Gemeinhardt 4P Composite Piccolo

For the price, this is a great instrument. I'm a substitute player in a regional professional orchestra, and this piccolo has gotten me through many gigs with no complaints from the conductor. I used to play a Hammig that I loved but had to sell, so I have a pretty good basis for comparison. I have to work a little harder to correct tuning issues with the Gemeinhardt than I might with a more expensive instrument, and composite doesn't have the same warmth to the sound as wood, but for the price, it's unbeatable. The action's just fine, and the tone quality is consistent through the octaves. Definite thumbs up. This would make a great horn for a high school or college player who doesn't have thousands of dollars for a pro level wooden instrument.

Pdoduct was not in stock as stated. Because of this issue the item did not arrive in time for my daughters birthday. The product itself was fine.

Like the title says, this was my main marching band instrument for over two decades (middle school, high school, college, alumni band, and various community bands). The one thing I loved about this instrument is that it has grown with me through the years. When I transition from my wooden professional $5k+ piccolo to this one, I can barely tell the difference in terms of playability. Sure, my pro one has a slightly warmer sound but this one is almost just as warm. And not only that, but also much louder. Intonation with this piccolo is so reliable that my former college band (Cal Band - Go Bears!) with a piccolo section of 26 members, they always tuned to me. Unfortunately, since I had one of the earlier iterations of this model, the B-flat left thumb key's arm mechanism snapped off because of some aggressive playing I was doing. I don't blame the piccolo itself. With that said, Gemeinhardt has updated that mechanism so that shouldn't be a problem at all with this piccolo. I guess it's also important to note that I not only played that piccolo for over 20 years, but I also bought that piccolo used. Checking the serial number, it looks like my piccolo was most likely made sometime in the 1970s! Also, since I can still finger the b-flat with the traditional fingering (and not the shortcut), this piccolo is still technically useable. But since I don't do much marching/outdoor performances anymore, I've just been using my pro piccolo more. I would recommend this piccolo to just about anyone. As someone who has played the piccolo professionally, I would still definitely use this piccolo in a performance if for some reason my pro piccolo were out of commission. Buy it!

I've been playing this model of piccolo for about 6 years. It is very good for outdoor playing. It's really a beast! It's also decent for concert band playing. I would not, however, recommend this piccolo for orchestra playing. I can't say enough about the sound power you can get! It also doesn't have a harsh sound like many metal piccolos. The plastic mimics the wooden sounds (not exactly, but enough for marching, concert, or show bands) and it isn't hard to tune. Watch out for the high Bb and B natural. Those two notes can be problematic, but, ironically, high C isn't a problem.

Excellent beginner piccolo