I've been playing the flute for quite some time now and I really want to get a piccolo for band. Does anyone know anything about the Gemeinhardt C piccolo? If so, does it have a plastic body? I found one online and I am really leaning towards a Gemeinhardt because I got a better sound on it when I tried a 4MPH vs. a YPC-32. Thanks!!!

Just look up Gemeinhardt on line and find the model # that you tried and it should give you all the specs. Gemeinhardt makes many different models. The one you tried sounds like it is plastic with a silver plated headjoint. They are fine for a student for marching/concert band. It is all your preference and what you sound good on.

Gemeinhardt makes great piccolos. (I'm not a fan of their flutes at all. But their piccolo design is very good.)

Gemeinhardt makes an all-plastic piccolo, which I really like. It's a 4P.
They also make the same piccolo with a silver-plated headjoint, which is what you tried. Also a good picc, but I prefer the milder sound of the plastic or wood piccolos to the metal ones.

The metal piccs are 1) all silver-plate, 2)silver-headjoint-plated-body, and 3) all-silver. These can be louder, which may be a bonus if you are in a nice, noisy marching band.

They also make a grenadilla-wood piccolo, the 4W, which has the same design but is made of wood. Our regional symphony principal has one of these from 20 or 30 years ago, and it is a superb instrument. The wood instruments are intolerant of big temperature/humidity swings, and are not generally played outside.

If you liked the 4PMH, and sound good on it, that's a good sign. You could try some other Gemeinhardts if you like, to see if you like an all-metal or all-plastic one better, but the 4PMH should work great through high school.

I have a C piccolo from gemeinhardt. Its an all silver plated model and i like it alot for what it is. for high school its a good all around piccolo for marching band and concert band. Gemeinhardt piccolos are really good student/intermediate flutes and piccolos. but before you make up your mind, make sure you try alot of them first.

Thanks a bunch and sorry it took me so long to reply! I found a Gemeinhardt 4MPH piccolo on ebay...it's ending in 1 and a half hours, and I'm going to bid on it and see if I get it. So far, it's $158.50.

Make sure to remember to add at least $100 to the ending cost of it if buying off of ebay for a COA. Even when they are stated as being playable, 90% of the time they are not and they need work. I have a lot of experience with buying off of ebay.

I didn't get the piccolo...it sold for $360, and I wasn't willing to pay that much for a 4pmh when there are better prices at other times. I'll keep looking, though.

My sister bought a YPC-32 off of ebay and had to pay around $30 get it cleaned up and in good condition, and she got an amazing deal on hers. I hope something comes up like hers did!

Your sister got lucky indeed. There are some good deals to find on ebay. It it hit and miss. If you can buy from a knowledgeable seller who plays flute/piccolo and is honest about the condition and has a return policy, then you will be good to go. Good luck! Remember, you get what you pay for

You can get some very good deals on e-bay. Read descriptions carefully, ask questions of the sellers, check the feed-back of the sellers, and check the sellers rating before you bid. Gemeinhardt does make nice piccolos. I have a 4P, 4SS, and the 4W with 2 headjoints. Which pic I play depends on where the event is taking place. For general playing you won't go wrong with the 4P. Mine is 40 years old and has held up beautifully. As stated before the 4P has a mellower sound than silver-plate models or silver models. It won't sound as mellow as wood, but it will sound close.

Good luck on your search.

I am asking about an eBay auction of an Artley Wooden Piccolo - no designation on the type of wood but it looks to be grenadilla; Now my first 'real' flute was a silver plated Artley and I played it for 25 years with never a problem and only one re-pad in all of that time. It was stolen while I was in Rome - I dozed in church during Mass for about thirty seconds but that's all it takes over there - those gypsies are extremely quick and very watchful, and I was no un-seasoned tourist either.

So, can anyone here lend a 'buyers' hand on this little Artley 18-P Wood Piccolo - value - worthiness etc. I was going to ask JB but the query is open to all........Thank you very much..........

PS.........Something I just relaized too - the flute in my Avatar is the cherished Artley ha ha

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200463845282&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

UPDATE ON MY PREVIOUS POST ITS NOT WOOD
- I received an answer from the seller in which he concedes to an error in the listing .............BUT I would still like a REVIEW on this instrument............

Dear xxxxxxx,............hello... i apparently made a mistake in the listing and have updated it to add this.. "after talking with an expert today, I have just discovered that this is a composite head and body flute- not wood- it is resonite, which is supposedly better than wood .. it has never been worked on.. it is in original, good condition. It is in the key of C.. it has silver plated keys.. conical bore, stainless steel springs .. it sells new for $2,095.00 ..
... so i am sorry about the mixup... i can still send you pictures if you like.. i should be able to take some in the morning, as well as give you the serial number... again i apologize that i made this mistake, and thanks again for your interest... cXXX aXXXXX
_________________
“Albert, what did you do? This is an amazing headjoint! ” Albert Cooper’s response -
“What do you mean, what did I do? It’s just a hole.”

No plastic Artley piccolo is worth $2000! I suggest looking elsewhere, as this seller has no idea what they are talking about.

I had a composite Artley piccolo once. It was very difficult to play the third octave. Otherwise, it was fine. I sold it several years ago for $150, which I think is a reasonable price.

Good luck!

Thank you responders.........I have all the iformation I need to know now that the Piccolo I was lookingat is not what I want - as I ststed I was responding to an ad that said "WOOD" and he then revised it - I looked later on and he revised it again -->

On Apr-28-10 at 22:59:49 PDT, seller added the following information:

ok.. another revision.. Resonite is the lower priced plastic piccolo retailing for about $750 and the wood is in the $2,000 range... thanks again

Thanks for the help. I'm looking at a solid silver, gold lip plate piccolo on ebay right now. I've heard a lot about solid silver piccolos being very shrill. Do you think the solid silver, gold lip plate Gemeinhardt is good? (4SGLP) Does anyone have any experience with all silver piccolos? Thanks!!