B15M

I have a Selmer Picc. with Blackburn lead pipes now and I was thinking about getting a good one. The Selmer has the sound and feel that I like but it plays out of tune. It's not the worst one ever but not the best.

I saw a used Scherzer on Dillon's web site and I don't know why but it looks like it would play nicely. Does anybody know what I could expect from this brand. It is a long ride to the store but if I really want it I guess I have to make the trip.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks

BigBadWolf

I played on a buddie's Scherzer. I thought it played fairly evenly. It was a nice horn, but I would put it in the soloist category. If I decided to become a soloist I would definately buy one, but not for my current application. The one thing I did especially like was the fourth valve was turned so you could use your left hand.

MahlerBrass

Why don't you get a valve alignment on your Selmer, mine had one and it plays like a dream!

mattdalton

If the Selmer has the sound you like, I'd try a different leadpipe, an alignment as MahlerBrass suggested, or even a different mouthpiece. My Selmer picc plays badly out of tune with the stock Selmer pipe. Back in the late 1980s I tried a Blackburn pipe, but it didn't help much. Then I got a cut off Bach 25 pipe that really makes the A side work. I guard it carefully because it's a one-off experimental pipe that I can't replace.

I bought a Najoom pipe to try to address pitch on the Bb side. It's helped a lot, but the horn still plays better on the A side. That might be another option for you to try.

With that said, the Scherzer is a very nice piccolo. One of my good trumpet friends has one and finds it a good fit for solo and chamber playing. I've only tried it in A, but he says it plays well on both the Bb and A sides. He can't really cut through a big orchestra with it, but that's really not an issue for him either. I find the sound of the Scherzer very pleasing. I've prefered the tone of the Selmer and rotary piccs to most other makes for many years; to me it has more fundamental and warmth. If I could justify owning multiple piccolo trumpets, I'd have both a rotary picc and my Selmer picc.

Hope this helps.