I have purchased a couple of piccolos recently, so I thought that I would show a group of four different piccolos in D and give my feedback. You can click on the thumbnail for a larger format photo. The top piccolo is my own. It has a larger bore (15mm dia.) than others in the group. It is the loudest flute in the group, but it becomes very shrill and difficult to play in the upper part of the second octave. My lawyer has advised me not to sell this unless I take out liability insurance first.
The black pvc piccolo with lip plate was made by Jem Hammond in Wales. The bore diameter is 12.4 mm. This piccolo is a very good player, in tune and with a balanced tone, not too shrill. You can order these from Jem.
The wooden piccolo was made by Kevin Jones in California. It was made from purpleheart wood and has brass rings, a brass tuning tenon, and a delrin stopper and endcap. The piccolo has a slight taper in the bore 12-13 mm. It is easy to blow, is in tune throughout two octaves, is not too shrill, and is fun to play.
The keyed piccolo is a Chinese Venus brand sold on ebay for $110 including shipping. I bought it as a birthday present to myself. With a bore of only 11mm I find that this piccolo is harder for me to blow (greater blowing resistance). I like the fact that it is not very loud. I expect that I will become more accustomed to playing it as time goes by.
. The pain, the pain...
