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Favorite Cup Mutes


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lukeypoo
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 04, 2020 1:10 pm    Post subject: Favorite Cup Mutes Reply with quote

I'm looking for a cool new cup mute sound, and I'm wondering what everyone else's favorites are. I get that there's no "best" cup mute, since it's all subjective, but maybe it'll help me find that one sound. I've really been digging the Facet wooden cup mute sound, btw
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TKSop
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 04, 2020 2:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you haven't already, try the Soulo - great sounding cup, well made and adjustable.
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lukeypoo
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 04, 2020 3:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

TKSop wrote:
If you haven't already, try the Soulo - great sounding cup, well made and adjustable.


Don't own it, but tried out a friends for a concert. Definitely like it.
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MarkZ
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 04, 2020 3:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My 2 favorites are the Facet CJP and the Peter Gane adjustable.
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HERMOKIWI
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 04, 2020 4:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

To me the best sounding cup mute is the Humes & Berg adjustable copper cup mute. This mute is very heavy (probably the heaviest cup mute available) but it produces a fantastic sound.
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lukeypoo
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 04, 2020 4:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

HERMOKIWI wrote:
To me the best sounding cup mute is the Humes & Berg adjustable copper cup mute. This mute is very heavy (probably the heaviest cup mute available) but it produces a fantastic sound.

Very cool! I didn’t know Humes and Berg made mutes other then the red and white stone lined ones.
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TKSop
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 04, 2020 5:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

lukeypoo wrote:
HERMOKIWI wrote:
To me the best sounding cup mute is the Humes & Berg adjustable copper cup mute. This mute is very heavy (probably the heaviest cup mute available) but it produces a fantastic sound.

Very cool! I didn’t know Humes and Berg made mutes other then the red and white stone lined ones.


They make dozens of different types.

Their metal straights are excellent also... And the Harmon-type (not bubble) I really like.
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adagiotrumpet
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 04, 2020 6:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hands down, the adjustable cup mute by Clary Mutes. The sound is the best of all my cup mutes, and I have many different brands and styles. they are made from lathe-turned hardwoods, which makes them a bit fragile, but the are truly works of art. By the way, their Solotone mutes are far superior to anything currently available.
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lukeypoo
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 04, 2020 7:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

adagiotrumpet wrote:
Hands down, the adjustable cup mute by Clary Mutes. The sound is the best of all my cup mutes, and I have many different brands and styles. they are made from lathe-turned hardwoods, which makes them a bit fragile, but the are truly works of art. By the way, their Solotone mutes are far superior to anything currently available.


Just watched Tom Clary's demo both of his cup mutes, and that solo-tone mute, and wow. They pull off a certain timbre that you cant get with most metal mutes. A problem I hear often both with cup and Harmon mutes, is they tend to ring out and be a piercing, bright sound, which is sometimes desirable, but not my favorite sound. I love it!
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zaferis
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 05, 2020 5:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

#1 Denis Wick - adjustable - great sound, blends well

#2 Humes & Berg / Stonelined (red & white) - great sound, especially for jazz band/combos - Kind of the standard sound-if there is one. - you must adjust the fit! File the corks until it fits properly.

#3 Soulo - Adjustable - a little less tonefull - BUT I've added a layer of felt on the inside of the cup (cut from a thin sheet of felt with a sticky back) - sounds a lot better.

#4 Wartburton "Woody" - great for solo work

Remember BLEND is important, unless you're using it exclusively for solo work.
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patdublc
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 05, 2020 7:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

To me, Soulo is really a great and flexible mute. I use it for most things. For some older shows, I use vintage Ray Robinsons.
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Ed Kennedy
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 05, 2020 7:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'll add:
Ingram-Mute Meister cup, copy of the original Ray Robinson cup mute, made by Warburton.

Roger Ingram:

http://www.warburton-usa.com/index.php/woody-mutes cups at 4:32
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lukeypoo
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 05, 2020 7:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

zaferis wrote:
#1 Denis Wick - adjustable - great sound, blends well

#2 Humes & Berg / Stonelined (red & white) - great sound, especially for jazz band/combos - Kind of the standard sound-if there is one. - you must adjust the fit! File the corks until it fits properly.

#3 Soulo - Adjustable - a little less tonefull - BUT I've added a layer of felt on the inside of the cup (cut from a thin sheet of felt with a sticky back) - sounds a lot better.

#4 Wartburton "Woody" - great for solo work

Remember BLEND is important, unless you're using it exclusively for solo work.


I've tried and enjoyed all but the Woody mute. Definitely worth testing! Btw, I understand the importance of blend, and I know I need a standard, like the Denis Wick or Humes and Berg, but it is nice to have that "one special sound" I want for solos, and the like.
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dstpt
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 05, 2020 8:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Harmon J2-A

https://www.hickeys.com/music/brass/trumpet/accessories/mutes/cup_mutes/products/sku093279-harmon-j2a-trumpet-cup-mute-adjustable.php

"An adjustable cup mute that has a bright projecting sound. Perfect for 40's / 50's jazz & big band performances. Create your unique sound by sliding the cup to match that tone you are searching for. -the manufacturer

"Aluminum body with a red-painted metal cup. Cup is lined with thick felt and has a rubber gasket around the rim. Cup adjusts easily back and forth along the body up 1.5 inches (35mm), and stays in place once set. Well built and lightweight."

Having owned and played most of those listed above, I like this one the most. The removable felt is great to use for practice to keep the volume down not to disturb others (less than normal TV volume) and can be used effectively in certain quite passages by providing more to push against. Without the felt, it is the closest to the traditional H&B Stonelined, so you get versatility with an adjustable cup, the added felt option, and close to the traditional cup sound (with variation by adjusting the cup). Oh, and it's only $50 from Hickey's Music Center. I just had several high school private students buy this mute. I gave them a $20 discount in their November bill for buying it, so they only spent $30.

The only downside is no rubber gasket around the insertion end, so use caution when inserting to avoid bell dings. (And there may be an adjustment period in having a red mute on stage!...or not.)
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adagiotrumpet
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 05, 2020 9:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

lukeypoo wrote:
adagiotrumpet wrote:
Hands down, the adjustable cup mute by Clary Mutes. The sound is the best of all my cup mutes, and I have many different brands and styles. they are made from lathe-turned hardwoods, which makes them a bit fragile, but the are truly works of art. By the way, their Solotone mutes are far superior to anything currently available.


Just watched Tom Clary's demo both of his cup mutes, and that solo-tone mute, and wow. They pull off a certain timbre that you cant get with most metal mutes. A problem I hear often both with cup and Harmon mutes, is they tend to ring out and be a piercing, bright sound, which is sometimes desirable, but not my favorite sound. I love it!


Both Clary mutes have the ability to blend with almost anything.
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Crazy Finn
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 05, 2020 9:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

dstpt wrote:
Having owned and played most of those listed above, I like this one the most. The removable felt is great to use for practice to keep the volume down not to disturb others (less than normal TV volume) and can be used effectively in certain quite passages by providing more to push against. Without the felt, it is the closest to the traditional H&B Stonelined, so you get versatility with an adjustable cup, the added felt option, and close to the traditional cup sound (with variation by adjusting the cup). Oh, and it's only $50 from Hickey's Music Center. I just had several high school private students buy this mute. I gave them a $20 discount in their November bill for buying it, so they only spent $30.

Can you compare this mute to the Wick, if you're familiar with that one?
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dstpt
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 05, 2020 10:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Crazy Finn wrote:
dstpt wrote:
Having owned and played most of those listed above, I like this one the most. The removable felt is great to use for practice to keep the volume down not to disturb others (less than normal TV volume) and can be used effectively in certain quite passages by providing more to push against. Without the felt, it is the closest to the traditional H&B Stonelined, so you get versatility with an adjustable cup, the added felt option, and close to the traditional cup sound (with variation by adjusting the cup). Oh, and it's only $50 from Hickey's Music Center. I just had several high school private students buy this mute. I gave them a $20 discount in their November bill for buying it, so they only spent $30.

Can you compare this mute to the Wick, if you're familiar with that one?

Yes, I have two Denis Wick adjustable cup mutes, since I wore out the first one (but still have it)! Someone set me straight, but I think the adjustable cup was first marketed by Wick. Maybe not.

I thought the design was ingenious when it first came on the market (late-80s/early-90s?). The Wick and the Harmon J2-A both require the mute to be out of the bell before removing the cup completely (and in effect, turning them into straight mutes). The pro to this is that the cup part will never fall out while playing, not that that would be likely with any of the other brands. The con is that you have to go through the hassle of removing the mute from the bell before taking the cup off, if you ever needed to do something like a quick cup to straight mute change. Then along came Soulo and Peter Gane with adjustable cup mutes where you can pull the cup completely off while it's inserted in the bell…with the reciprocal pros and cons. I had a Soulo and sold it when I got the Harmon. I liked the Soulo and still feel that it offers a wonderful color option, but none of the other local pros had that one, and mine was in pristine shape, so I felt I could get a better $$ on selling it compared to some of the others in my mute bag.

Back to the Wick and Harmon comparison: I like both. The Harmon is aluminum and attains more “point” to the sound, or brighter, or more out-front, or however you’d want to put that. In that respect, it’s easier to be heard as a soloist over thicker orchestration, and it’s easier to match those using H&B Stonelined cups. And again you can use the felt insert to achieve the additional muted color. The Wick is made of fiber-type material (I presume) and gets a slightly more subdued/masked/veiled quality, and seems to be further from the traditional H&B Stonelined on the tonal spectrum. I became more progressive in my tonal preference when the Wick arrived on the scene, since it offered a new, refreshing color, plus the adjustable cup could offer an array of additional colors. How cool is that?! Traditionally, the Stonelined could be pushed a little further into the bell for when composers/arrangers would designate “tight cup,” but the basic sound of the H&B has always annoyed me.

Because my training was more orchestral (even though I have ended up playing a lot of musical theatre), I still haven’t played many big band gigs. For those who have a lot of big band in their background, they may have an affinity to the H&B, since so many have considered it the standard cup mute sound. Although, I guess newer generations have adopted the adjustable cup mute as the new standard.
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zaferis
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 4:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
I thought the design was ingenious when it first came on the market (late-80s/early-90s?). The Wick and the Harmon J2-A both require the mute to be out of the bell before removing the cup completely (and in effect, turning them into straight mutes).


hmmm, I have never intentionally used these (Denis Wick or other) mutes as straight mutes (unless someone else in the section is without a straight).. I know it's possible but none of these sound anywhere near a good as a true straight mute. So, the problem of "quick change" really is, or shouldn't be an issue - 2 mutes. A DW straight and a DW cup (the adjustment is to have the ability to put it where you want/need - tight mute vs a more open tone, and fitable to more than one trumpet/cornet)
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AJCarter
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 8:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

dstpt wrote:
Harmon J2-A

https://www.hickeys.com/music/brass/trumpet/accessories/mutes/cup_mutes/products/sku093279-harmon-j2a-trumpet-cup-mute-adjustable.php

"An adjustable cup mute that has a bright projecting sound. Perfect for 40's / 50's jazz & big band performances. Create your unique sound by sliding the cup to match that tone you are searching for. -the manufacturer

"Aluminum body with a red-painted metal cup. Cup is lined with thick felt and has a rubber gasket around the rim. Cup adjusts easily back and forth along the body up 1.5 inches (35mm), and stays in place once set. Well built and lightweight."

Having owned and played most of those listed above, I like this one the most. The removable felt is great to use for practice to keep the volume down not to disturb others (less than normal TV volume) and can be used effectively in certain quite passages by providing more to push against. Without the felt, it is the closest to the traditional H&B Stonelined, so you get versatility with an adjustable cup, the added felt option, and close to the traditional cup sound (with variation by adjusting the cup). Oh, and it's only $50 from Hickey's Music Center. I just had several high school private students buy this mute. I gave them a $20 discount in their November bill for buying it, so they only spent $30.

The only downside is no rubber gasket around the insertion end, so use caution when inserting to avoid bell dings. (And there may be an adjustment period in having a red mute on stage!...or not.)


Does Harmon still manufacture these and the other non-standard harmon mutes? I would be interested in testing them
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cheiden
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 9:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A properly adjusted H&B Stonelined cup is hard to beat.
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