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AMATI Piccolo Trumpet



 
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knatterbock
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Joined: 18 Nov 2003
Posts: 183

PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2004 5:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Need informations on those horns: are they worth the price (around 500 $ new)? Who is experienced in playing this model? Need it as busy amateur player! What are your comments?
Are there other low budget piccolos? Recently I've seen a "Diamond" model at ebay for 200$: are they better wallhangers or serious instruments?

Best regards from Germany
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pfrank
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Joined: 21 Feb 2002
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Location: Boston MA

PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2004 5:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Junk! Feels like it is made of aluminium-foil and the intonation, well I didn't get that far.

I saw these toys at a store on Cape Ann MA called Dominic's Music. He sells on e-bay quite a bit and I got his address and took a pleasure drive to check out what I thought might be another brass resourse in MA. What a revelation it was! Dominic pressured me to buy an Amati pocket trumpet that moment, he made me feel quite uncomfortable. All the Amatis and Moniques he had were worthless as instruments, (I managed to try a few while under his gaze) and I feel he is a rip-off artist if he ever sells one of these to a young person. He also sells Holton products, so not everything he sells is junk, but it doesn't matter to me. Worst experience for me in any kind of store, let alone a music store.

The day was saved though by a visit to a real castle on the coast up the road from Dominic's. Some rich capitalist in the 19th century had a castle shiped to and reconstructed on the shores of Cape Ann. That helped dissapate the smell of dealing with Dominic...
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_PhilPicc
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Joined: 15 Jan 2002
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2004 5:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

NOT even good wall hangers.
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bgwbold
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Joined: 19 Jan 2003
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Location: tejas

PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2004 6:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The nearest price to that I have seen in a decent horn is the Getzen Capri picc which was only about 600 brand new a couple of years ago. It is three valve vs. 4 valve, but the one I played felt pretty good. I have never heard anything good about Amati.

Mike
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_PhilPicc
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2004 6:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I would strongly recommend getting a 4 valve. If you get a 3 valve sooner or later, probably sooner, you will regret not having the fourth valve for the extended range and intonation options.
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Philip Satterthwaite

We cannot expect you to be with us all the time, but perhaps you could be good enough to keep in touch now and again."
- Sir Thomas Beecham to a musician during a rehearsal
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AverageJoe
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Joined: 20 May 2002
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Location: Atlanta, GA

PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2004 7:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Knatterbock,

Welcome to the Herald! Amati is an insult to the material it is made out of (and that ain't saying much). I have a friend with a used Yamaha Custom (the old Custom -- short bell, like the current 6310S). He is selling it relatively close to the price range you are looking at, and it is VASTLY superior to anything you will find new for less than $1000. I think that everyone on the forum here will back me up on that.

I have played the horn, and it is very nice -- great intonation and even sound all through the registers. It has a little contact wear on the silver plating, but no dents. I can put you in touch with the owner if you want to contact him.

Paul Poovey
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knatterbock
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Joined: 18 Nov 2003
Posts: 183

PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2004 7:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hello Paul
thanks for your reply, yes I'm interested in that horn, please contact me via kraupe@yahoo.com.

Sincerely Peter
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nextbrassguy
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Joined: 21 Oct 2003
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2004 8:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Check out the piccolo page on Jim Donaldson's web site at dallasmusic.org/gearhead/ Lot's of good advice there. Personally, I play a Yamaha 6810S with the Blackburn lead pipes. It's relatively inexpensive and works well for me.
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David Oulton
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Joined: 13 Jan 2002
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Location: Ottawa, Ontario

PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2004 8:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

As often mentioned, this is an invaluable site....
http://www.dallasmusic.org/gearhead/Piccolo%20Trumpet%20Guide.html
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pedaltonekid
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2004 8:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have never played an Amati piccolo trumpet, but the very worst horn I have ever played was an Amati pocket cornet.
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trumpetmike
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Joined: 15 Aug 2003
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Location: Ash (an even smaller place ), UK

PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2004 11:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I played one of these in the Amati shop, in Prague, last Summer.
I was in there with a fellow brass player (trombonist).
We played our way through their entire stock, ending up on piccolo trumpet and alto trombone.

We had to leave due to laughter.
Awful, terrible, diabolical, dire, waste of space - the descriptions just cannot do these instruments justice.

In case you need more advice (having already seen the same sort of thing given already)

AVOID
AVOID
AVOID
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cujazztrpt
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Location: Jacksonville,FL

PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2004 8:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

How do they manage to stay in business?? Aren't they aware of this??Why can't they get expert help???
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ZeroMan
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 30, 2004 8:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've wondered about the same thing. Amati-Denak has been in business for a long time, if the information on their website is to be believed.
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trumpetmike
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 31, 2004 8:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Having been over to the Czech Republic I thought I might be able to shed a little light on how the firm are still going - ever tried getting hold of a Yamaha out there?
From what I gathered, the Amati instruments have quite a following in that country, due to them being local and (above all else) cheaper then imported instruments. You can pick up an Amati piccolo for the equivalent of about £300, whilst getting a Yamaha imported would be nearer £1400. I was only over there a few days, yet was stunned at the difference in the instruments I saw.
The Czech Republic is not a place where money is commonplace, Amati offer a very reasonably priced instrument. They may not be the greatest instruments in the world, but for the money (especially when in comparison to the brands we are used to) they are more available to the general public.

Sometimes we forget how lucky we are. People come on this forum and get told that they should buy Bach, Yamaha, Kanstul, Besson, Wild Thing, Eclipse etc - some people don't have the choice available to them.

Saying that, if you do have the choice - avoid Amati.
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Zaphod
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Joined: 12 Nov 2001
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Location: Aachen, Germany

PostPosted: Sat Jan 31, 2004 9:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

My Amati is OK - for the price (and I'm not the only one who says that, but maybe I'm a lucky exception). If I would be playing much piccolo stuff, I would get a "real" one, but for someone who is just finding his way into this instrument, it can be a good start (as you have to learn to play the piccolo trumpet before you can know what you want). In the end, it's the player, not the horn...
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1B
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Joined: 07 Mar 2002
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Location: oregon

PostPosted: Sat Jan 31, 2004 9:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I played a friend's Amati picc once. It is the biggest piece of #### that I have ever played. There's a reason they are so cheap, and Schilkes are so expensive. You get what you pay for.
1B
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