Good beginner piccolo?

amhso · Post by **amhso** » Wed Mar 02, 2005 10:38 pm

What is a good picollo that isnt too expensive for a first-timer. My band teacher wants me to play piccolo for band, and could not locate any of the school ones, so he is wondering if i could find one on my own, but i want to make sure it isnt too bad (The ones at the local music store and all trashed up pretty bad..). Please some advice

thanks.

MeLizzard · Post by **MeLizzard** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 10:09 am

Look for a gently-used Yamaha YPC-32 (try usedflutes.com, Flute Network classified listings, or just Google 'used piccolo Yamaha'). These seem to have a pretty-good scale, good response, and nice tone.

Phineas · Post by **Phineas** » Sun Mar 06, 2005 11:22 am

Price Range?

amhso · Post by **amhso** » Fri Apr 22, 2005 12:22 am

between 0-500 dollars...about. We saw some new yamaha's and jupiter ones, but i don't have any experience with piccolos.

embum79 · Post by **embum79** » Fri Apr 22, 2005 11:18 pm

I agree--the Yamahas are good if you're just starting. There are a LOT of crappy piccolos out there, and you definitely don't want to be playing one of those when you're first starting out. You want something that is good quality to start you out on the right foot. (Besides, so many non-flutists hate the sound of a piccolo, so you really want something that's going to sound good!!) Piccolo can be a challenge to keep in tune.. practice with a tuner if you have access to one. Good luck!

Phineas · Post by **Phineas** » Sat Apr 23, 2005 12:59 am

Here are a few I own/have owned and would highly recommend

I own these.
http://www.wwbw.com/Barrington-Model-99 ... 5667.music
http://www.wwbw.com/Woodwind-P3-Piccolo-i71101.music

I use to own these
http://www.wwbw.com/Lazer-LZP3-Piccolo-i17300.music
http://www.wwbw.com/Jupiter-303-Series- ... 9814.music

Homorable mention. I own a Jinyin Flute and am very fond of it. Never tried one of their piccolos.
http://www.jinyinusa.com/piccolo.htm

You will see tons of other lower price piccolos out there like the Venus, or the Band Now, Rhytm/Hawk, etc... I would not recommend these to a person that knows nothing about how to adjust/repair instuments. Most of the 99.99 wonders do not come with a guarantee, nor is the quality very consistent. I own a few of these, and I can tell you I have had to send MANY back before I got an acceptable one. (The colors look cool though!)The ones I mentioned above are easy to get someone to work on, and come with a guarantee/warantee. Also, no matter what the cost of an instrument, if you are not sure of the quality of playability of an instrument, promptly have someone you trust look the instrument over. Most places will allow you to return an instrument if you are not satisfied with it.

Alot of people recommend the Yamaha, but the Yamaha will cost you a bit more than these. I have owned all of these instruments with pretty consistent results for the price. You may of noticed that I am also recommending piccolos that are plastic/wood with a silver head. I found that even though the all composite or Wood piccolos sound good, they are not always the easiest ones to transistion to. The ones I recommended are easy to play out of the box.

If you can spend a few more dollars, or you think you can adapt to a headjoint wihtout a lipplate, try looking at these.

Emerson P3H2
Yamaha YPC32 or YPC62
http://www.wwbw.com/Woodwind-P5-Piccolo-i71105.music

Just like the poster says, there are a lot of bad piccolos out there. These are the ones I would recommend for under $1000. I have found with Piccolos that there is a big gap in price past $1000 dollars. Not only that, there is a very limites selection in compared to flutes.

In the end, if you can get out to your local dealers and try some out, that would be the best thing. Play on as many piccollos in your price range as you can till you find the one YOU like.

Hope this helps.

Phineas

MeLizzard · Post by **MeLizzard** » Sat Apr 23, 2005 1:03 pm

The YPC-32 does have a lip plate. Just don't spend $250 on a piece of crap that'll need at least that much more in adjustment/repair straight outa the box just to get it to play half-decently. Students, in my experience, don't possess the knowledge, skill, or adjustment experience to handle this themselves. Many blame their own playing when they get a poor result with such off-brand instruments, and become discouraged, when 95% of the problem is a piccolo that can't be played beautifully or in-tune by a GOOD player.

A used instrument from a reputable maker is almost always a safer gamble. Many of my students would now agree that by not spending a little bit of money on a decent picc (sometimes more than we pay for our flutes), you'll certainly HEAR the dollars you didn't spend. This can, however, be accomplished for under $1000, easily, and, of course, you'd have to be able to hear the difference in the first place.

Band_Geek · Post by **Band_Geek** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 5:44 pm

Just wondering if anybody has ever heard of a brand called "Grand." My piccolo is a grand and it sounds very good. It sounds really clear and all the usual notes that Ive read about (D and F) are sharp as they are ment to be.

FltnPicc_David · Post by **FltnPicc_David** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 7:32 pm

Never heard of Grand. I own a Gemeinhardt 4SP (Silver plated, all-metal.) and it is very easy to play for my level. I find that the more expensive Yamaha ones (I also own a Yamaha Picc) are easier to play but come at a larger price. My 4SP is 389.00 I believe. You should find your nearest Instrument store and test out a range of piccolos before making a choice.

amhso · Post by **amhso** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 12:37 pm

heh after i while i get back on the forum with so much response.

thanks a lot for the input. I've made friends with the owner of a local music store and he let me borrow his yamaha piccolo for the year and this year too, free of charge. it is the YPC-32 model, but they keys are sticky. but it's okay i can't complain. anyways I've gotten fairly good at piccolo now, but I probably won't buy one until highschool...where I'd be in marching band, but I'd borrow/rent a piccolo for outdoors...i don't want it to be my piccolo getting ruined. I'll probably buy a decent wood piccolo for home/concert use.

MeLizzard · Post by **MeLizzard** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 9:24 am

Do realize most reputable dealers won't rent instruments that might be used in marching bands. Too much repair liability. Our shop doesn't rent piccs anyway, because it's not considered a beginner instrument.

amhso · Post by **amhso** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 12:13 am

yeah, but i they dont ask about the purpose of borrowing, they rent them out. Im looking into a nicer piccolo for home/wind ensemble but i won't be able to purchase one for a while as I got a new flute and lots of other stuff

MeLizzard · Post by **MeLizzard** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 8:57 am

Well, have some personal ethics, then. Don't abuse rental instruments. Most shops won't rent piccs because they're not "beginner" instruments, nor to students older than elementary school.