Piccolo

flipib05 · Post by **flipib05** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 9:50 pm

Hi.
I have been playing the flute for 4 years and played piccolo for two. I have been playing on a Yamaha ypc-30. I am looking to upgrade in the next year or so. I was wondering what any of you fine people think on piccolos. I am going to test play some in the next couple weeks and I just want to know what u have in mind. I would like to get a wood piccolo because I am doing concert band. My budget is about $1500. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

fluttiegurl · Post by **fluttiegurl** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 6:59 am

I highly recommend the Emerson Boston Legacy piccolos. I know I have said this several times before, but I have yet to find one that I personally like as well for the $. The Yamaha YPC-62 is also a good piccolo, though I am not sure what they list at these days. Just try as many as you can and make your decssion based on what you hear. Be sure to check intonation (with a tuner).

fluteguy18 · Post by **fluteguy18** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 11:04 am

I agree with fluttiegurl. I believe the yamaha she mentioned retails for around $1600 with discounts, however, it is quite easy to find it cheaper if you take a good look around. Also, I would give the Pearl grenaditte piccolo a try, and possibly the Burkart Phelan piccs a try [I think it is the global model..... or something like that].

Also, if you dont mind if the piccolo is used, you could try some used piccs. Buying used is a good way to get higher quality instruments cheaper. And if the piccolo is wood, as wood ages, it typically resonates better [as the wood dries out further and the fibers compress, the sound waves travel through them faster and vibrate longer..... long story that sounds far fetched but it has to do with studies of tone woods and musical instruments].

I will personally advocate trying the yamaha 62 because it is in your price range and is usually a fairly nice picc for the price. However, if you find a better deal, or find a picc you like better, then by all means go in the direction you feel pulled. I just think the Yamaha is a good starting place [the Emerson piccs werent quite my taste, but they are an equally good starting place as well].

flipib05 · Post by **flipib05** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 11:59 am

thanks for the suggestions. I was also thinking the yamaha ypc-62. I can't wait to try them out. We are hopefully going next week. I might be able to go up to $2000 but it just depends.

musical_Kat · Post by **musical_Kat** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 12:06 pm

I agree with fluteguy.....definitely try the Global by Burkart and Phelan.....that's the piccolo I have and I absolutely love it! I think for the price range that you are looking at that and the Boston legacy are the best bets. But definitely try everything!

flipib05 · Post by **flipib05** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 2:18 pm

How much do you think one of those would be used?

c_otter · Post by **c_otter** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 5:29 pm

I second all of the suggestions above. I also encourage you to try both the wave and traditional headjoints of the Burkart Phelan Global. When trying out piccolos, I found a substantial difference even between headjoint styles from the same maker.

Also, the emerson boston legacy comes in both grenadilla and ironwood. I found the difference to be small, but still somewhat noticeable.

BTW, I differed from Musical_kat and sounded better on the emerson than the global, so do try a few to see what you sound best on.

Phineas · Post by **Phineas** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 8:35 pm

I have found with any fine instrument, you can learn how to play well on it. It really depends on your physical makeup, what you are stepping up from, and how often you play will determine what your instrument preference is. Since you stared out on a Yamaha, there is a very high possibility you may prefer the Yamaha.

That being said, there are many piccolos I like. The 3 mentioned instruments are ALL nice playing instruments. I prefer the Boston legacy, but could easily live with the Yamaha, or the Burkart. The problem with the other 2 is my learning curve. I would have to spend more time getting use to the other 2 instruments before I would feel comfortable performing on them.

For this reason, you should do more shopping. You may find a brand that YOU like better than the ones mentioned here. Also keep in mind that wood piccolos are not suitable for every situation, so you may want to consider a composite, or metalic piccolo.

Good luck on your journey for the one!

Phineas

flipib05 · Post by **flipib05** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 2:21 pm

I have a yamaha ypc-30 and ypc-32 already and i really don't like them all that much.

john101 · Post by **john101** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 2:00 pm

Also try the Gemeinhardt 4W. While their flutes aren't the best, they do make a very good piccolo. You can easily find these discounted for about $1000.

John

flipib05 · Post by **flipib05** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 10:19 pm

thanks.

flutegeek1992 · Post by **flutegeek1992** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 7:44 am

agree with everyones comments, and an added bit about Gemmy Pics-I have a plastic body/silver head gemmy pic and it is wonderful. Definantly one of the nicest sounding pics I've ever heard. Just a note, I love my gemmies

So much character

piccoloist · Post by **piccoloist** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 7:37 pm

Try as many as you can!
Your best bet since convention is over, is to contact a dealer like Jeff Weissman, Flute Specialists, or Flute Center of New York (among others as well) and have a bunch sent to you on trial. Have a teacher or other musician listen to you play on each one side by side.
You can always wait for another flute fair or convention to try them all at once too.
Good luck!

flutepicc06 · Post by **flutepicc06** » Sun Aug 26, 2007 4:35 pm

Usually I suggest that those looking for a new concert piccolo go for a used instrument. Aside from getting "more" picc for your money, you also have an instrument that's already broken in, so there is less chance of cracking. Also, wooden piccs tend to darken up in sound over time, so you reap the benefit of other people's playing. There are many solid piccolos that have already been suggested, and any and all of them are worth looking at, but I would also include Zentners and Roy Seamans (old ones....not the Signature line distributed by Gemeinhardt) on any shopping list. They both match pretty well with your budget, and IMO, are some of the best piccolos for that kind of money that you can find. I played a Zentner as my primary concert picc for several years until buying a Kingwood Powell picc just a few weeks ago, and it served me excellently. Choosing a piccolo that matches you well is extremely important, as a bad player/instrument match can yield more noticeably bad results than a player with a flute that doesn't match them. Try out as many piccolos as possible and see what works for you.

flapperflute · Post by **flapperflute** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 11:53 am

My Jeff Weissman piccolo is the BEST piccolo I have ever played. It has an effortless top register, great intonation, a warm, woody tone, and was quite economical for a handmade piccolo of exotic wood (mine is made of African bloodwood). I highly recommend his piccolos.