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Which (cheapish) Piccolo?

8K views 34 replies 18 participants last post by  soybean 
#1 ·
Hi there,

Looking for advice on purchasing a piccolo. I had one a couple of years back, but have since moved overseas (didn't bring it with me) and rather than dig it out of storage and get it sent here (no point, it was junk!) I want to get something new.

The piccolo I did have was a 'Cibaili' - like the on here:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Pro-24K-...l_Instruments_Instruments&hash=item48378c403b

I found it very difficult to play, tuning was horrible etc. Not being a piccolo player I wondered if it was of course me until I tried a metal yamaha (I think it was a YPC-30). Light years ahead of the Cibaili in reponse, ease of blowing, tuning etc (at least it was for me, relative to the two instruments I had in my possesion - maybe I had a particularly bad Cibaili, who knows?).

Anyway, I don't really want to spend more than say $400US. I'm considering either a used Gemeindhart, Emerson or Armstrong (or I might even stretch for a used YPC-32 if I can find one under $500).

The other option is one of the Venus piccolos - I'm also looking at this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Piccolo-Two-Hea...798?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5644a92b3e

I'm pretty sure these are the ones the Bruce Bailey has recommended, but I'm a bit dubious given that the all metal venus piccolos looks more or less identical to Cibaili I have (but maybe the above ebonite ones are better?). The price suits me better, but I don't want to waist another $200 when I should just shell out $400ish for a used 'standard/known' student model that has stood the test of time.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Tim
 
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#2 ·
Hey! How's it going over there? Long time no see.
A gemeinhardt 4p might be ok. I'm looking for a cheap one to put a nice original Roy Seaman headjoint on.
YPS 32's can be had cheap and are nice, but I hate the lip plate.
I played a great sterling conical Armstrong, but I forgot the model.
I wouldnt waste my time my a cheepy picc unless you can try before you buy.
 
#3 ·
The ebonite Venus isn't bad...It isn't the greatest either, but I've played mine in flute choir with no problems.

http://maestromusician.com/recordings.html
I'm playing my Venus piccolo on my arrangement of Slavonic Dance No. 10. It's near the bottom of the page, under Arrangements.

I will say that I much prefer the YPC-62 to it, but can't afford one at the moment.
 
#8 ·
Finding one locally is the best choice since shipping from the US or Canada may be a bit of an issue. I have a Briolette (made by Hardy in the US) that is all plastic including the head that is nearly new. These aren't real great up around B3 and higher but are nice otherwise. Should be about $180 US shipped to AUS.
If you are serious about piccolo, find one of the Gemeinhardts. Good for cheap.
 
#9 ·
Thanks for the replies.

Hey! How's it going over there? Long time no see.
Yeah good, it's quite therapeutic living in a small town. I'm back in Melb for month in a couple of weeks, which I'm looking forward to.

Finding one locally is the best choice since shipping from the US or Canada may be a bit of an issue
True, but at the moment for me locally is a small town of 3000 of people in New Zealand with no music stores in sight!

I might look at a couple of things when I'm back in Melb next month. I've decided to revise my budget (down) - I only need this piccolo to play in a community show (as double) and I can't justify spending a lot of money for that reason. I'm looking now at spending no more than $300 US (plus shipping).

I've seen that quite a few used Gemeinhardts go for around that mark on Ebay.

Am I correct that the headjoints on the 4P series (4P, 4PNH, 4PSH) are all interchangeable? (I notice the wwbw sells the headjoints separately)

Other than the Gemeinhardts - any opinions on the Armstrong 307 or 308? Comparable?

What about the Selmer Prelude - I see they can be had for $300 new.

Tim
 
#12 ·
The Prelude is just the same as the Venus and other ones from China.
As to heads.....Make sure you don't mix conical pic and cylindrical head pics. The head for a Gemeinhardt is no problem since all are conical pics with a cyl. head. For other brands, the cyl. bodies use a tapered parabolic head. Mixing heads will cause an intonation nightmare!
Benny, the Seaman head should only fit a KG Ltd. wood body as all the other Gemeinhardts use a sleeve fitting.
 
#19 ·
OK, Bruce, that makes sense now...I know an older model Gemeinhardt wood piccolo that is a real cherry. I'm guessing it was made by Seaman/Zentner.

Can't go wrong with the Gemeinhardt piccs. I can't say I like their flutes, at all, but the piccs are good. Those, and the Yamahas.

maybe I had a particularly bad Cibaili, who knows?
Actually, maybe you had a good Cibiali!! Most of the cheapie Chinese ones are still toys, though they may be serious alternatives someday soon.

Don't forget, if you budget $300 for an eBay Gemmie, that it might need $150 to get its pads sealing properly. If Bruce has a used one for sale, that could work well.
 
#21 ·
Finding one locally is the best choice since shipping from the US or Canada may be a bit of an issue. I have a Briolette (made by Hardy in the US) that is all plastic including the head that is nearly new. These aren't real great up around B3 and higher but are nice otherwise. Should be about $180 US shipped to AUS. If you are serious about piccolo, find one of the Gemeinhardts. Good for cheap.
Actually, Briolette is NOT plastic! They're all Grenadilla Wood and they are absolutely FANTASTIC piccolos! They're professional level piccolos, mine plays circles around my Hammig! Orpheus Music in San Antonio, TX commissioned Hardy to make some piccolos for them to sell under their house name of Briolette. They had 2 options, wood with wood headjoint and wood with silver plated headjoint. I played flute/piccolo with a woman who actually worked for them and I have 2 Briolettes, another fellow piccoloist has one as well! The aformentioned lady who worked for Orpheus also sent me the original advertisement for them, from 1994, if you'd like a copy!
 
#24 ·
It's not really clear why this inquiry has resurfaced after 12 years, but if there's someone actively interested in an inexpensive good piccolo, I can't recommend too highly the old Yamahas. I have an old YPC-21, plastic body metal head, all the plating's off the head, the plastic body's been broken and crudely repaired, but it plays great with good tone and excellent intonation. NO, it's not as sweet-toned or slick in the playing as a $4000 Burkart, but for what I use it for (flute solos on Latin charts, or occasional duty in a concert band) I'm more than satisfied. I paid $75 for it way back in 1982, and it was already a beat-up ex-school horn.
 
#27 ·
The Yamaha 32's are great and used to be an inexpensive option, but they're a little expensive these days (around $1600 new). I have one of the composite Gemeinhardts that @bruce bailey recommended above (the 4P model), which I got used for about $400, and it's pretty good.

However, if you're adventurous, Sunwin Music (in China) sells a grenadilla copy of a Burkart for less than $400 new. I just got one a few weeks ago and the sound and craftsmanship are unbelievably good! It's by far the best piccolo I've ever played.
 
#34 ·
that’s very interesting. It makes me wonder if sunwin music, or some other Chinese company makes a pro quality alto flute.

By the way, be careful. I tried to go to Sunwin music website and got some virus warnings.
Yeah, you shouldn't visit that website (which isn't very useful anyway). Instead, you can reach out directly to them via Facebook.

On the topic of alto flutes: Sunwin does make them. I haven't personally tried one, but based on the quality of the instruments that they've sent me so far (two altos, a tenor, and the picc), I'd definitely give it a shot.
 
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