Help tracking down my instruments history

[X86LegacyPicc]

I recently purchased a piccolo for my first season in marching band at my university. They require an audition, so I need an instrument to prepare.

I found the instrument I ended up buying. The seller said it was a Gemeinhardt model "C." I assumed the seller was mistaking it for the key it is in.

Doing some research, I found on Gemeinhardts website that they indeed made a model C quite some time ago.

The body says < C >, Gemeinhardt, and has its assembly in Indiana.

What has me confused (and the people at Gemeinhardt) is the serial number starts with a 6. The ones referenced on their website for the model C start at 1, and I believe again at 3 for the initial number in the serial number.

This one begins with a 6.

Would anyone happen to know anything that may point to its history or manufacture date?

[pied_piper]

Unfortunately, serial numbers are not an exact science. Sometimes, the manufacturers changed models or the numbering scheme and sometimes the serial numbers between models overlap or were not consistent by year. Accurate records were not always kept. Since there are no model C piccolos with a "6" serial number, most likely you have one of these later models and the <C> indicates that it is a C piccolo rather than a Db piccolo.
4SP - Silver plated - 1972-1979
4SH - Silver head - 1986-1991
4S - All silver - 2006-2010

All those models had serial numbers that start with a "6". My best guess is that you have a 4SP because of the <C> marking. Most manufacturers stopped making Db piccolos many years ago, so they after that, they no longer needed to mark it to identify the key (C or Db). That makes it more likely to be an older piccolo and probably NOT a 4SH or 4S.

You might try contacting Gemeinhardt to see if they can help you sort out the inconsistencies.

[SylvreKat]

Just to illustrate the confusion about dates--

My 4S was made in 1982, per Gemeinhardt's agent looking up its serial number. So they obviously made the 4S model prior to 2006.

Can you post a sharp photo of the area around Gemi's logo? Maybe one of us will spot the model, which you might be overlooking.

>'Kat

[X86LegacyPicc]

Just to illustrate the confusion about dates--

My 4S was made in 1982, per Gemeinhardt's agent looking up its serial number. So they obviously made the 4S model prior to 2006.

Can you post a sharp photo of the area around Gemi's logo? Maybe one of us will spot the model, which you might be overlooking.

>'Kat

I attempted to capture these as best I could, however, even with a 22 megapixel camera, the light reflection made it difficult.


https://ibb.co/cyUEGy
https://ibb.co/hYaX3d
https://ibb.co/nHcC3d
https://ibb.co/mZFX3d

[SylvreKat]

Yeah, your poor camera really did NOT like the shiny, did it?

I just got up and looked at my Gemi picc. The model is between Elkhart and the serial. Which I see nothing on yours.

Do you have a repairman? If so, you can at least take it there and he can determine what the springs are. And have you tried re-contacting whoever you bought it from? S/he can--well, should--tell you what it's supposedly made of (ie sterling, plated, etc). If you can get both of those, then it's a good starting point for figuring out the model. And actually, from there Gemi should be able to tell you everything.

Stray thought--if you can get a good clear shot of both ends of the logo area, Gemi might be able to figure it out themselves. I don't think their logo changed at all, but there might be some subtle changes that we mere players don't know about but that will be the clue for the Gemi-folk.

Sorry I can't be better help to you. Do please keep us posted how things go, both in learning the model and in playing.

>'Kat

[X86LegacyPicc]

Gemeinhardt hasn't been able to tell me much, aside from the fact that their best guess is its from the late sixties or early seventies. Looking around the internet, for Model C Piccolos, they all seem to have the same engravings as mine. < C > , followed by Gemeinhardt, Followed by Elkhardt, IN, then the serial number directly after.

Most of the other Gemeinhardt Piccolos have the model printed in between Elkhardt,IN and the serial number. Mine does not.

Gemeinhardts website says model C's start with 1 and 3 as the first digit serial. Mine is six, however, I did find a music shop online that is selling a spitting image of mine, advertised as a Model C, with a 6 as the first digit of the serial.

Gemeinhardt did say they lost some of their records, so maybe it is a Model C? If you go by their serial numbers for instruments they have data on, the 6 would indicate it is a 4PSH I believe, but every 4PSH has that model in between the manufacture location and serial, and does not have the < C > above the logo.

Maybe it's just a late model C Piccolo? Just speculating, but this is interesting for sure.