TromboneChat

Hi all,

I am in need of a bass trombone mute that can comfortably play pedal notes at a loud dynamic. The specific note that I need it for is a pedal A at fortissimo. The vast vast vast majority of trombone straight mutes cannot accomplish this (try it with yours at home, I have a feeling that it won't work), so I wanted to send a message out to trombone world to find the holy grail of pedal smacking bass trombone straight mutes.
I know that drilling a hole or holes can accomplish this, but at the price of destroying upper register playing with the mute.

I was told by a colleague that the tools4winds wood mutes are the best in the business for this, but that they don't make them anymore. I also heard that the Marcus Bonna fiberglass mute can do it as well. Any others?

Thanks!
Danny Schwalbach

You might need to cut a hole in it what you have, it could help.

I have a nice trumcor that can. Not really a loud mute though.

You may have to drill an existing mute.

Tom Crown mutes do fairly well at loud playing, and they sound “louder” than many other mutes. His copper- and yellow-brass bottomed mutes tend to have a little more sizzle to them, making them sound a little louder than other mutes.

Also, if you need to play fff on very low notes with a mute, relax a little. If you force the sound (use too much effort), you can get a feeling that the sound backs up. A focused airstream and embouchure with less push to the air can make a louder sound with less effort.

I three that rock the pedal register..... Bonna fiberglass, Amrein wood, and Wallace aluminum. Also, my 30+yr old Tom Crown copper bottom does pretty well too.

Beversdorf

Thanks for the info guys! Put an order in for a MB fiberglass.

A counterintuitive trick:

If you have a Denis Wick mute, push it FARTHER into the bell for better low register response.

Similarly, if you have a Jo-Ral or Crown mute, extend the mute into the bell farther by rolling up a piece of thick paper and placing it in the opening of the mute.

The fiberglass MB mute does do loud pedals pretty well though. Unfortunately, the rubber corks on mine are now completely dry. The mute will not stay in the bell on its own at all. Sigh.

I drilled a hole in my dw straight mute. Works very well!!

Drilling a small hole has improved pedals (and low stuff in general) on both Tom Crown and JoRal bass straight mutes for me.

ChadA wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2022 9:06 am Drilling a small hole has improved pedals (and low stuff in general) on both Tom Crown and JoRal bass straight mutes for me.

Where did you drill the hole in the Tom Crown? How big?

https://romerabrass.com/producto/sordin ... -straight/

After trying many brands, I found that Romera Brass builds the best bass (and tenor) mute on the market. The pedals are a blast!

sacfxdx wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2022 6:34 pm
Where did you drill the hole in the Tom Crown? How big?

Bottom face, right in the middle. I forget the drill bit size, but fairly medium sized, not big or small; maybe on the smaller side of medium. If in doubt, start very small, try it, and go up as needed.

ChadA wrote: ↑Fri Apr 01, 2022 9:38 am

sacfxdx wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2022 6:34 pm Where did you drill the hole in the Tom Crown? How big?

Bottom face, right in the middle. I forget the drill bit size, but fairly medium sized, not big or small; maybe on the smaller side of medium. If in doubt, start very small, try it, and go up as needed.

I guess you can always plug up or tape over the drilled hole if needed.

Posaunus wrote: ↑Fri Apr 01, 2022 10:09 am I guess you can always plug up or tape over the drilled hole if needed.

Yep. Every mod is a gamble. It greatly improved the playability of both mutes I tried it on, but other people's mileage may vary. If you have some irreplaceable mute or one with great sentimental value, don't poke holes in it. Consider experimenting on something that you won't lose sleep over. Try the rolled up paper trick that Gabe suggested first. That worked on one of my cup mutes for a super soft (but totally exposed) double-pedal B-flat I had to play in a modern chamber piece. Playing with cork thickness to change the depth the mute goes in is another cheap, non-damaging experiment worth trying.

^This.

For me, the only mutes that improved by drilling a hole were the Denis Wick metal practice mutes. I experimented with several holes, and found that the best placement was one additional hole directly opposite of the existing hole. I used black electrical tape to cover the other holes I drilled.