TromboneChat

Stonelined list 2 bass bone cup mutes. Which one do I buy for Conn 72H with 9 1/2" bell. Standard or extra large?
Thanks in advance for info.

Large.

The standard fits things like a King 5B or other "early" bass trombones that pretty much had flared out tenor trombone bells. True bass trombones will need the large.

Denis Wick adjustable Bass Trombone cup works just fine on my Duo Gravis and Holton 169. No "iffy" notes in the below the staff notes...all the way through the pedals. Adjustable cup facilitates various sounds.

On my King 7B, the large mute (199) fit so tight against the flare that it stifled sound. The "standard" mute was too small.

I wound up with the Denis Wick. Works much better for me.

If you can, test both first.

I've also been very pleased with the Denis Wick adjustable bass trombone mute.
My H&B "stone lined" mute now sits in the closet.

I always thought that the 199's corks were too thin from the factory. As a result, even this very large cup mute would nearly touch the rim on a larger bass, covering the sound too much. (This should not be a problem with a 7xH.) I would much rather shave cork than need to add it.

The Denis Wick is definitely the better mute, though. It's worth your pennies.

Also important: Consider sectional blend. What are your section mates playing? And what has your section leader
or director said regarding mute choice?

Wick bass bone mute is the best for me. Also, since the cup portion can be removed, it packs the best in a mute bag.

Hmm. I may need to try out the Wick next time I have the bass trombone down at Dillon Music. Of course, maybe then I'll actually play a piece that requires a bass trombone cup mute.

tbonesullivan wrote: ↑Mon Nov 18, 2019 8:13 am Hmm. I may need to try out the Wick next time I have the bass trombone down at Dillon Music. Of course, maybe then I'll actually play a piece that requires a bass trombone cup mute.

If all you play is Symphony, your need for a cup mute is minimal. I find only Pops music ever calls for a cup mute in Symphony.

Concert Band requires cup at times, but is not too common.

Big Band requires a cup mute all the time.

The Wallace TWC-451 is great.

Depends on your band.

In my brass band its the DW aluminium. I had to add a bit of Cork to make it lift out of the bell enough to make the valve register work.

In my big band its the H&B stonelined. The large one. I had to add even more Cork to get the right distance to the bell, and to drill two small holes in the side of the base, to make it play well in valve register and pedals.

I do prefer the sound of the H&B.

Same experience with tenor cup mutes

I have never had a cup mute that I liked with factory corks. For the 72H I used in a 1970 vintage Navy fleet band I used the smaller bass trombone mute, but had quite a lot of cork. I found this kept the small end of the mute cone a more comfortable distance from the bell throat. I tried the larger mute and got a "safe" throat to cone distance, but did not like the way it played. The book had VERY little pedal work, so my only modification was the cork. I liked the "bite" I could get without having to blow hard with that setup.
I use the smaller model on my Duo Gravis and Mack Brass basses now. I have one 3/16" hole on the side of the cone right at the level of the wide part of the cup. I find that, with very thinned corks, it conforms nicely to the King bell shape, plays a bit more in tune (for ME) than the larger mute, still has that "bite" and, with the hole, is very effective right into lower pedals (down to D on a good day.)
The Benge I used to have did NOT work well at all with the small mute. Very different throat profile.
In my experience it is not so much the size of the bass bone cup mute as the conformity of the bell throat to cone that gives a good match. And, also in my experience, bass bone mutes MUST have cork adjustements to get the edge of the cup in the sweet spot near the bell, and MUST have a hole or two to prevent standing waves inside the cone from blocking tone production. I prefer that hole to be low on the side of the cone, rather than outside on the bottom. I find this leaves far less leakage of various weird sound artifacts for the listener.
Of course YMMV.
Final note: some folks like mutes for making things quieter. I require them to make timbre changes. I test those changes with some recording. If I don't hear the distinct timbre differences between the mutes I use, I either tune them or get different mutes. So, if YM does NOT V with the stuff above, you might want to try some more self-recording to figure out whay not.