SERVICES
CUSTOM BUILT PICCOLO HEADS
WOOD OPTIONS
The upside of having a piccolo head custom built for you and your piccolo is that the player has some choices. Three different woods are used to make head joints. Each has its own distinct performance characteristics and were chosen for tone color, depth of sound and ease of machining.
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Mopane is a dense hardwood imported from Mozambique. It machines beautifully and has started to be a staple choice of instrument makers. Its sound is quite rich without having too much “edge” in the sound, although it remains easy to articulate.
Blackwood is the traditional choice. The color can vary from a medium brown to almost black. It too machines well. While it might be slightly less rich than mopane, it has a wonderful tonal spectrum and articulates impeccably.
Pink Ivory is NOT ivory! It is a hardwood from south Africa. It too is quite dense with a tight grain. It has a much lighter sound than either the blackwoods or mopane. The sound and articulation is quite….delightful!
EMBOUCHURE HOLES
There are two choices for embouchure holes. Both are rounded squares:
The ES cut is inspired by Eldred Spell’s work. The small embouchure hole is approximately 10mmx9.2mm on the top. It has a sweeter, more focused sound that can be made to articulate well.
The WHL cut is slightly larger at 10.5mmx9.2mm. The sound is a bit broader and perhaps easier for those of us that might not be piccolo specialists.
Each embouchure hole will be slightly overcut on the sides and will be blended into the bore tube. They will be “tweaked” up to three times during trial processes in my own studio.
I do offer some over-cutting on the far-side of the blowing edge. This is the last operation and done after the instrument has been play tested. Some heads will not need these. On other heads, it may be done to bring about a better articulation in the upper register.
FITTINGS
All piccolo heads will be made using silver fittings for the socket, bore tubing and upper ring. The crown will be made of bronze, custom fit to the piccolo, and heavier than the standard crown on most piccolos.
The stopper will be a hand-made device constructed of delrin, two o-rings (for stability) and a length of all-thread. These stoppers should last...forever.
HOW TO ORDER
1. Contact me via email: LarsenCustomPiccolo@gmail.com.
2. Agree on a convenient time for me to have your piccolo in my shop for less than one week.
3. $100 non-refundable deposit that covers materials, shop supplies and shipping.
4. At least two choice piccolo heads, custom fit to your piccolo will be sent for trial.
5. Trial period of 2 weeks.
6. At the end of the trial, purchase heads at $800 each (minus the deposit) or return the heads to my shop.
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ALL LARSEN CUSTOM PICCOLO HEADS ARE GUARANTEED AGAINST CRACKING AND MANUFACTURING ERRORS FOR A PERIOD OF ONE YEAR.