Is this a good piccolo? It looks to be in mint condition as if it were never played. No stratches. No dents. And its an Armstrong 290. I trust that considering I play an Armstrong 104 flute. Its silver plated and has a plastic body. Im thinking plastic is good because Im not in a marching band. Its also cheap. $210.
Ah! I want this so badly!
Last edited by Band_Geek on Sun Oct 30, 2005 8:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Then I'd say it's worth a shot... just make sure to test it well during those seven days (low notes, high notes, jumping octaves, articulation, tuning, tone, dynamics, tone color, etc.). If possible, also have a reliable instrument repair person look at it to see if it's mechanically sound.
If this is ebay, also check the seller's reputation.
Alright, then you (hopefully) won't have to worry about them not sending the picc, not giving a refund, or anything like that.
I took a closer look... it's plastic, so you don't have to worry about cracks. The keys for the left hand are in a straight line (my picc has an off-set G) - make sure this doesn't bother your hand in the least bit. My flute felt a little uncomfortable, but I thought that I'd just get used to it... well, now that I need to pracitice over an hour a day (college), my wrists are stiffening and hurting because of that. If you don't plan on being that serious, it's not as big of a deal. Oh, and I'm NOT saying it will bother your hand - most people have much bigger hands than me and might actually find an off-set over-kill on a picc. Just, keep that in mind while playing it.
So it is a good picc? I asked my band director this afternoon about what brands are the best. She said that Gemeinhardt, Yamaha, Armstrong and Emerson were the top 4 brands to buy. Plastic bodies are always good and its silver plated so I wont have to worry about the picc's head being damaged easily.
Ill ask my parents to get it for me when they get home in about two hours. This looks a lot better than the one I have right now. The brand is Grand, nobody has heard of it. The wires are so mixed up. It wont play Gb, and the keys are turning yellow.
Having never played it or even another one of the same brand and model I can't tell you if it's good or not. From what I hear Armstrong is an okay, but not great, company. If you're looking for a decent student model, there's a good chance that this one will give you what you're looking for. But I don't know.
That's a giant company. Unless the model number has been discontinued by the manufacturer (unlikely), they've surely got a bunch. I think they carry Yamahas, too, but are prohibited (by Yamaha) from advertising a discounted price in print. You'd have to call. If you have a local music store, go try some piccolos (with a tuner!!) before selecting one, and consider keeping your money local. Grand is a cheap Chinese-type brand, but the ones your director named are all reputable. Check Gemienhardt closely for intonation problems. These are all reliable, student/school piccolos.
Can you try before buying?
