Monette Unity Mouthpieces

[DH]

and just as a matter of trivia (if the online calculator is to be believed) that $415 today would be equivalent to $56.56 in 1969. A VERY expensive mouthpiece back then

[Subtropical and Subpar]

[CJceltics33]

Anyone get one yet? What are your thoughts?

[Bryant Jordan]

[Aspeyrer]

[Matthew Anklan]

Why do we need to have this discussion AGAIN? Can this thread actually be about the mouthpieces, please? If you haven’t played the new Unity design, please stop posting on this thread; you contribute nothing.
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Matthew Anklan
www.matthewanklan.com
Patrick Mouthpieces Artist

[scottfsmith]

I ordered a Unity B2-7, the new rim in a Monette 2 size. It is at the platers now. Currently I have a B6D S1 but have moved to larger diameters and was going to order a B2 Prana before these new ones were announced.

I have not been playing too many hours recently and find the Monette pieces harder to play when I am not in good shape, but I am curious what Dave is up to in this new one. I have been able to sell lightly-used pieces for good prices here so it should not be too much skin off my back I hope.
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Thane Standard Large Bb / Monette Unity B6-7M mpc
Lots of vintage trumpets and mouthpieces

[Aspeyrer]

[Irving]

I believe all of the mouthpiece makers, or at least most of them are using CNC lathes. These are quite expensive. But after they are paid off, then the actual cost of the mouthpieces are probably quite low. The brass is cheap. Gold plating might be 30-40 bucks. You need somebody there that knows how to load the brass into the machine correctly, turn the lathe on and off, and put the finished mouthpieces someplace. Let's put it this way. I don't think Monette is taking a loss at charging $410 for a mouthpiece .Why do you think that there are so many mouthpiece makers out there?

[Jaw04]

[oxleyk]

[Subtropical and Subpar]

[Aspeyrer]

[Jaw04]

[DH]

[ruotjoh]

[Subtropical and Subpar]

[omelet]

To address the above, cost of plating would be related to surface area and current cost of gold, which is pretty much the same for all trumpet mouthpieces, so it should not be a multiple of the cost of the silver version.

About it being cheaper to buy a Monette versus having a safari, it only works if you're definitely settling with the Monette, because otherwise the safari will cost more with more expensive mouthpieces. Every loss you take is proportional to new purchase cost, usually about 30% or so for reselling a new mouthpiece. Is there any evidence that Monettes fetch a higher percentage of purchase cost on resale over other brands?

The idea above about flying out to Oregon just to try out mouthpieces I personally find to be a ridiculous waste of money, but I am one to agree with the statement often repeated here about there not being magical mouthpieces.

[Danbassin]

duplicate post deleted

[Danbassin]

I'd simply like to jump in here to say that I reviewed past TH threads on, for example, Bach's launch of the Artisan mouthpiece line, and Schilke's Symphony series...

At no point with any manufacturer EXCEPT Monette do threads become immediately hijacked by 'experts' who have zero interest in playing the equipment, zero background in the design innovations which make Monette different from Bach/Schilke/GR/etc., and have quite literally zero to offer to a productive discussion other than the digital trail of the sounds of their own 'voices.' Frankly, I'm reliably disgusted by these behaviors, and it has a quieting effect on our entire page - people have left TH because of this nonsense, and I have very little doubt that once my Monette Unity mouthpiece arrives, I'd much rather enjoy playing the thing than contributing to what this thread was actually supposed to be about: Monette Unity Mouthpieces - what are they, and how do they play?

As somewhere in the neighborhood of none of us have actually played these mouthpieces between their announcement and the start of this thread, it really is remarkable how much nothing so many of you Monette haters are so willing to share. So, yes - they're an expensive mouthpiece. Also, they represent the culmination of some 36 years of mouthpiece research and development of this unique American artisan firm.

Oh, also - I actually have played one of the prototype designs: one of the testers for Manny's new Unity mouthpiece, during a shop visit over the summer. They are simply excellent, and an improvement on everything Monette has done before. If it weren't for his equipment, I wouldn't be playing trumpet at this point. That is my personal story. His equipment works for me and allows me to make better music more freely, sounding more and more like myself with each 5/10/15 year upgrade...and I've never had to bother with an endless safari for just the right throat, and alpha angle, and backbore, and Bach-like or not-that-Bach-like blank and weight distribution. Dave and Company take care of all of that for me, and I am a loyal customer because I have firsthand experience of how what they do helps me in my life in music.

So, if you're not a Monette person - why don't you take a beat, check out this thread once players who actually care about this equipment are actually playing the new gear, and then maybe we can have a civil discussion. Otherwise, I don't know what - we should all go to every single other non-Monette thread in the Equipment forum and hate on all the other manufacturers!?!?

Go practice!
-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