im looking for a piccolo, simply put. ive been using my schools brand new yamaha plastic body picc but i just cant seem to project any sound on it. no one can. and im also quite serious about piccolo playing. i studied with a flute professor from a major university in my area for 2 weeks and she was the second one in 6 months to tell me that the piccolo im using now i holding me back from some amazing playing. she recommended a burkhart or a boston legacy. i do not study as of right now anymore(but i will be very soon) so i do not have the one-on-one help of a private teacher in buying. my budget is limited (about $2000 but definitely NO MORE) and both the burkart global and the boston legacy were 2 that i were seriously considering before i had the input of a college professor (im in high school). but i dont want to try instruments blindly and find out that im choosing between 2 instruments that cost about the same and then i choose the one that is going to fall apart in a year because its quality level borders that of a -45. so whats your input? a nice good wood piccolo for around $2000. im trying some out on wednesday at flute specialists and then if i have time im going to flute world. dont persuade me to go to flute world first... my dad is looking at some side work for the owner of flute specialists on wednesday.

i would appreciate your input.

zentner
phillip hammig
yamaha wooden

contact Joe B at www.langemusic.com for advice

Keep in mind that if you buy a wooden piccolo you don't want to use it during marching season.

I had an Emerson grenadilla wood piccolo in high school and early college. It served its purpose for me, but I eventually sold it to a friend. Her flute teacher makes custom headjoints, and he made her a new one. She said they both liked the sound better with the new headjoint. I found with that piccolo I had few tuning issues and it had great projection. It was a solid picc, but certainly not in the price range you are able to buy. I would take Patrick or Jbutky's recommendation on a more professional line if that is what you feel you need for your picc playing future.

I would also suggest the Burkart Global and Emerson BL. IMHO, they are the best in the price range you are looking for. I had a Burkart Global for a while and it really nice, but upgraded to the Burkart handmade as I felt like there was too much play in the mechanism on the Global that I owned and it was bother some when playing fast pieces.

we dont use piccolos during marching season. im not naive when it comes to wooden piccolos. dont take them outside due to threat of cracking, etc. or at least be extremely careful when doing so. and before i have the advice of a professional, i was looking at the global and the bl anyway. so i had some insight.

are those just the two that most of you recommend me try out? im open to anything really if its good.

I think those are solid recommendations to play test. See if you can get 2 a week and play around on them. That should give you enough time to make sure you like the mechanism and sound.

I started in high school on a Gemeinhardt silver piccolo, then didn't play for 18 years. When I began playing my flute again, I knew I wanted to play picc, too, and my dad bought me a Yamaha 62 for Christmas.

The Yamaha 62 was a really nice instrument, especially for the money.

I always like to try other peoples' instruments for feel, tone flexibility, etc. so when I saw a Zentner for sale at a really good price, I sent for it on approval. WOW! The depth of sound on the Zentner made me reluctant to go back to my perfectly nice Yamaha because it sounded so thin to me.

I still have my Zentner, and love it. It has a really good mechanism, and great sound. The Zentners were made with the OLD MODEL Roy Seaman piccolos, and are essentially the same. (Gemeinhardt bought the Roy Seaman name and supposedly makes them according to the old specs, but they are not made by the same company anymore and I have heard that they are not really the same instrument.)

Zentner piccs can be found used from $1500 to $2000, although they are getting more difficult to find.
Even less frequently, you may see a Roy Seaman (original) for sale, in the same price range. Both have been highly recommended, just make sure that you have someone REALLY good (technician) look at it if it passes your play test.

The handmade Burkart is a really good instrument, although in your price range it would have to be used.

It is more difficult to match piccolo headjoints, but I found a Burkart headjoint that does fit my Zentner. It would not fit my Yamaha. (I had my Yamaha for about 6 months before I sold it.)

Hammig would be highly recommended as well.

Some people do very well with Weissman's handmade instruments, again it would have to be used.

Eppler makes outstanding wood flutes, headjoints, and piccolos.

I'm sure with some play testing, you'll find one that you like. Good luck!

DottedEighthNote, have you owned one of these piccolos or tried them out? You recommend them, so just want to make sure.

For your price range, definitely try out the Burkart-Phelan Global piccs.

Many years experience in playing/testing/instruments various instruments Kara as you know.

<Added>

Whoops!

/playing/testing/trying different instruments! GO GO TYPO!

Oh, so have you tried the newer line of Burkart handmade piccolos or the Global? If not, they are amazing! Sorry, I wasn't aware that you had tried a lot of the top brand flutes and piccolos. At least I that is what I knew the last time I had talked to you, which has been a long time. That is great.

ah, the old seamans.... my first private lessons teacher bought a used roy seaman. ironwood. had a gorgeous sound on it. we originally went to look at flutes for me and i wanted to take a look at some piccolos while we were at flute world anyway. i played around on it and i really enjoyed it but she played it and took it out on a trial run and told them just to cash the check. she wasnt returning it. i guess it was better for her anyway since she had the same type of picc im playing on and shes a professional (but shes also allergic to grenadilla). And no, the roy seamans nowadays arent made to the same standards that they were before they wee bought out by gemeinhardt. its sad when the salesperson trying to sell you the product tells you not to buy it because its not like the original.

unfortunately i did not get to go down today. i had a terrible bout of food poisoning yesterday and i was up all night throwing up. i didnt think it was wise to try out instruments other people would touch and possibly get others infected with my bug. i believe were making it another day- saturday. ive been hearing a lot about these new composite piccolos from sonare and pearl. although im pretty sure i would like to stay with a wood piccolo, what do you know about the new pearl and the new sonare? are they worth looking at if im going to save a huge chunk of money?

(Gemeinhardt bought the Roy Seaman name and supposedly makes them according to the old specs, but they are not made by the same company anymore and I have heard that they are not really the same instrument.)


Seaman piccolos are made in Elkhart, IN by the Gemeinhardt company, as they have been since Gemeinhardt purchased the Seaman name and design.

Barb Kremer
Chief Woodwind Technician
Gemeinhardt

but what about the new composite piccolos? even though im almost positive i want to buy wood, are the composite (like the pearl and sonare)worth looking at if ill save a lot of money?