Best First Piccolo?

[dankeater]

Hi, first post here.

I am currently in my last semester of undergrad in music school. This year my focus has been piccolo playing. I am renting an old Yamaha YTR-6180 from the school right now and I've been having a lot of fun learning and performing the repertoire.

When I graduate in April, I will have to return the piccolo back to school. I want to keep playing though... which means I will have to buy one . I am unsure what would be best for me; I have only ever played the Yamaha and there aren't many piccolo trumpets in local shops that I can test out. What would be the best option for a horn that is friendly to a newer piccolo player but I also won't outgrow?

[Subtropical and Subpar]

Schilke P5-4. They aren't cheap but they are the industry standard, as it were. Every so often a late model (made in the last twenty years, say) will come up for sale here or elsewhere for $1,000 or $1,500 or more under the asking price for a new one.

Full disclosure: this is the only picc I've owned. I'm sure others will chime in with Yammies and Shireses and Selmers and similar; there are lots of reputable makers and as always with all trumpets, what might be glorious for me might be terrible for you or the reader, and vice versa. Lots of subjectivity in these matters.

Is there any way you can finagle a trip to a city with a big trumpet store as a graduation present?
_________________
1932 King Silvertone cornet
1936 King Liberty No. 2 trumpet
1958 Reynolds Contempora 44-M "Renascence" C
1962 Reynolds Argenta LB trumpet
1965 Conn 38A
1995 Bach LR18072
2003 Kanstul 991
2011 Schilke P5-4 B/G
2021 Manchester Brass flugel

[trpthrld]

Your first picc?

Ya can't go wrong with a Getzen. Great sound, solid pitch center, unquestionable quality manufacturing - all the good stuff. It'll play faithfully for you for as long as you take good care of it. A used one won't empty your bank account.

A little money on some aftermarket lead pipes would be a good investment.
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Tim Wendt

www.trumpetherald.com/marketplace.php?task=detail&id=146827&s=The-Best-Trumpet-Lead-Pipe-Swab-EVER--

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPWAJqghk24&feature=youtu.be

[JoeLoeffler]

Piccolo trumpet is one of those instruments where you should probably avoid getting a “first” instrument. Buy a good, versatile instrument that will serve you for the long haul. A Schilke P5-4 is probably the easiest choice. They play easily, are well in tune, have a clean sound, and you will never get sideways glances taking one to a gig (be it for section playing or solo work).

[Riojazz]

I've only played two, a Yamaha and a Schilke P5-4 that I use now. The Schilke was by far the better of the two for me, and I improved it with a Blackburn A leadpipe for my trumpet mouthpiece.
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Matt Finley https://mattfinley.bandcamp.com/releases
Kanstul 1525 flugel with French taper, Shires Bb Destino Med & C trumpets, Schilke XA1 cornet, Schagerl rotary, Schilke P5-4 picc, Yamaha soprano sax, Powell flute. Sanborn GR66MS & Touvron-D.

[nieuwguyski]

I'm at 39 years and counting with same Getzen Eterna picc. I did upgrade to Louisville leadpipes somewhere between 25 and 30 years ago. It has served me well for my needs.
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J. Notso Nieuwguyski

[Dayton]

Check out the Getzen Eterna 940. It is a really nice horn and you can often find one used for a great price.

[Andy Cooper]

Do you mean the 6810?

For you, the best first piccolo would be the one you are already familiar with and already have sorted out a mouthpiece that works.

If you watch eBay, Reverb and the TH MarketPlace, you should be able to find one under $2000. A used one will hold a lot of its resale value for a future upgrade.

A few years ago I assisted one of my friends in the purchase of a pic. We went into a practice room with - I think 4 different brands. I had a box of mouthpiece tops , backbores, and some one piece mouthpieces. Each pic responded to a different combination or mouthpiece. In a few years when you are ready to pick you "last" piccolo trumpet, accumulate an assortment of mouthpieces first.

Oh - other trumpets you should try sometime - Selmer - the standard for years before Schilke. The Benge is nice too - even the UMI's.

The question of "when should I buy a pic" is a cold blooded financial calculation - perhaps to be considered at a later time.

[ldwoods]

I am not much of a pic player, but have owned a few before finally realizing I don't quite have the chops or technique required to master one. For me, the easiest playing and best sounding pic I ever had was the Kanstul 1520 that had different bells and slides for G/A/Bb. Relatively speaking, that model was easy to sound decent on. The other favorites I had were the Yamaha 6810 like you have been playing and an older YTR 915.
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Larry Woods
LDWoods

[zaferis]

I like that you're renting one first.. get your picc. chops together.
You should, as you're doing this, be developing a sense what you like.

I'd suggest you try a few.. you may have to go to several shops or ask some players if. you can try there's as a play test. If you were near me and asked me to try my picc. - "come over for a cup of coffee and a play test"

Schilke P5-4, has been a gold standard for a long time
Blackburn - are excellent
Selmer Paris: if you can find one (beautiful tone, can be stuffy in the upper register - Blackburn leadpipes help)
Yamahas, are popular, IMO lesser copies of Schilke's (I'm not a fan)
Getzens, are well loved but not as many of them around
Kanstul, if you can find one, great horns, not being made anymore
Shires is making one - I have not played, but their reputation is excellent.

Then of course, you could go the route of a rotary valve picc. Those that have them sound great
Schagerl.


Bach AP190 - new (ish) but gaining ground in popularity. - Love mine, comes with a set of both trumpet and cornet receiver leadpipes.

Because you're playing one now, I'd suggest that you look for your favorite, with the idea that it's possibly the only one you'll ever need. That might not be true, but when and if you buy the next one, you'll have some very strong ideas of what you're looking for.
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Freelance Performer/Educator
Adjunct Professor
Bach Trumpet Endorsing Artist
Retired Air Force Bandsman

[Jerry]

My only picc is a Schilke P5-4, as my teacher recommended. I started with a Bach 7E mouthpiece, which wasn't really comfortable. My teacher patiently assigned me exercises, and I progressed slowly.

Things started to really happen when I switched to a GR mouthpiece. Even though the GR 66P, my first after the Bach 7E, eventually turned out to too large, it worked so much better for me than the Bach, and my development really sped up.

A few weeks later, I got a call from a church asking me to play The Trumpet Shall Sound on Easter; my teacher had given them my number. The gig went fine.

I went on a mini safari and eventually settled on a GR 62P-S, which has served me for years.

The point of my long-winded post is that your mouthpiece choice might turn out to be more important than your horn choice.

[Shark01]

I think the first thing you should do is decide on a bore size. I started on a small bore Getzen Eterna from the 70s, which I bought for $600 about 10 years ago. It was OK to learn on, but I didn’t gel with the bore size. But others love the small bore piccolos.

Then 4 years ago I bought a Schilke P7-4 from a principal player in a well known orchestra. Wow, what a difference…..this is a horn I will never out grow.

[spitvalve]

I had a Getzen Eterna piccolo that was very easy to play. I sold it during a low cash flow period in grad school and have regretted it ever since. I have a UMI Benge now that just doesn't play as well for me. There are some Getzen pics on eBay and Reverb right now for less than 2k.

You might also check out Stomvi. A good friend of mine recently switched from his Yamaha 9810 that he played for 30 years to a Stomvi Elite and he is absolutely in love with it.
_________________
Bryan Fields
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1991 Bach LR180 ML 37S
1999 Getzen Eterna 700S
1977 Getzen Eterna 895S Flugelhorn
1969 Getzen Capri cornet
1995 UMI Benge 4PSP piccolo trumpet
Warburton and Stomvi Flex mouthpieces

[dankeater]

Thanks for the replies everyone! It seems like there are some clear choices that overlap in everyone's recommendations. Its good to know that the Yamaha YTR 6810 is not the standard, since that is my only reference. Ill have to ask around and try some different horns.

[dankeater]

[bagmangood]

Also depends on your budget and how much you'll play it. If you can afford a top of the line (Schilke, Yamaha 9xxx, or others) then it will probably be a better horn.

a YTR 6810 is pretty common and can be had for half (or less) than the price of a top-of-line piccolo - if you're enjoying your time on it, try to find one of them (and upgrade some day if you feel the need)
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More than one trumpet
A "few" mouthpieces

[Chickynuggie]

If you’re just looking for something to doot around on, get a cheap/reliable used picc. Or a Chinese horn. The problem with your situation is not having much to try locally. You’re taking a shot in the dark no matter what horn you buy. Do your research, listen to as many recordings as you can of any horn you want. Read reviews.

I’d recommend you save your money and buy the best picc you can afford. If that’s a Schilke, Selmer, Yamaha, whatever. The better horns hold their value longer. And with piccs you usually get what you pay for.

I bought a Stomvi Master/Combi off HornTrader in ~2009 and couldn’t be happier. It was miles better (for me) than my college’s Schilke.

[dr_trumpet]

If you can find a good used Kanstul CC-920, or one of the others that are the same horn with slightly different trim looks, you'd be good to do so. I have the Burbank Stamped version, a friend had the Besson stamped one, and another friend had the Kanstul, and all three played great.

I've played mine for 35 years, and have no less than five times went to play and buy (hopefully) a Schilke P5-4, but have never found a Schilk I liked better than my Burbank (Kanstul) piccolo.

I purchased a gold Bach 7E cornet shank, and never looked back.

I hope this is helpful.

AL
_________________
Dr. Albert L. Lilly, III DM
Artist/Clinician for Vincent Bach Trumpets (Conn-Selmer)
Principal Trumpet, Hendricks Symphony (Avon, IN)
Arranger/Composer; Lilly Music