Piccolo's Music
All Play & No Work
So you've poked around our site, checked out our inventory, maybe found something you can't live without. Now you want to know, “Who am I dealing with?”
At Piccolo's the answer is simple: Musicians. What, no hoards of undead in telephone headsets? Nope. When you call us you're talking to a musician surrounded by actual musical instruments and gear, right here in the store. We can have your dream guitar (or mandolin, violin, etc.) in hand while we talk to you. We'll even play it over the phone— although given the sonic qualities of your average telephone, we'd also be happy to talk about how it sounds. We all have a pretty good set of ears on us.
A Family Business
In 1990 Barb Piccolo opened up shop as a local family-owned music store in Helena, MT. Twenty years later, Piccolo's is still just that, plus a website. Barb is here everyday, and her son John does guitar repair and sales. When they're not at the store you might catch them playing in their various bluegrass bands— Barb plays mandolin, guitar, piano, and accordion, while John plays guitar, mandolin, fiddle, banjo, bass, and recently, dobro (and a few others).
There's a few of us non-Piccolo's around too, but we're musicians too, and that makes us all a family of sorts. Fred Cobb, store manager and keyboardist extraordinaire, knows the skinny on pretty much everything we have. He also plays a little violin and guitar (he's a huge Taylor fan!), and is currently music director for Carroll College's production of Hamlet. Julia, jazz vocalist and occasional guitar player, keeps the website in line (and online). Then there's Tricia, our piano player bookkeeper, Ron and Tom the band repair guys, who play multiple brass and wind instruments, and Will Harmon, our in-house lesson master for fiddle, mandolin, banjo, acoustic & electric guitar, & bass. There's a lot of music packed into this place, and we haven't even gotten to the stuff on the shelves.
Low Prices & Small Town Service
Most of our instruments are priced neck and neck with the big box stores— only when you order from us you'll know it's been checked over and properly set up. If you have any special requests regarding set-up, be sure to let us know.
Our Stuff
We have solid affordable guitars to buy right here, right now, so you can get out and play. Then we have the guitars that you drool over for six months (and then buy so you can get out and play). Martin, Taylor, Fender, Jackson, Ibanez— We have your brand. Strings, straps, amps, pedals— we have your accessory.
But hey, what about us non-guitar players? We have mandolins, fiddles/violins, drum gear, banjos, bodhrans, hand-made African djembes, bongos, and more. Did we miss anything? Oh, trumpets, clarinets, flutes, trombones, saxophones, cellos, basses, violas, violins, bows, and their accessories. Our own John Piccolo rides his Harley over to the Weber factory every few months to hand pick fine mandolins for us. (Actually he usually drives a truck when ferrying valuable instruments, but he does ride his Harley to work in the summer.) We also carry the full line of CodaBows, the biggest technological revolution in violin playing since the Stradivarius. Plus sheet music, PA and recording equipment, a band & orchestra rent-to-own program, and a repair shop. We probably missed something, so you probably better use that search box after all.
Local Services
Our local offerings really needs its own page, but here's a quick run down:
- Band/Orchestra Rent-to-Own Program
- Guitar, Amp, Band, & Orchestra Repairs
- More inventory. (Just because you don't see it doesn't mean we don't have it or can't get it. On the other hand, if you see it on the site, we almost always have it in stock.)
- In Store Lessons
- Local Music Teachers Listings
- Jam Sessions
- Gift Certificates
- Used & Trade-In
