help with brand names for piccolo purchase!!

cc · Post by cc » Sat Aug 02, 2003 2:18 pm

HI I''m looking to
purchase a beginner piccolo & ive bought musical instruments off ebay before
which have turned very well but some of the piccolos im finding on ebay are
brand new and reasonably pried though from not-so-renowned-names. i dont want to
get something that looks nice and new but is actually lousy so can anyone help
and tell me? ive found these brands:marcus martini, grand, & venus. i read an
article which said most of the instruments manufactured in china,taiwan, &
eastern europe are cheap(i could guess that most would) im not a professional
but are these instruments worth their price?Thankyou for reading.

GerryG · Post by **GerryG** » Sat Aug 02, 2003 6:48 pm

Hi, I bought my piccolo
from www.music123.com After looking for one on ebay I found music123 had the
best prices of everyone. I bought a Gemeinhardt 4P and love it. Gerry G

Penny · Post by **Penny** » Sun Aug 03, 2003 8:49 am

Fluteworld is a great
place to check out. Music123 has pretty good prices as does SamAsh and a few
others. But Fluteworld would be my first and last stop when comparing. I
wouldn't take a chance on those throw away brands you mentioned. You might get
lucky. But more likely you will get frustrated and end up buying a decent
one.[:bigsmile:]

cc · Post by cc » Tue Aug 05, 2003 12:41 pm

Thankyou for your
information[:bigsmile:] it was very helpfull[::)]

tarzaflute · Post by **tarzaflute** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 5:57 am

Also, you might be better
off looking into a more well known, reliable brand piccolo that is second hand.
It would be good if you were able to try before you buy but you often find that
it is better to get a reliable second hand instrument than a new one that wont
hold up as long, even though you have an excellent view about avoiding items
just because they look nice but might not hold up too well. Thats a good thing
to have in mind. I play a yamaha 62 model, which might be more than you are
willing to spend, but its a great piccolo. I've played other yamaha piccolos,
both plastic and silver and they play well so I'd definately consider them. I
use it from school but I'm really considering purchasing one, or even seeing if
they are willing to sell, but I'm doubting that. I've played Gemeinhardt
flutes and havent been fussed on them but I've never played one of their
piccolos so you might as well look at them. There's no harm in trying and
comparing. There are a lot of piccolo options out there. Just shop around. It's
better if you can try the instrument as I said before. Anyway if you want any
opinions on certain brands just let us know! [8)]

PiNkShOeS7487 · Post by **PiNkShOeS7487** » Tue Oct 14, 2003 11:03 pm

I went through the exact
same thing that you did when trying to purchase my piccolo off of ebay. The
first one that i purchased was a brand that I'd never heard of (Maestro) and
ended up being very cheap and poorly made. I bought another piccolo that was a
used gemienhardt and have been very pleased with it. My advice- Stay away from
the user fastsale. I think you actually might have more luck with a private
seller than a music store that sells many instruments on ebay. Go for a reliable
brand like armstrong, gemeinhardt, or yamaha, even if you have to get a used
one. Definetly stay away from pawn shops that sell instruments. Also, be sure to
ask the sellr lots of questions. An ideal situation would be to have an
agreement where you can try the piccolo out and send it back if you are not
satidfied. Many sellers would be willing to do this. I hope my advice helps- I
wish that I would have had it when i started looking on ebay! Aaren S.

Kimbralwyn · Post by **Kimbralwyn** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 9:52 pm

I'm going to give you my
piccolo rant so that you don't make the same mistake I did. DO NOT buy an
artley. I'be had mine for two years and in that time I've spent over $2000
repairing it. More recently I've had to begin fixing its tune holding
dificulties by hand as I was spending $10-40 a week. I would suggest buying a
half wood Gemeinhardt, as they're versetile and work for marching and concert
work, and are resonably priced.

Lemonpawz · Post by **Lemonpawz** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 10:43 pm

DO NOT, I repeat,do NOT
buy any of those brands you just listed! They are all cheap indian/chinese
brands that will not give you a good tone,usually break within a week, and you
will NOT be happy! It's a common thing with instruments on Ebay, I experienced
the same issues in my search for a good trombone. However, my school has an
artley picc and it works nicely...however it has this weird thing on the side
that's awkward-it looks like a hook for a strap or something-and it hurts to
play. It's also smaller than the average piccolo. Gemeinhardt is always gonna
have some of the best piccs and flutes. Everyone I talk to reccomends them,they
hold up well, and play beautifully! Yamaha, Jupiter, and Selmer also have
instruments of good quality. Jupiter is especially cheap but they're good! Good
luck, also if you buy off ebay be sure to get good pictures and ask the seller
as many questions about it as possible! It might save you a costly trip to the
repair shop... IDK what you're talking about,but I wouldn't buy a wood
anything for marching band, even if it's only half, those things get wet and
they're gone... ~Lauren~

cheer_annie_08 · Post by **cheer_annie_08** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 8:00 pm

I agree my Yamaha 62 model is great! I've played other brands but none surpass my yamaha! I think its a really great, dependable brand and very affordable! I hope this helped!

MeLizzard · Post by **MeLizzard** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 10:13 am

Hi, CC-Please avoid all those brands listed (unidentified flute-shaped objects) and stick with something reliable, for which a repairman can get parts. Even a used one of these will play much better than a brand-new, flimsy Pacific Rim (aside from Japanese) horn without a consistent scale. Many of these don't even play staight out of the box!!! Try Yamaha, Armstrong, Emerson, etc. The Gemeinhardts have been around forever, but recently are kinda coasting on a reputation they earned in the '70s and '80s. We have two of these in our shop, aquired by the big boss at our main store, and both are relatively responsive, but have HUGE intonation issues

. Do you need to use the picc in marching band or only indoors? If you'll need to march with it (or not), look for a used YPC-32, Yamaha's metal head, plastic body picc. Wood can't stand up to weather and other adverse conditions of marching season, though one of my students adores her new YPC-81. Brand-new, the YPC-32 retails over $800, though you should be able to find one, properly-discounted, in the $600s. If a used picc is going to need repairs, such as a repad ($200, depending where you live), be sure not to pay toooo much for it... Have fun shopping!

biggzh · Post by **biggzh** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 1:22 pm

I got pretty lucky when it comes to cheap piccs. I also got pretty lucky off of ebay. Got a Venus off of Ebay for under 100. I think its much better than the plastic (and some of the silver ones) that I've seen and played. Well, I suppose that that's just a sign that you can get good cheap piccs.. but most of them aren't that good.

91st_Army_Flutist · Post by **91st_Army_Flutist** » Mon Mar 21, 2005 1:27 pm

Gemeinhardts generally have a good sound, but don't remain in good adjustment and have TERRIBLE PITCH. It is hard enough to play the piccolo in tune without the added problem. Buy a Yamaha, or if you want to venture into the $1,200 range, Emerson Legacy is good. I play a Burkart-Phelan ($3,000) and it is the best piccolo available in this price range.

fluteplayer13 · Post by **fluteplayer13** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 7:40 pm

I play a gemeinhardt 4psh and I love it! It's a half plastic/half silver and does the job. It has an excellent tone and low mantinance. I would also reccomend a half wood/half silver as they are wonderful models. DO NOT buy the brands you just listed. I have found some good deals on flutes on Ebay, but the piccs. are all very cheeply made. Unless you find a brand you or your private/band instruction teacher knows well, DO NOT BUY IT. My picc. cost me about $650 and was a wonderful intermediate instrument, though it is going to be replaced next year for a wood one. *dances around estatically*

Caroline_Fluter · Post by **Caroline_Fluter** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 7:37 am

I *also* play at yamaha 62. I started out on the school's piccolo... it was a gemeinhardt and good to start out on, (unfortunately it was badly in need of repair...) anyways, i got the yamaha about 6 mos. after using the gemeinhardt. it was kind of expensive, but DEFINITELY worth it.

also, i recommend that you get a wooden headjoint and not a silver plated head (i.e. the one whose headjoint looks like a miniature flute.) Comparing a wooden yamaha and a silver gemeinhardt, this is what i've learned: while the silver-plated head is a little easier to get a more melodic sound out of, you'll be able to get the same sound on the wooden one after awhile... plus it's a LOT easier to get upper register out.

hope this helps!
--caroline

fluttiegurl · Post by **fluttiegurl** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 6:14 pm

Please don't play a wooden piccolo ro any part of one outside. There are many factors that can cause it to crack and be rendered useless. Otherwise, somewhat agree that a wooden head is better for most players.