Hi All,
I am currently piccolo shopping and looking to purchase either the Burkart Global or the Powell Signature. I have read reviews about the burkart global and they all seem to be really great reviews but i haven't really found anything about the Powell Signature. So anybody have any experience with the powell signature? Or know which one anyone has had better look with? I will be trying both just wanted to see what others thought
Thanks
JL

powell for sure. i tried them both and it was the signatre hands down. they are fantastic!

Both are fantastic piccs. I just suggest that you try both because they are very different in the way they play. The Powell has a much clearer darker sound as where the Global has a more free blowing brighter sound. At least that is my experience with them. When I was shopping for a piccolo I asked many flute stores which one they sold most and they all told me they sell more Globals and were the best price for the money. I have owned the Global before, but I think next time around I will go back to the Powell when getting another piccolo. I have a Pearl grenadite right now and sold my handmade Burkart because I liked the Pearl that much. In the climate that I live in, wood is hard to deal with. Granted the Pearl's mechanism is not up to the same standards as the Burkart and Powell, it still produces the most lovely even over the $5000 and up piccs that I have played on.

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It produced the most love SOUND. Oops.

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Wow.. I need to learn how to type. Sorry once again! It should read... My fingers have a way with getting away from me.

It produces the most lovely sound.

I've tried them both. I preferred the Powell, but I don't know anyone who's purchased one. I know several people with Globals and they've had no problems.

I'm with Kara though - I'd rather not deal with wood. The Pearl is great, but I wish Burkart would start making composite piccolos again.

Yes! I am with you on that one Tim! They should make those CRC (I think that is what they were called) piccolo's again. I think would is harder to play. Burkart was onto a good thing wtih that. They still have navy bands contacting them and wanting them. I have heard that a lot of the navy bands are now either purchasing the Sonare or Pearl piccs.

>>I have heard that a lot of the navy bands are now either purchasing the Sonare or Pearl piccs.<<

Many representatives from the military bands across the board made a trip to Chicago last week just to try and see the pearl picc.

Specifically, they do need something that plays like a wood picc without having to worry about taking it outside while playing.

Joe B

i recently bought a piccolo. it came down to the global and the signature. it seemed that the signature was way too open for a new piccolo. it just didnt seem to have the color that the global had, nor the projection. i wasn't at all fond of it. if you can, try the global with a lillian burkart headjoint on it. and to be honest, i wasn't all that impressed with the pearl either.

and to be honest, i wasn't all that impressed with the pearl either.

Yeah.. but this is also coming from someone who said they wouldn't play on a Powell even if someone paid them :O I guess we don't see eye to eye much on anything where flute and piccolo models are concerned. Most everyone I have chatted with love the Pearl piccolo and I have never found anyone that absolutely hates Powell flutes either. To each his own I guess.

Is the shift button happen to be broken on your keyboard? lol!

it wasnt that the pearl wasnt a good picc, its just that the ones i was testing out were just as good and better. maybe it was me... probably. i play off to the side and the wave headjoint just did cut it for me. in short, i sounded like poo. the mechanism seemed fine though. perhaps if pearl offered a standard headjoint... and powell is a nice flute, just not for me. i would never push someone away from buying a powell unless they sounded better on something else. in fact, i just helped a friend of mine buy a new flute. what did she get? a powell aurumite. nice flute, i must say. but when i played on it, it sounded like a train wreck. and it feels a bit clunky to me as well. but obviously theyre good or else very few people would actually play them.

and i think theres a better picc out there for the same kind of money as the powell signature. now if youre looking at the powell picc (you know, the $5000 one) id say buy that in a heartbeat. its a very nice piccolo with an even scale. only thing i dont like: the microscopic G# key.

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oh, and i hate to type with capital letters. i have ocd and the unevenness of the big-small-small-small-big-big freaks me out. haha

O I miss my old Gemeinhardt 4W, reading this your lucky to be able to pick from such fantastic piccolo, I miss playing a piccolo so much I'd be happy with a simple plastic model at the time being(:

sorry-fantastic piccolos

Mbrowne, I know what you are saying and can relate about the headjoint on the Pearl piccs. I don't care for them that much either and if you are not used to them, it is harder to play. Some people think the opposite. I have also said many times that I wish Pearl would offer a standard headjoint on them. I was going to try and get a different brand headjoint to put on mine, but nothing fits. The tenon on my Pearl piccolo is longer then most cork joints. I may still end up just saving up for my dream Powell piccolo anyway.

Sorry, I must admit I get defensive when people say anything bad against my Prism. I know.. it is just a flute. Really, my mechanism feels much better on my flute then if you were to try out a new just out of the factory Powell. I had it changes and set up differently because I didn't like that as well.

oh, and i hate to type with capital letters. i have ocd and the unevenness of the big-small-small-small-big-big freaks me out. haha

That makes sense then. It is the other way for me, I guess I have a harder time reading something when the first letter of the sentence isn't capitalized. I think we are polar opposites or something. lol!!

ha, maybe. one day i may overcome the problems i have and capitalize sentences, just for you!

tee hee hee