date, and one of the finest inline sets I have made in general. The response is just utterly smooth and effortless, with incredible responsiveness. The timbre is amazingly warm, especially for a higher pitched alto A4, and is the warmest alto A4 I have ever made. The ocarina has a lower backpressure that typical altos that I make, but is such an easy ocarina to play. The breath curve uses my classic gently rising response, with beautifully warm lows, mellow mids, and a fluttery sweet high end that just sings. I have seriously considered keeping this ocarina for myself for my own personal collection, as it is truly one of those rare gems that stands out, however after much deliberation with myself, I have made the difficult decision to release this into the world. This is truly a professional grade performance wooden alto A4 that you will be able to grow into and enjoy over the years.
For full details about the development, background, and sound samples of this ocarina batch, you can check out the unveiling video and song demo for this batch in the links below on the Bretti Musical Instruments YouTube page:
Batch 5 Part 2 Inline Ocarina Reveal – Alto A4 – March 2026
