ebay piccs

skimhumboldt? · Post by **skimhumboldt?** » Sun Dec 11, 2005 9:02 pm

Are ebay piccs any good? (Venus and other not known brands) I want to get a decent playable picc for about a 100$ if thats possible. Im a jazz sax player, and im doubling on flute, but i find that i like the picc more. So essentially ill be improvising on it. Also, sometimes ebay has Artley piccs and bundy piccs and vintage wooden piccs (Db). Are any of these any good?

thanx, Isaac

Band_Geek · Post by **Band_Geek** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 7:10 pm

eBay piccs are not worth it unless they are at least $200 or more. I got one for under $200 bucks, its crap and I got a new one.

skimhumboldt? · Post by **skimhumboldt?** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 10:10 pm

ok, then whats the most least expensive picc thats not crap? whats the best piccolo for the money? unfortunatly i dont have 1000+ to dish out right now

fluttiegurl · Post by **fluttiegurl** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 10:30 pm

Venus, along with the other "unknown" brands, are not worth the trouble. You will quicky discover that they are usually out of tune and fall apart within six months or so. I have yet to play an Artley or a Bundy that I liked the sound of & Db piccolos are really better collectors items than to use for playing, but you may find them very interesting since you double and may be used to transposing. Unfortunately, anything with the label "vintage" usually needs a great deal of work, which is expensive, especially for rare instruments. The intonation tends to be off by quite a bit on these & there are other issues, better left for another discussion.

Honestly, I would avoid ebay unless you know exactly what you are looking for. Ask around your local school band/community to see if anyone has one for sale or if they know anyone who has graduated or quit playing. Also check out usedflutes.com, but be careful who you send money to. Ask a lot of questions, pictures, return policy, age of the instrument, etc. Finding a decent picc for that price is not impossible, but not easy either. You are much better off to save your money and buy a better one later on. You can get a decent new piccolo for around $500 - $600 US.

Good starter piccolos (just my opinion

) Emerson, Yamaha (quite a bit more expensive) & Gemeinhardt (some intonation issues - certain piccolos). There are much better piccolos out there, but any of these should get you started.

skimhumboldt? · Post by **skimhumboldt?** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 10:20 pm

could you tell me some good models of those brands you just listed? Is the gemienhardt 4SP decent? I dont really know too much about flutes in greneral except for what ive researched and the time ive spent playing (which isnt too much, I practice mostly sax).Also does anyone know whats up with an instrument if its isnt "factory sealed"? Is there a defect in the horn or what? Im talking about music 123 or wwbw instuments
Thanx, Isaac

Schof · Post by **Schof** » Wed Dec 14, 2005 4:10 pm

Artley blows, in my opinion. I havew a second hand one that actualy belongs to my aunt, but it's not worth it, especially if you plan on playing anything lower than a G.
Bundy is some lower level of Selmer. I have a bundy flute that I'm trying to sell, but of all the crappy instruments my family thought would be good, that one is the most tolerable.
I think Db piccolos are cool, but I'm not sure they'd be very useful.
In any case, I would go to an instrument shop so you can try them out. You know, what they said. ^

fluttiegurl · Post by **fluttiegurl** » Wed Dec 14, 2005 9:51 pm

"Not factory sealed" usually means that it has been sent out on trial (demo model). Generally, there is nothing wrong with them. Personally, I don't recommend buying from these companies (which are actually oe company). I have had a lot of problems with them in the past. Go to someone who can help you in person. Fluteworld is another option if you can't get to a store. They also have a great trial plan.

I have three students who own Gemeinhartd 4SP piccolos, and they seem to do very well with them except for one who can't seem to keep it in tune. She tried an Emerson (I don't know the model #) and had better luck. I have a Gemienhardt 4PMH which has a plastic body and a mellower tone (much like my wooden picc). To be honest, I bought it to do a series of outdoor gigs, and rarely play it at all, but it gets the job done. I had not problems with it in the four months that it was played. I will probably sell it at some point because I don't plan to play with the same orchestra next summer, and I don't believe in leaving instruments lying around unplayed.

skimhumboldt? · Post by **skimhumboldt?** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 8:36 pm

so, would you recommend the 4sp? or the plastic one you have? I want a picc that plays really easy and not too expensive. i played a wooden one (Db) today thats my private sax teachers (she said its at least 80 years old) It was as easy to play as a regular flute, though the fingering scheme is really hard.

MeLizzard · Post by **MeLizzard** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 2:03 pm

My favorite begginer picc is the Yamaha YPC-32 (look for a used one), but these are a bit more costly. Though, as my first college flute teacher told us, "When buying a piccolo, we often get what we pay for. Sometimes a good one costs more than our flute.".

fluttiegurl · Post by **fluttiegurl** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 8:33 pm

I have to agree. The Yamaha piccolos seem to be very easy to play and the intonation is very good, though they are expensive. My best friend in college had an older Yamaha metal picc (I don't remember the model #) that we all played during concerts because it had a wonderful sound and was easy to keep in tune.

Of the two Gemeinhardt models I mentioned, there are some differences in sound that should be considered. Th plastic ones seem somewhat mellower. Decent indoor sound. Watch for intonation issues (try them both out first). These have worked fine for me, since I only play occasionally. As for ease, I find the metal ones to be easier to play, but I have absolutely no idea why. That is just what I have found to be true for me.

Piccolos are so intricate in design. That leads to potential problems. That is one reason why good ones are so expensive. Something to keep in mind.

Jamie_Babie · Post by **Jamie_Babie** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 1:28 pm

Has any body bought a flute from Instrument World on Ebay. I'm considering buying one, but are they rubbish because of the low price? i would really appreciate any advice that any one could give me(especially from people who own or have owned an instrument from these people)

Just in case you would like a look at one, http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/QUALITY-VENUS-FLU ... dZViewItem , here's a link

Band_Geek · Post by **Band_Geek** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 3:11 pm

Anything that says Venus in it=complete trash! DO NOT GET VENUS!

Jamie_Babie · Post by **Jamie_Babie** » Thu Dec 22, 2005 6:56 am

Why are they trash? Rubbish sound? Do they break easily? Why?

Band_Geek · Post by **Band_Geek** » Thu Dec 22, 2005 2:42 pm

Yes to all of the above. Venus is a very well-noticed brand, not because they are so good, but because they are so cruddy. Usually, Venus instruments are painted different colors which are very bad. Venus flutes look really nice, but they usually only last about six months. They break very easily and arent very good.

Jamie_Babie · Post by **Jamie_Babie** » Fri Dec 23, 2005 1:38 am

Oh OK. can you recommend any other flutes which are brighty coloured, i like to stand out from the croud!