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We built the first Monette piccolo (serial number #069) for Charlie Schlueter back in the 1980's. We loved everything about it - except that it did not have four valves and did not play in both Bb and A! Thanks to our CNC technology and the wizardry of the artisans in our shop, both of those problems are now solved! This piccolo is lightweight and can sound very light and delicate - but as our clients are used to with our Bb and C instruments, it can also provide a huge sound when desired. It has unheard of ease in both the extreme upper and extreme lower registers! Like all Monette instruments, it has "constant pitch center" through all the valve combinations - so intonation and consistency is a dream! Every note from low C sharp (1-2-3-4) to high C (double C on Bb trumpet) - and above - is slotted and in-tune! This is truly a first, as anyone who has ever played piccolo trumpet will hugely appreciate! And as Adam Rapa says, "this is the first 4-valve piccolo that doesn't feel like you're blowing through a coffee straw!" Unlike so many conventional piccolo trumpets, our instrument plays, sounds and has equally great intonation on the Bb side as it does on the A side!!! This instrument is a revelation for anyone playing piccolo trumpet - from Baroque music to brass quintet to contemporary solo literature - and even jazz or big band work. The prototype was made for our friend, international soloist and recording artist Adam Rapa