Monette Unity Mouthpieces

RussellDDixon · Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 10:08 am Post subject:

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Schilke X3 Bb trumpet
Yamaha 631g Flugelhorn
Nicholson Monette Prana Resonance LT mouthpiece
Kanstul Claude Gordon Personal mouthpiece

Halflip · Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 11:11 am Post subject:

edited
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"He that plays the King shall be welcome . . . " (Hamlet Act II, Scene 2, Line 1416)

"He had no concept of the instrument. He was blowing into it." -- Virgil Starkwell's cello teacher in "Take the Money and Run"

kevin_soda · Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 1:02 pm Post subject:

Halflip · Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 1:33 pm Post subject:

kevin_soda · Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 1:51 pm Post subject:

Thanks! I must have missed it with all the grumblings back there!
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Kevin

Trumpetoni · New Member Joined: 11 Aug 2022 Posts: 1

Hi, I'm new here. I've been struggling with a Unity B6_7 a month. I'm getting better every day, but the muffled feel, my reference was the classic B6 that sounds much brighter. However, in some moments I feel the sound very rich, which makes me continue in this process of adaptation.

ThatDude · Veteran Member Joined: 24 Jul 2009 Posts: 372

At this point I think I’ve played every Monette generation that’s been released this century. The pre-CNC pieces, early pranas, slap mouthpieces prana and standard, resonance and now the unity.

Even though the unity webpage does not specify what’s different, I can tell you know the answer is “everything”.
Comparing an unity 2-7 to the prana 2s5, on Bb and C trumpet
the rim is more Laskey-ish, the cup is shallower, the entrance to the throat is drastically different, the throat and backbore definitely feel different and the blank is also lighter.

It’s really a whole new mouthpiece and it feels and sounds that way.
The Pranas have a thicker, heavier sound with sparkle, the Monette signature. They sound different enough that I can imagine someone 20 years from now wanting the prana for the “classic monette sound”.

The unity on the hand feels more vibrant and easier. Just less to handle overall and less demanding but with good core and density. They sound full, open and feel secure. Still sounds bigger than larger conventional mouthpieces, but not as uncompromising in terms of sonic palette.

Jon Arnold · Heavyweight Member Joined: 07 Jan 2002 Posts: 2025

Bought one and sold it. Not for everyone.

DeanLevy · Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2022 8:17 am Post subject:

Halflip · Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2023 1:20 am Post subject:

I just found out that "Subaru" is the Japanese word for Unity, as well as their name for the constellation Pleiades! (I own a Subaru.)
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"He that plays the King shall be welcome . . . " (Hamlet Act II, Scene 2, Line 1416)

"He had no concept of the instrument. He was blowing into it." -- Virgil Starkwell's cello teacher in "Take the Money and Run"

Dkjcliff · Regular Member Joined: 12 Apr 2020 Posts: 97

Thought I’d add my take on the Unity since I haven’t seen any recent reviews. I picked up a B3 recently from someone selling it in the marketplace. I’ve been playing a Resonance B2S3 for about two years. I really like the sound of it, but had some of the typical challenges—fuzzy articulations, lack of endurance, etc. I was also consistently playing sharp above the staff. I had an inkling that maybe the size was just too big for me so I decided to downsize in trying a Unity.

When I first played the Unity, I disliked it. It felt very stuffy, inflexible, too tight overall. I actually put it up for sale online. Then I went off to try getting more accustomed to my Curry 3BC. After a couple weeks on the Curry, which many of you know is quite a good piece, I picked up the Unity again, feeling like the smaller rim on the Curry and greater resistance had altered my embouchure setup for the better.

The Unity immediately worked much better for me. I know the general advice Monette gives on playing their equipment is to stay relaxed. But I feel like the Unity requires this to an even greater degree. Someone on here also said that you need to be careful not to overblow it, and I totally agree. Switching straight from the Resonance model didn’t work well because it had trained me to push a lot of air through and manipulate my embouchure in various ways to get to different notes/registers. The Unity (at least the B3) doesn’t respond well to this style of playing. Coming off the Curry, where I was able to play with less air and keep a more neutral embouchure in different registers, I was in a much better state for the Unity. Now I love it and it really seems to deliver on the advertising—cleaner articulation, better endurance. I’m also not going sharp on top of the staff. And I get all this with the same sound quality.

In sum, I do think this is a great mouthpiece but, at least for me, it required a very different approach. I had trouble switching from the Resonance until I backed off a bit and tried to stay more neutral. Set my embouchure and forget it, focusing on air instead. I know that many people don’t play this way, just my personal experience. And of course some of this was also attributable to the smaller size.

Edit: A couple other things I’d like to note as I’m in self analysis mode. I think I was using an unwise amount of pressure with the B2S3 because it was too big for me and the amount of time I have to practice. The smaller B3 would just shut down with the extra pressure. In terms of benefit, another big one is the ability to play really softly in the upper register with good tone even after playing for a while and being a bit tired. Never could do that very well before.
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Selmer Radial II
Yamaha YHF-635T Flugelhorn
Martin Indiana Cornet