piccolo shopping

lilrosebud1456 · Post by **lilrosebud1456** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 3:54 pm

ok, I''ve just gotten a brand new flute...and i love
it! But... I really want to learn the piccolo. I have played one a few times and
hoping to get one soon. So, I am open for some good brands of piccolos that
people like. Thank you! [:bigsmile:] *Aimee*

Cleartone · Post by **Cleartone** » Thu Apr 15, 2004 1:15 pm

Well, this brings up the same old question of how much
money you have to spend. The four I have are Powell-Grenadilla, Haynes wood,
Burkhart B-PE, and a Yamaha YPC-82. Out of these I tend to like the Powell the
best. However the Yamaha and Burkart have the split e which is nice on a piccolo
and they are much cheaper in price compared to Powell and Haynes. I have an
older Haynes all silver picc as well in which I never play. Wood or composite
head joints are the thing these days. The wood headjoint softens the sharpness
of the piccs tone a bit. but if you don't have the money to spend on these kind
of piccs I would look into Yamaha YPC-62 or a Gemeinhardt 4P or better.

Kendall · Post by **Kendall** » Thu Apr 15, 2004 3:03 pm

Speaking of piccolo shopping.....why do people put
piccolos on ebay for like a dollar
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 70062&rd=1

Cleartone · Post by **Cleartone** » Thu Apr 15, 2004 3:25 pm

quite frankly there are a lot of cheaply made
"knock-off" instruments out there. If you look right now on e-bay you will see
one seller selling a batch of piccolos using a picture of just one. That means
the seller just bought a truck load of cheap instruments made who knows where.
in my opinion I would stay away from those piccs. There are many sellers on
e-bay that connect with distributors who sell wholesale items made in China and
SE Asia. The people who made these instruments are paid pennies on the dollar
compared to the American counterpart. so if you buy a truckload of piccolos at
let say $5.00 a piccolo you can afford to list them cheaply on E-bay. If one
sells for a $1.00 and another at $20.00 you have done OK. Listing things at the
start of an auction at extra cheap prices is an E-bay trick that E-bay itself
recommends. Like for instance one cent CDs. This gets more people interested in
the auction. Now look at how much those piccs are selling for on e-bay. If the
seller only paid $5.00 for each of them he/she is making good money. The seller
may have paid even less for them, who knows. I would rather go to usedflutes.com
or deal with an instrument dealer who would make sure your instrument is at
least decent. I would also recommend you stay with the major brands of flute
makers, so you can go to them when you need help. but that is my opinion. If you
think you can get a good deal on E-bay then go for it. right now I don't see
any piccs that I would feel good about someone buying on E-bay. Maybe someone
will sell a better used one on there sometime. even then once you buy it your
stuck with it, unlike buying from a dealer.

AG950Flute · Post by **AG950Flute** » Thu Apr 15, 2004 5:35 pm

I agree with Cleartone on Ebay and cheap instruments
with unheard of name brands. Just stay away. They are not well not well made and
will cause more trouble than it's worth. But at the same time, there are good
instruments posted on Ebay every now and then as well. So always keep your eyes
open. I found a beautiful Brannen flute and piccolo being sold together on Ebay
that I was actually able to play, but the bidding went much higher than I could
afford. Also, when looking at higher quality instruments when they are being
sold by an individual you should always show some caution and call the flute
company to make sure the instrument is not stolen. Best of luck on shopping!

lilrosebud1456 · Post by **lilrosebud1456** » Fri Apr 16, 2004 2:06 pm

Thank You very much for the information [:bigsmile:]

whsmusicguy05 · Post by **whsmusicguy05** » Wed Apr 21, 2004 9:52 pm

I play on a Gemeinhardt 4P, but I also have a Solid
Silver headjoint that I actually use more often than the plastic. I got it from
Ebay, but ebay is a big risk. Mine was $100, but it needed a repad, so just
watch out. Other brands I would recommend include Armstrong (very sturdy
entry-level piccolos), Yamaha (I think it was a YPC-32 I played... I noticed
that it was quite sharp), also if you check Woodwind/Brasswind, they have their
own brand which I find reliable http://wwbw.com .

piccylo789 · Post by **piccylo789** » Thu Apr 22, 2004 10:16 pm

I just bought a new piccolo last week. I got a
Gemeinhardt 4S. I have 2 flutes and 3 piccolos now. All gemeinhardt's and I
have no complaints. The only reason I've gotten new ones is because of severe
weather damage and age. Hope that helps.

fluting4HIm · Post by **fluting4HIm** » Mon Aug 09, 2004 10:30 am

I'm also curious about this. What are the price ranges of some of these instruments? I have a Yamaha that I paid around $400 for mainly as an obligatory move. I have a Muramatsu flute that I absolutely adore and I couldn't afford a really nice piccolo. Mine is just a student model which was ok because I don't really like to play piccolo, but now I need better quality in order to get a better sound for some really important auditions coming up that require piccolo. ANy tips on how to get a pic. with a really good solid tone for not too much money?

eigna9187 · Post by **eigna9187** » Tue Aug 10, 2004 9:46 pm

i have a Gemeinhardt 4S.. i got it from a pawn shop for like 80 bucks in decent shape and then just had it overhauled which was about 110 it plays like its brand new..but it was about $500 less..you just have to search around for a good deal

MeLizzard · Post by **MeLizzard** » Wed Aug 11, 2004 8:16 pm

If I were needing an audition-worthy picc for not much $$$, I'd look at the Yamaha YPC 62 or YPC 81. Powell is great, but almost twice the price of the Yamahas. (Can't say they play TWICE as well lol.) When considering a used wooden instrument, be sure to have a trusted repair tech check for cracks, etc, as well as the usual repair concerns. Most of the lower-priced brands suffer from at least moderate, if not significant, intonation problems (Gemeinhardt, etc.) Be sure to check the Flute Network's and other classified listings, lots of good piccolos out there!!