# Piccolo guitar (17" scale) - anyone play one?



## Hollowway (Jul 24, 2016)

So, I've seen the Amicus from Emerald, which is a 12 string 18" scale guitar. I've also seen the Veillette Gryphon (18.5" scale), and I just now saw the Ibanez (inhales for ridiculous Ibby model number) EWP14OPN - aka 17" scale piccolo guitar. I reeeeaaaallly want to get one to mess around with, because they're tuned up a 4th from standard. And I'd love to go even higher if I could. Anyone have any experience with a super short scale guitar?


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## coffeeflush (Jul 24, 2016)

NO experience. 
But this seems really cool, I would love something like this to do overdubs in parts. 
Looking forward to what people write about this.


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## EmaDaCuz (Jul 24, 2016)

Looks like a guitalele to me. They are fun to play, a lot of fun to play. I bought a cheap one a while ago, got smashed on a beach party.


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## dr_game0ver (Jul 24, 2016)

i've played the Yamaha guitarlele. Fun for 5 minutes but i can't do much with my big fingers.


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## celticelk (Jul 24, 2016)

A friend of mine occasionally plays a Tacoma Papoose, which seems to work well for her: http://music.sjtucker.com/track/manticores-lullabye. Tacoma even made an electric solidbody version (the SP1), if that interests you. You'd could also try tuning up a Baby Taylor, but the scale is a bit longer than you seem to be looking for.


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## celticelk (Jul 24, 2016)

Also, check this out: a Veillette nylon 7-string piccolo. https://reverb.com/item/1390472-veillette-terra-penta-7n


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## Hollowway (Jul 24, 2016)

celticelk said:


> Also, check this out: a Veillette nylon 7-string piccolo. https://reverb.com/item/1390472-veillette-terra-penta-7n



Now THAT is cool! Waaaay above my budget, but super cool never the less. 

And that Papoose is cool, too. I hadn't seen that when I was researching them. I think I'm going to pick one of these bad boys up. The sub $200 ones are cheap enough I may as well.

I'm leaning toward the Ibby, since the Yamaha is nylon string. If I play it acoustically I like the idea of the steel strings.


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## kavinsky (Jul 25, 2016)

acoustic chipmunk djent


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## Winspear (Jul 25, 2016)

Not that short. I've a couple of 21". 
The frets are very small and I wouldn't want to go smaller - especially as you can tune to A perfectly easily on them  I find stuff in the ukelele size range pretty unplayable personally


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## AliceLG (Jul 25, 2016)

This would be like taking a regular acoustic a capo-ing on the 6th fret, then tuning a semitone down. That's how I play Passenger's Let Her Go  If you already have an acoustic you can try this to see how the fretting works for you, although the piccolo will most likely have a thinner neck as well.

It'd be interesting for overdubs, but other than that I'd rather have a full-bodied acoustic and a capo handy.


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## olejason (Jul 27, 2016)

Why would you put a capo on the 6th fret and then tune down? Just put it on the 5th fret.


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## AliceLG (Jul 28, 2016)

A capo on the 6th is a better match for scale length, the detuning would also match string tension a bit better.


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## Hollowway (Aug 5, 2016)

Welp, it's going back. I got it today, and Ws super excited. But it sounds like a ukulele. It's not the pitch, it's the small body that gives it te sound, and I don't like it at all. I'd do a short scale with a bigger body, maybe, but not this.

Oddly, I happened to see a couple of kala u-basses at my local music store, and those are AMAZING! The weird rubber strings look like a gimmick or something, but I'll be damned if it didn't sound like a real bass. Not sure I'd wanna drop $350 on it, but it's still super cool.


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## Winspear (Aug 6, 2016)

Ah damn, yeah I can imagine. Here is my 21" '1/2 size classical'





Even that is starting to sound towards that way. 

The other 21" is this and I can confirm it sounds completely normal


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