Originally Posted by Jimi Michiel

As for the Bach... I have a very strong bias against Bach. I haven't played the new piccolos, but I have a hard time trusting any company that raises their prices so much without an ounce of R&D/product improvement. Not to mention their labor situation.

Stomvi's are great horns. I've played a couple of their piccolos and my impression was that they were a little darker than Schilkes. They've still got that "ring," but the lower overtones were a little more prominent than in the P5-4. If you can, check out the Scherzer rotary piccs. They're a lot of fun to play and I think would work better in chamber music situations. I've found them easier to play at lower volumes than the Schilke (and other Schilke style piccs).

Just my .02 Bottom line: buy what you enjoy playing the most.

-Jimi