Which piccolo do I buy?!?!

    
Which piccolo do I buy?!?!    23:05 on Monday, May 28, 2007          

Flutegiant
(3 points)
Posted by Flutegiant

I'm currently playing on a Gemeinhardt 4s, Is a nice piccolo in my opinion, but after a trip to the florida flute fair I decided I wanted a Wooden piccolo. However, I just recently bought my Yamaha YFL-684H, So I'm kind of low in money . Can anyone advice me of a nice sounding wooden piccolo that can get me through the rest of my High school career (2 more years ) and is under under $800 ?


Re: Which piccolo do I buy?!?!    23:24 on Monday, May 28, 2007          

Account Closed
(3248 points)
Posted by Account Closed

No, I can't. Sorry. But, you could always go for an all plastic Armstrong 308 or the all plastic Emerson. They sound very woody to me and when playing up on stage no one seriously would notice the difference.


Re: Which piccolo do I buy?!?!    23:36 on Monday, May 28, 2007          

Flutegiant
(3 points)
Posted by Flutegiant

I shall give it a try. thank you!


Re: Which piccolo do I buy?!?!    23:47 on Monday, May 28, 2007          

Flutist06
(1545 points)
Posted by Flutist06

It's not a matter of what the instrument is made of, but how it's built that decides what it sounds like. Try as many different piccolos as you can until you find one that suits your needs. There are some plastic piccs that sound very woody, and some metal piccs that have the darkness usually associated with a wooden piccolo. I haven't had the chance to try it yet, but the Grenaditte piccolo from Pearl is supposed to be excellent...Then there are also Yamahas, Emersons, Jupiters, Gemeinhardts, Zentners, Roy Seamans, and others to try. To get a noticeable difference between another picc and your 4S (which sells for about $700 on the cheap side), you're probably going to need to save up some more money and go for something in the $1200-1800 price range. If you like your piccolo, though, don't automatically step up just to have a wooden piccolo.

<Added>

What made you decide that you want a wooden piccolo?


Re: Which piccolo do I buy?!?!    01:21 on Tuesday, May 29, 2007          

Account Closed
(3248 points)
Posted by Account Closed

don't wish to start yet another huge debate over materials but I do have to say that a reputable brand plastic piccolo sound wise would most likely be more of an improvement and blend more then the silver Gemeinahardt that you do have. This is just in my own many years of experience speaking and also saying this after playing on a Gemeinhardt silver picc. Though I am sure I am not telling you anything you don't already know. I know some do say that they have played on silver piccolos that were not shrill at all and blended, but I have yet to come across one myself, so I would have to respectfully disagree with that.
Yes, it is a lot to do with the design in how it does play but I would be surprised if I myself could not hear and feel a difference between wood verses metal on an identically made flute or piccolo. I don't build flutes but I am guessing that there would not be a way to make them identical in the first place, though I may be wrong, I don't know. Scientists may say otherwise then what my ears do hear, but we are all entitled to our own opinion.



Re: Which piccolo do I buy?!?!    04:48 on Tuesday, May 29, 2007          

Cath123
(4 points)
Posted by Cath123

I have only got a Yamaha YPC32 but I got it off my parents who bought it for about £250 off ebay. Kinda sad I know! On some websites they come quite cheap so you wouldnt have to go on Ebay to get one cheap. e.g. www.trevorjones.com has one I think. They have a good sound and mine has served me well.


Re: Which piccolo do I buy?!?!    19:46 on Tuesday, May 29, 2007          

Tibbiecow
(480 points)
Posted by Tibbiecow

You may be able to find a Yamaha 62 or a Gemeinhardt 4W grenadilla picc, used, for somewhere around $800. Try sending an email to Nancy Shinn of http://www.flutestar.com , she sometimes rebuilds these for sale and does a fabulous job, though you might have to wait a month or two before one is available.

Kara, I have heard exactly one silver piccolo with a lovely, sweet, blending sound and it was a Haynes.

The plastic/resin/grenaditte piccs have a good reputation for sounding good, and similar to wood piccs of the same make. I really liked the Powell/Sonare plastic picc I tried, and would buy it if I only had $800 or so to spend for any new piccolo.


Re: Which piccolo do I buy?!?!    20:35 on Tuesday, May 29, 2007          

Account Closed
(3248 points)
Posted by Account Closed

Kara, I have heard exactly one silver piccolo with a lovely, sweet, blending sound and it was a Haynes.


That seems to be the brand whenever anyone has said that. I would like to try one sometime. I did try an old one that was in the key of D flat but it had some leaks so it was hard to evaluate.


Re: Which piccolo do I buy?!?!    10:17 on Sunday, June 3, 2007          

Account Closed
(491 points)
Posted by Account Closed

I've recently tried the new Sonare piccolo ($699 at Flute World) and I thought it sounded very nice. Apparently some colleges think so too, because the Central Michigan University School of Music just bought 2-4 of these new Sonare piccolos for the 07-08 school year. However, Joanna White (flute professor at CMU) said she was a bit shaky on buying them because she wasn't sure how the mechanism would hold up, if they were anywhere near the quality of the mechanism on the Sonare flutes. But they sound nice :-)


   




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