Thanks a ton you guys! I'm in love with the sound!
But, low and behold... My Band Director thinks I'm a stunning Piccolo player...
Meaning, there's lots of piccolo in my future, with severely reduced Flute.
So, I thought perhaps sometime in the future, I'd invest in a Piccolo
Any thoughts on which piccolos are best? Right now I'm playing on the School's Picc (It's a Boston Legacy... not sure on how good that is compared with other Piccs, but I know it's just swell to play on.)
Piccolo can be fun. I'm in the same boat as you, and actually the piccolo I chose (budget was a huge concern) was a used Boston Legacy in ironwood. Seems to be a nice little number; I've had it a few months and it holds an adjustment and serves me.
There were others that I tried that I liked slightly better, but I couldn't justify spendling $2000 more. I can always upgrade later.
There's many great brands you can try. I'm not the resident piccolo expert lol but others have a lot more experience and can give you their ideas. I only replied because I have a BL.
Ann, I would be curious of what the other piccolos you tried that you liked a bit better. I tried the BL in iron wood and while it was a nice piccolo, the key set up didn't work well for my hands. I have my eye on a Zenter and Moenning.
To the orignal poster... Congrats on getting your new flute. Which one did you decide on?
As far as piccolos go, here is a list of good brands..
Powell
Burkart/Phelan
Lillian Burkart
Zentner (no longer made, but can get used)
Seaman NOT the ones being made by Gemeinhardt (also no longer made)
Emerson Boston Legacy
Haynes
Hammig
Keefe
Brannen (no longer sold and now are Keef piccs)
Braun
Bulgheroni
Yamaha
Wow I wish my high school had a Boston Legacy. We weren't that lucky. Really, unless you're willing to spend $4k on a custom piccolo, you won't find one much better than the Boston Legacy. If you want to continue playing after high school, I'd suggest you play the school's piccolo while saving up for your own once you graduate.
My school has a Zetner but when I borrowed it, it was out of adjustment so I can't give it a fair assessment. It did feel good in the hands though. That's one of the few things about my BL that I don't like is it feels a little crammed in my right hand. The trill keys stick out a bit and the r hand keys feel close to the Eb key. I have skinny, long fingers so I can get away with it, but someone with chubby fingers might not like it. (My wedding band is a size 5 and I can get away with a 4.5 lol)
If money wasn't a consideration I would have gotten a B & P/ global, no questions asked. But at over $2k, and I liked the Emerson nearly as much, I couldn't warrant spending the extra money, for t is a nice little piccolo. I should become a spokeswoman for Burkart, as I simply *love* anything from them I've gotten my hands on :-)
I'll be honest, most pics I've tried I've disliked. I would be interested in trying the pearl composite pic though. I fret about the wood pic.
I'm not gonna worry about it till closer to grad school, and that's 2 to 3 years away. I'm happy with what I have, and I don't think I'll ever switch my flute/headjoint setup. Maybe add a headjoint to the !*****!nal but that's it.
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why would it block out a-r-s-e-n-al? because of arse?
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see, now there it didn't do it.... ok?
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Kate, have you checked usedflutes.com lately? Don't know all the specifics of what you want but there were several piccs of varying prices listed, inc. a BP.
Yes, I check usedflute.com everyday. The ones I thought looked good were either sold, the seller never got back to me or they were asking way too much. There is someone trying to sell a Burkart/Phelan for $3000, when you can get a new one for only $3150 brand new. I don't know how anyone expects to sell a used piccolo for only a $150 less for what a new one sells for. People amaze me!
I had the same problem with the BL picc. The first time I picked it up I knew right away it wasn't going to work for me as the D# rod next to the D key is over further then most picc set ups. If it wasn't for that, I most likely would have bought one.
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I forgot to mention, as I am sure you probably know, I own a Pearl Grenaditte piccolo. It has a gorgeous sweet sound and I have played it next to the Burkat piccolo that I used to own and I actually prefers the sound of the Pearl over that one. Now the mechanism could use improvement though, and that is why I am looking for another one. I most likely will still keep my Peal though to play for out door concerts. If you are going to be playing piccolo a lot like I do, then I am not sure if I would recommend the Pearl. Both of mine started leaking after the first couple of weeks of having them and I treat mine with kit gloves. It is probably just my luck though because I seem to breath on piccolos and they go out of adjustment. lol!!
You're all lucky... my school had nothing but the silver-plated Gemeinhardts with swelled pads used often marching in the rain. Yes, even for symphony orchestra... and this is in one of the most affluent suburbs of Chicago's North Shore! Although, I got so good at playing those crappy piccs that when I got my hands on a decent one, I could play it damn well... I auditioned for the district honor band the day I picked up my first wood piccolo and got the chair.
I have really been liking the Keefes, and Burkarts too, but I think Burkart and Phelans are better versus the price if you are limited, and the BP Global model (I think for the student budget--perfect for me) is just an outstanding value.
Your High School has a Boston Legacy Piccolo wow! When I was in High School (a decade ago) all we had were the Gemeinhardts with the silver plated heads and the plastic bodies. Which is humorous considering my sophomore year my parents bought me a used piccolo for a Christmas gift and it was a Gemeinhardt with a solid silver head and a plastic body. (They did mean well I and I played on that piccolo until my senior year of college.)
I played piccolo all through out high school and my college years and I would not trade that for anything in the world. Being good at both the flute and the piccolo is a great asset to have and like Patrick said it can open up a lot of doors for you. I was actually very surprised when I was in college and none of the flute players wanted to touch the piccolo. They all acted as if playing the piccolo was some sort of punishment. The other flute players were surprised to learn that I loved playing piccolo (and was good at it).
As far as which piccolo to buy I can only repeat what others have said and that is try out a lot of piccolos and see which one is best for you. All the piccolos that I have, with the exception of one that I found at an antique store, have been gifts from my parents ( I guess when it doubt buy me a piccolo)the last one they bought me was the Woodwind Brand from www.wwbw.com (senior graduation present from college). Please don't try this one out. While I was able to produce a nice sound on this piccolo it is always in need of repairs.
Kate,
Yeah, I saw that about the BP and thought that was a little steep lol. You probably know all the resources I do, but I will keep my eyes out neverless. There's CRAP on ebay lately for piccs.
Thanks for the info about the pearl. I *though* you had one, but wasn't sure. Maybe with time, the mech on the composite will improve a little. I have two friends that have pearl flutes and they don't seem to have problems with those.
Everyone else,
It cracks me up, the only nice piccolo we have the the Zentner we have for the orchestra. The rest of the piccs that are used for the marching band are awful and I mean awful, not only in terms of brand but in condition. Hmm, the head cork falls out the top of the hj... do you think they might tell a professor? No, they just let it go....
Wow. I'm surprised that your school has a wood picc, let alone that is considered one of the top piccolos for the student on a budget. my high school (which was one of the best band programs in the area) had 2 yamaha 32s that were so badly in need of an adjustment, a silver plated signet from the 80s or something (and the Ab key broke in half. do you think they wouldve fixed it? no. instead they took some crazy glue and put it back on), and a plastic gemeinhardt. the mechanism fell off. they didnt fix that either. the school 5 miles north, which was even smaller than us: 84 students in the graduating class when i left, had 3 yamaha 81s. soooo jealous, especially since the program itsself averaged a 4 at district band festival.
i dont like the boston legacy personally, but i think theyre a good value. im going to put out the name of the global. i should become a spokesperson for them. i think theyre great for the money. they even outplay many of the piccs more expensive than them. if you can afford a BL, you can afford a global. the global is a less expensive (about $200 less). I've heard that dean yang is making a piccolo now. i really like their flutes, so i would be interested in trying out their piccolos.
im going to put out the name of the global. i should become a spokesperson for them. i think theyre great for the money. they even outplay many of the piccs more expensive than them. if you can afford a BL, you can afford a global.
back off, I have first dibs on representing them lol. How cool would that be if that was my job, to travel the country and talk about how great Lillian Burkart's stuff is? I would totally do it :-)
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