What’s the “Supra” of Piccolos?

Drifter in the Dark

Drifter in the Dark

Silver Member
Yamaha's piccolo snares always sound fantastic! Brass is a popular choice (as singleflammedmill mentioned), but the wood-shell drums are also great! I have a 14x4 Maple Custom Absolute with hook lugs and die-cast aluminum hoops. The level of sensitivity and articulation just blows me away every time I play it!87190
 
Bonzo_CR

Bonzo_CR

Silver Member
Shedboyxx said:
I owned one of these (Brass Pearl FF piccolo) but sold it after not using it on a gig for a year. It really was versatile and sounded good tuned down as well as up.
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Me too. Nice drum. I used one a lot in the 90's but not so much in recent years.
I sold it a couple of years ago and got a 5" NOB Sensitone.
 
TheDrummerFromAmsterdam

TheDrummerFromAmsterdam

Platinum Member
As mentioned earlier. The SD-493. The mother of all picolo's. Used by Weckl, Questlove, Colaiuta and more, It also inspired Garibaldi for his own signature piccolo.

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Vintage Old School

Vintage Old School

Gold Member
Another well kept secret if you can locate a used one: 90's Legend Phosphor Bronze Piccolo 4" X 14".

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Fred D

Fred D

Pioneer Member
I use this one a lot as a side snare cranked up. Main also, 4 X 14 brass.
 

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KamaK

Platinum Member
I would go with Pearl FF or Yamaha Brass....


I "think" that the Pearl FF design came from the CB700 FF, as my family's CB700 looks almost exactly like a Pearl. The CB might be found for significantly cheaper.
 
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Drum_Muffin

Member
I agree that Yamaha brass 14x3.5 and David Garibaldi's signature are the best in the metal piccolo class, just as the N&C 14x3-7/8" is for wood piccolos.
But take a look at Canopus The Bronze 14x4. It's fantastic!
 
timmdrum

timmdrum

Silver Member
I second the Pearl brass piccolo. I had the regular shell version, not the FF (seems counterintuitive, using a system that maximized shell isolation/resonance with such a small shell), and it exhibited all the best qualities of a piccolo. I sold it only because I had much less need for it than I thought I would when I bought it.
 
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Odd-Arne Oseberg

Odd-Arne Oseberg

Platinum Member
I guess you can say there isn't one, but the Pearl, Legend and any of the Yamahas, many of them signature snares, of that same era.

I think the shell hass less influence when you go to those sizes especially if you use wires wth lots of strands. It's all attack and snares. My Colaiuta sig sort of does that job for me. Though I don't know about any issues personally, those single screw lugs on the Yamahas are considered a weak point.

The only piccolo I'm really interested in myself is this one.

 
M

markdrum

Silver Member
J. R. Robinson had a signature 4 x 14" Pearl maple snare with 10 lugs and die cast rims. He used it on a lot of the sessions that he did.
 
M

markdrum

Silver Member
Thumbs up for the Pearl FF maple and brass shelled piccolos. The brass was a real monster. Then, there's always the copper "Smitty Smith" model. I wonder when they'll come back in style.
 
evilg99

evilg99

Platinum Member
Odd-Arne Oseberg said:
I guess you can say there isn't one, but the Pearl, Legend and any of the Yamahas, many of them signature snares, of that same era.

I think the shell hass less influence when you go to those sizes especially if you use wires wth lots of strands. It's all attack and snares. My Colaiuta sig sort of does that job for me. Though I don't know about any issues personally, those single screw lugs on the Yamahas are considered a weak point.

The only piccolo I'm really interested in myself is this one.

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That ^^ snare sounds so good I want to cry.
Piccolos are , it seems snare drum that most drummers at least try. I tend to only like piccolos that sound good tuned medium-medium low (not cranked up high) . These are the ones that I have crossed paths with :

I used to own one of those wacky 13x3" Ludwig piccolos with the offset double sided lugs. Didn't care for that very much. Fast and small sounding.
I used to own a Craviotto Birds' Eye Maple 4x14 that was really great, wish I still had it.
I used to own a Stanton Moore Spirit of New Orleans 4x14 titanium. Yawn. Sold it quickly.
I used to own a Pearl 3.5x14 Free Floater maple shell. It was very nice. Not really versatile IIRC< I think it only liked to be tuned high.
I used to own a Dixon 3.5 x14. Mediocre at best. Fell apart. Threw away.
I used to own a Yamaha 3.5x14 brass Nouveau - had a hard time with this one...tuning issues, again drum seemed to only like high tuning

Currently own two Yamaha Maple Custom Absolute piccolos - a Blue Sparkle 4x13 and a Green Sparkle 4x14.
Wish I could find a Garabaldi or one of the brass Yamaha piccolos others have mentioned ^^^
 
NouveauCliche

NouveauCliche

Senior Member
Vintage Old School said:
I think the quintessential piccolo snare is the Noble & Cooley 3-7/8" X 14" Maple SS Classic snare that Matt Chamberlain borrowed to record the Wallflowers' One Headlight (as well as that size Maple snare being Phil Collins' primary snare). That being said, and as good as the Noble & Cooley Maple 3-7/8" X 14" snare is, to my ear the Noble & Cooley Cherry SS Classic in that same size is the best piccolo snare I have ever heard hands down.
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Ahhhhh - that's my favorite recorded snare drum sound -I I was just going to make a post asking if anyone knew what it was...thank you! Now to find one.
 
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