Monette mouthpieces (again)

[kehaulani]

O.K., big talk about what a mistake it is to buy a Monette mouthpiece and that it's pretty much a marketing trick, but I just listened to a video where a player played trumpets from $200.00 to $20,000.00 and, while playing them, not only played the trumpets with their given mouthpieces but switched on each trumpet to a Monette mouthpiece and you could tell when it was the Monette mouthpiece every time. Better sound.

I wasn't Monette hunting, and it was purely coincidental that I even listened to this video. No dog in this fight, whatsoever.

So, are there any Monette mouthpiece lovers out there and what attracts you to yours? Anyone who doesn't play one now but who played one in the past is also welcome to comment. Detractors can sit this one out, I already know most of your objections.

Thank you, K-
_________________
"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Benge 3X Cornet
Adams F-1 Flghn

[Danbassin]

Playing Monette allows me to concentrate on music and not trumpet playing.
-DB
_________________
Daniel Bassin
Conductor/Composer/Trumpeter/Improviser/Educator
I play:
Monette - CORNETTE/PranaXLT-STC Bb/MC-35/Raja A Piccolo;
Kromat C-Piccolo; Thein G-Piccolo; Various antique horns
MPCs - Monette Unity 1-7D and DM4LD

[Subtropical and Subpar]

That video was with Charlie Porter, an extraordinary - and extraordinarily versatile - player. I have seen it as well.

I think Monette mouthpieces do help with intonation a little bit, but my results have not been as drastic as in that video.

I personally like Monette mouthpieces because

1) I find their rims incredibly comfortable (I use B1-1 and B2 pieces)

and

2) having gotten used to the openness of their throats/backbores, I find them easier to use than most conventional mouthpieces, a few of which now feel like pushing air through a straw. A cocktail straw.

Now, that's not to say they are perfect; what is, after all? And I have found that their standard STC1 blank is just too mass-heavy for piccolo and dampens a lot of the high overtones; I've mostly switched back to a Schilke 14A4x in that regard. I find that rim a little too rounded, though. I might pick up a Curry 1P, as I am a fan of the Curry rims as well.

I also haven't bought a new one since the early 2000s; I think I only have two Pranas and no Resonance or Unity models. That also means I've never paid more than a bit over $200, then or now, for one of them.

Nor I am a Monette absolutist; in addition to the aforementioned Schilke 14A4x, my toolkit includes an ACB 1B (concert band / classical gigs), an ACB TA2 in their skeletal blank (the brightness of which is almost obnoxious, in a good way ), a Bach 1C and Yamaha David King (cornet), and Curry 1FL-M and 1FL-D for flugelhorn.

My Monette mouthpieces are a B2 and B2L for trumpet, a B1-1 for cornet, a B1-1 for flugelhorn, and an AP2 for piccolo.
_________________
1932 King Silvertone cornet
1936 King Liberty No. 2 trumpet
1958 Reynolds Contempora 44-M "Renascence" C
1962 Reynolds Argenta LB trumpet
1965 Conn 38A
1995 Bach LR18072
2003 Kanstul 991
2011 Schilke P5-4 B/G
2021 Manchester Brass flugel

[Trumpjerele]

I don't think any mouthpiece manufacturer wants to associate their brand with a particular type of sound. That's why they tend to make mouthpieces in a wide variety of sizes and gauges.

I had a teacher who used two monette mouthpieces, one for solo jazz and one for lead. Years later I met his teacher, he used a monette only for playing ballads. Three different mouthpieces of the same brand and definitely three different sounds.

[Dayton]

[hose]

I have three Monettes: Prana, STD and my favorite, a "Resonance", all B2S3. I love the sound, volume, feel, range and facility it provides. I've been told I sound best on it. BUT, it allows me to use way too much pressure for range and volume and still sound great. I have sore front teeth the day after using the Monette.

Even now, because of this thread, I'm tempted to take the Resonance to rehearsal tonight knowing I will have sore front teeth tomorrow. But it will be fun playing better than I usually do for two hours.
_________________
Dave Wisner

Picketts
Yamaha 6335RC
Yamaha 8335RS
Lawler Flugel
Kanstul cornet

[JayKosta]

[hose]

[Brassnose]

Before switching to AR five or so years ago I played a Monette B4L in the LT blank for five or six years. The main advantage I got from it (compared to the Yamaha mp I was using before the Monette) was a much fuller sound and the fact that I could just „sit“ on the notes without thinking too much. Also I could play loud without „blaring“. The LT blank suited me fine because it speaks well; the STC blank I found to take too much effort to play. Would love to play an XLT blank just because.

Over time I found I can get similar results with my ARs while at the same time having an easier time coloring my sound and moving about and around, but the Monettes are nice if you happen to find the right one.
_________________
2019 Martin Schmidt eXcellence
1992 Bach 43GH/43
1989 Kühnl & Hoyer Model 15 flugel
1980/2023 Custom Blessing Scholastic C 😎
1977 Conn 6B
1951 Buescher 400 Lightweight
AR Resonance, Frate, Klier

[TrumpetMD]

Charlie Porter has some very nice videos out there. And my post here isn't for or against Monette. I'm just trying to clarifying what we're watching.

My question for kehaulani. Do you think he sounded better on the Monette mouthpiece, because of the superior design of that mouthpiece? Or did he sound better on the Monette, because that was his regular mouthpiece, which he was most used to playing?

Mike


Link

_________________
Bach Stradivarius 43* Trumpet (1974), Bach 6C Mouthpiece.
Bach Stradivarius 184 Cornet (1988), Yamaha 13E4 Mouthpiece
Olds L-12 Flugelhorn (1969), Yamaha 13F4 Mouthpiece.
Plus a few other Bach, Getzen, Olds, Carol, HN White, and Besson horns.

[ldwoods]

First, I really enjoy Charlie Parker's videos. He spends a lot of time editing and putting out top quality work, plus he is obviously a great trumpet player.

Second, I am NOT being negative or attacking Charlie or any other player, regardless of their choice of equipment.

However, in addition to the question raised by TrumpetMD, (Do you think he sounded better on the Monette mouthpiece, because of the superior design of that mouthpiece? Or did he sound better on the Monette, because that was his regular mouthpiece, which he was most used to playing?) there is another factor at play. I forget the technical term, but it has to do with an unconscious bias. For example, if I chose to buy and play brand B and do an A-B comparison, unless done completely blind, my subconscious would factor into how I color the sound and express myself through the testing. I would unconscious bias the results towards my preferred mpc, trumpet, whatever...
_________________
Larry Woods
LDWoods

[kehaulani]

TrumpetMD, that's an excellent question/point and I wouldn't assuredly know. But because he used different mouthpieces, I would think that, if the result was completely drven by the sound concept he has, that he would sound the same, or nearly the ssame, on each mouthpiece and he does not.
_________________
"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Benge 3X Cornet
Adams F-1 Flghn

[trumpetchops]

I've played on Monette for years. Recently, I got a sore on my lip and had to perform. The sore was exactly where the rim on the mouthpiece hit. To do the job, I went to an old mouthpiece. It was a Zottola. After the gig, the band leader told me he really liked my sound that night.

I stopped using the Zottola when the sore went away (intonation problems) but, did try to use another brand mouthpiece for lead. I liked the sound and the feel but, the tuning was hit or miss. On the Monette, the tuning is always consistent.

Someone above talked about being able to concentrate on the music and not playing. I think that's most of it for me although, I'm always looking for something better. So far, I haven't found it. From the first day I tried the Monette, it was a big step forward for me.
_________________
Joe Spitzer
Monroe Ct.

[kehaulani]

Thanks, everybody.
_________________
"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Benge 3X Cornet
Adams F-1 Flghn

[jhahntpt]

I felt for years that I was fighting my equipment all of the time, I tried every conceivable combination around my preferred rim size with rim shapes, cups, backbores, throats, etc. I tried bigger mouthpieces, I tried smaller pieces. I always felt like I was 'playing trumpet.' Since my switch to a Monette Unity mouthpiece I have felt in control of the trumpet to the point where I feel like a musician that happens to be using a trumpet for their job.

Could another name be on this mouthpiece and I be just as happy, sure. It's not about it being a Monette specifically, but there is just something about this mouthpiece I love and enjoy every time I play it.
_________________
Bb: Yamaha 9335NY Gen3
Bb: Yamaha 8310Z
C: Shires 4S/W1B
Piccolo: Yamaha 9830
Flugel: Yamaha 8315G
Cornet: York Eminence

[yinzbrass]

For me, Monette mouthpieces improve my endurance, probably because intonaton is better and I lip fewer notes. I play 3 cup mouthpieces on my Bb, C, and Eb trumpets. $400 is no joke for each piece, but has made some of the less boutique horns in my signature punch well above their weight.

I do see two potential negatives in the mouthpieces. The first is blend. I use a different mouthpiece in my brass band cornet for this reason. Part of that blend is not just sound, but articulation. Harder, more distinct tonging takes more effort (for me) on Monette STC1 and Prahna pieces. This is much less of an issue on their Resonance piece I play.

Charlie Porter could make the proverbial garden hose sound like a pro horn. I'm curious how much additional effort it took to play each configuration in the demo. When I was younger i wanted the biggest, baddest Howitzer equipment my growing chops could wield. Now older, I want nimble equipment I can wield effectively at the end of the performance.
_________________
Tim Leenerts
Bb: '67 Bach 37, Monette B3 S3 Resonance
C: '09 Eastman 530, Monette C3
D/Eb: Besson/Kanstul, Monette E3 S3
A/Bb Picc: Early '70s Selmer 365, ACB 7PT
Bb Cornet: Getzen 3850 Custom, Wick 4B
Flugel: Dillon, Marcinkiewicz 3FLD

[Andy Del]

As another who has played on Monettes since... 2004 or so, it's not the brand per say, but they way I can now play with them. For me, it'd not a marketing trick. I moved from the usual Bach big 1 1/4C / 1X type of setup to a Bach 2C, then off to Laskey and his 75 sized rims. I really owe Scott, as his non-supply led me to give up on his mouthpieces and I went for a little journey of discovery.

On the way, I found a Monette B6 and felt A-Ha! Worked out the right rim for me (3 series) and now that's what I play from Bb up to Picc. I've either improved by practicing, or by changing mpc. concepts, as pre-Monette, there was no way I could pull off a B minor mass, magnificat, Haydn with a singing high Db, etc. I wasn't much of a high note player.

Still am not, but in a nutshell, Monette mouthpieces have allowed me to play better, more reliably than I ever could before. They wo't work for everyone, but they are for me!

cheers

Andy
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so many horns, so few good notes...

[Dkjcliff]

I’ve been paying mainly Monette mouthpieces for 4-5 years. I’ve gone through Resonance and I’m now playing a Unity (B4-7). But I’ve also gone through brief phases playing other pieces, primarily Bach and Curry. Here are my takeaways from my somewhat limited experience compared to some folks on here:

Monette gives me the fullest sound with the most color across the registers. This is subjective but I’ve had multiple good trumpet players tell me they prefer my sound on Monette.

Monette feels freer. I prefer paying jazz and I feel Monette allows me to do more with my sound more easily.

Monette provides bigger targets on the notes. I know this has long been one of their advertising points but I think it’s totally true. I can hit the right notes more reliably.

Monette just feels more comfortable. I like the way it feels on my chops better than everything else I’ve played.

That being said, there are drawbacks to the design. When I’m tired, I get some fuzziness in the sound that other not-so-open pieces cover up better. As someone else mentioned above, they can allow you to use more pressure without the limitations of more standard designs. Although downsizing from the B2 to B4 helped me a lot with this. Finally, double and triple tonguing in the upper register can sound a bit spitty if I’m not on my game.

So, yes, there are trade-offs. In balance, for the playing I like to do, I feel like Monette is the clear winner.
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Selmer Radial II
Yamaha YHF-635T Flugelhorn
Martin Indiana Cornet

[RussellDDixon]

First of all, couldn’t care less as to what anyone else thinks as I tryout pieces / horns and use what works best for me. Having said that, in my 23 years or so of playing a Monette mouthpiece … I haven’t found anything to beat it. It is a Monette Prana in an XLT blank gifted to me by a Professional player. I have played numerous Monette pieces and they do exactly as advertised. I feel the same way about Schilke trumpets. I suggest buying used until you find exactly what works for you. Hope this helps
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Schilke X3 Bb trumpet
Yamaha 631g Flugelhorn
Nicholson Monette Prana Resonance LT mouthpiece
Kanstul Claude Gordon Personal mouthpiece

[Hummelhaydn]

Does anyone know if there is a place in the SF bay area to try these mouthpieces?
_________________
Lynn
YTR9335CH genIII Xeno
YTR9445CH C genIII Xeno
Bach Strad ML 43 1975
Bach Strad ML 72 1980s’
Bach Strad CL 25A 229 98xxx
Bach Strad EL 236XXX
Getzen Eterna B/A Picc 1970s
Packer JP271SW Bb cornet
Carol mini-pocket trumpet