i saw some 1 in band that was playing this wierd kind of picollo. the hole thing was a red color. has any 1 seen one of these be 4?

The only colored instrument (i.e. red, purple, green, etc...) have all been in a magazine for like $500, and frankly in my opinion they`re all a bunch of crap and are worthless. They break really easily and can`t always be fixed. I`ve never seen a really good instrument that was oddly colored like that, but maybe I`m wrong.

The onlu colored ones that I have seen were on ebay and were total junk. They should have been called a toy and not a real musical instrument.

If it was wooden...

This is what Grenadilla and Iron Wood look like:
http://www.kesslermusic.com/html/flutes/bostonlegacypic.htm

Rosewood piccolos have a definate dark red hue:
http://www.pamelasmusic.co.uk/images/Forsale/wind/flutes/Fp022a.jpg

But I`m afraid you mean these red color plated piccolos:
http://www.saletime.net/piccolored.jpg

I would try the company victory. I know they make flutes in various colors, so maybe the make piks too. And they sell on eBay a fairly reasonable prices.

If it is one of the color plated piccolos, run away and don`t look back.

Does plating them make them sound bad? I`ve not heard one played. Does it do them same to flutes?

thanks piko it did look like one of those picollos. it also had gold keys like the 1 in the link.

Be careful of those color plated piccolos. They are mass produced with very little quality control so there is good chance you can get a dud. It may only be able to play so high or so low or may break down quite quickly.

I bought one of those silly $100 off-brand piccolos (black resin) and such a terrible instrument it was.

With a major brand you don`t get colors, but you do get a warranty against defects and it goes through better quality contol.

coloured instruments are a novelty and people who play them are too

If you play on a coloured instrument you are likely to become a victim of stereotyping, and not be taken seriously as an instrumentalist. You are likely to have to play a lot better to be taken seriously.

But if your mode of playing is just fun, and not to impress or `climb ladders` then it does not really matter.

I don`t think ANY serious, reputable-brand instrument-maker resorts to the gimmick of making these multi-coloured instruments.

Other issues are:
- The colour may be very thin, such that the instrument will look very scruffy when patches of it wear off.
- Certain operations used by technicians (e.g. heat for soldering, and dent removal)may also take the colour off, and cosmetic restoration MAY not be practicable.

If a manufacturer of a piccolo actually lacquers it with a color and then offers cork grease with it, then that would be a first indication that they don`t have a clue about piccolo`s and should not be in the business of making them.

whooh... long sentence, sorry!

I agree with Arak, a musician can hardly be taken seriously when playing on one of these.