I’ve located a used Artley piccolo for 250. It’s got what seems to be a black resin body
and a slender metal headjoint that may be silver plated. The body is conical. It doesn’t
seem shrill. I would play it only in the first couple of octaves. Of course this is fully keyed.
Well, are these good instruments for ITM? Seemed to work not badly but I played
it only for a few minutes.
Well as good as any Boehm instrument is for irish music I would assume. With that much money to spend on a piccolo you could find
a good antique simple system piccolo. They often go very cheaply on ebay. Get some help with sounding lengths from someone you trust on here, repad yourself or if it needs more extensive repairs send it to a maker or repairer you trust and there you go. I would save my pennies.
You could get an absolutely top of the line new simple system piccolo from Peter Worrell fully keyed for 650 or so US. Or Hammy or Mcgee though the cost goes up. I am sure I once saw a Sam Murray piccolo on ebay.
For my money a good English antique or even german would be preferable and available for 250 or much less.
Interesting question though is why are conical bore Boehm piccolos so readily available but not flutes? Was it retained from the originals or a reversion to a conical bore after cylindricals were available for some particular reason like sweetnes in the highest octaves? Are the top of the lline piccolos conical bored or does it go both ways? Why not the bigger flutes if there is some advantage?
Thank you. Helpful stuff.
This is ending soon Jim,
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140547996021&category=10183&_trksid=p5197.c0.m619
I think the seller said it will play in four forty if we believe him or her
For anyone who is interested, I recorded a short clip (private setting on youtube) , for Peter Worrell, on a new design Piccolo he was working on - specifically with traditional music in mind.
I usually play concert flute (C flute or D flute depending on what school you are from) & Uilleann Pipes, so I’m by no means a hardened Piccolo player - I just gave it a whirl, but this was certainly a great instrument made by a top maker.
Just to join in the fun, and to show that these are not/need not be mega ear-piercing brain-mushing WMDs, but can be very pleasant to play and to hear. I’ve been meaning to put up a clip like this for a while, so yur tiz. I should have been busy making my PVC piccolos this evening, not recording on my Ebonite 6-key RC&Co. 
I’m afraid it’s off-topic, though - all the tunes are Welsh! 
It should also go some way to answering Jim’s Q, “Why keys?”
Good Stuff, Jem! Thanks for posting that.
Also, Jim, I just looked on the bay, and there are probably a half dozen or so simple system piccolos under musical instruments > woodwinds > piccolos > used and seller refurbished. Worth a look, anyway.
Thanks for the music, Jem. Much enjoyed.
Thanks also for the e bay heads up, dow.
The piccolo was used quite a bit back in the days…:
http://www.archive.org/details/McConnells4LeafShamrocksReelOldTornPetticoatOfftoDublinBoysofLough
http://www.archive.org/details/MichaelColemanandPaddyFinlayOldManDillonKerrigansFancy
http://ceolalainn.blogspot.com/2010/01/john-doonan-at-feis-1978.html