trptplyr23

hello, im new here.

i was wondering if anyone knows anything about piccolo trumpets. how much do they cost? what type of piccolo trumpet is the most recommended? if anyone lives in oregon, do they know a really good store that supplies good piccolo trumpets?

thanks for any help. =]

thanh

trumpetnick

trptplyr23,

Yo have got quite a sibject there...As for B flats, there is many different piccolos and prices, so if you are realy serious about buying a piccolo it would be wise first to decide how much are you ready to spent on, and then try as much as you can and choose the best value which suites you the best...It would be also useful to know what kind of sounds you are after and what will be the main application of your horn (all around, chamber msuic, orchestral, solo etc). To start, you can go to http://www.trumpetmaster.com/vb/f139...olo-35571.html (What is your main piccolo?) where you will find a poll on piccolo where you can find out about the most popular piccolo choices on TM...for prices and availability you can ask your local shop. I hope that this helps. Be aware of the Professional shiny piccolo trumpets (chinese) on Ebay It sounds much more like a joke to me than like a serious offer.

VINTAGEBRASS

If you have never played a picc before I would suggest getting an inexpensive one from a trustworthy source; such as your local music store, a local player who is upgrading, one of the quality online shops like WWBW, Giardianelli, Thompson Music. Also, you might drop Fred at "quality-brass.com" a line. Last time I was at his place he had a Getzen picc that I was real tempted to buy as a backup for my Yamaha.

As trptplyr 23 suggested, stay away from the Chinese and India built piccs. I bought one just to see what they were like and it is truly, absolutely unplayable, but it would look nice as a lamp.

DSGerard

As far as music stores in Oregon, Kanstul Music has a store up there. The online retailers are fine, but if you can find a music store, spend your money there, they could probably use it.

What's great about TrumpetMaster is that we have many great full-time and part-time pros to answer our questions (just look at the artists in residence).

Do plenty of research before you buy a horn. As a very GENERAL rule, dont spend less than 1K for a NEW picc. The Getzen Eterna 940 is the classic picc to start out on and for good reason. Lots of pros still play on these without ever "upgrading". It's a fine horn for the money. As with all horns, it's what works for YOU. If you're not prepared to spend the $$ for a decent horn, honestly, dont bother.

Jim Donaldson has a great website with info on Schilke trumpets and a FAQ's page:
Guide to Piccolo trumpets

Check out the other forums and see what others have to say. There is a wealth of info on this site.

Good Luck

patdublc

If money is no object, then there are plenty of great piccs out there >$2500 (Schilke, Scherzer, Thein, Blackburn, etc.) But, money is typically an issue, so I usually recommend testing the Getzen Eterna 940S to other players looking for a picc. It is a great horn and can be had for <$1500. A good upgrade is to add a Blackburn leadpipe - the sound and intonation will improve.
It really all does depend on which horn you like, so play plenty of them before making a snap decision. I love my Schilke because I like the brighter sound that tends to be very popular in the US. But, many players prefer the more rounded sound of a rotary picc. So many choices...........

Vulgano Brother

By all means, try before you buy! Of course sound, response and intonation are real important, but another factor is the resistance in the instrument. Some players prefer a more open instrument while others prefer having something to push against. There is no right or wrong here, just differing tastes. When testing (and using) consider using a mouthpiece well suited to the piccolo, such as a Bach 7E or Schilke 11A. The picc is a nasty critter, requiring significant practice time to tame. Have fun!

trptplyr23

wow, thanks everybody, you guys have been so helpful. that means i have to save up a lot of moolah before i can do anything.

i'll look up the places you guys recommended. THANKS A LOT!!!

Paul Gorman

Hi trptplyr23, another possibility you might like to considr is the B & S Challenger Bb/A piccolo. I have had one for about 5 years now and only play it for fun - it would be far to risky for me to actually try and play it in public! Having said that is an extremely well made instrument that is finished in high quality silver plate and looks similar to the famed Schilke P5-4. The good thing is the price, they are certainly a lot cheaper than Schilke. Fitted with 4 valves with a trigger on the third they are pretty easy blowing - if playing a piccolo can ever be described as easy that is. I usually use a Warburton 4SV top and a 7 backbore. I find that if I use a larger backbore the sound becomes a bit unclear. I hope you find what you are looking for.

Best regards,
Paul

GROENJ

I take it that the LARGO Australian Picc's are not worth the money.

What to do? Its hard to justify the cost of a fine Picc if you only need it once or so a year.

aneel

for baroque music I love my old selmer with blackburn P2 l`pipe in A. anything needing Bb picc. or more sound in A, I use my schilke P5-4 also with blackburn P2 l`pipes in Bb and A with trumpet reciever.(can`t deal with cornet mouthpieces!) Getzen 940`s vary drastically! (they also have after market l`pipes. yamaha (except the 6810, personally!) and kanstul are worth trying too. If money is an issue try ebay, you`re better off buying a pro horn second hand, than a cheap new one with no second valve! If it turns out to be a bad horn you can always sell it and try again!