TromboneChat

This is a crazy question, but can anyone who owns a Jo-Ral bubble (wah-wah) mute for bass trombone see if it fits and stays put in a normal large bore tenor bell (88H, Shires, Edwards T-350)? Not looking for speculation, just if someone has one, does it actually go in and stay put? Bonus points if you play it and give your thoughts. Thanks!

Not a crazy question - mine is a bit too small. I haven't tried it in a small bore, but I think that would be a better fit. Maybe they make 2 sizes?

Jim Scott

CalgaryTbone wrote: ↑Fri May 13, 2022 11:18 pm Not a crazy question - mine is a bit too small. I haven't tried it in a small bore, but I think that would be a better fit. Maybe they make 2 sizes?

Jim Scott

Wait your bass mute is too small for normal tenor?

Sorry - I mis-read your post. I have a tenor mute that pretty much has to be held in the bell of a .547 bore horn - not a big deal if your doing wa-wa's with the harmon, but a pain otherwise.

So, now I have it figured out. I saw a recital last Monday, on the 9th with Christian Lindberg on trombone. He had two mutes he used, a wah-wah and an adjustable cup mute. The wah-wah looked like the Jo-Ral bass mute, because it had a pancake shape. But now I know it is a completely different mute with a design I've never seen before. The cork stem is longer, so it goes further into the bell and stays more secure. It also does not extend out past the bell much, so it looks a lot more comfortable to use. It was the best sounding wah-wah mute I've ever heard -- the best note of the night was on this "hymn to the blue hour" inspired piece where the mute is used extensively, but it ends with a note held out on the mute and it fades away into the sound of the piano with the player wiggling his fingers in front of the mute opening. It was haunting.

The cup mute also got used in every manner possible in the Nutcracker Suite, including as a straight mute, and even with the cup on backwards. It sounded fantastic.

Anyways, thought I would share. I don't really get excited about mutes and kind of see them as a necessary evil, but in this recital every time Christian reached for a mute it was like, oh man what is gonna happen next?? The gentleman who makes these says they will be ready in late May or June hopefully. They are only just coming out. These are for large bore trombone but apparently are based on small bore mutes that are equally awesome. The small bore ones are on the last two pages of the attachment, to give an idea of how different this design looks.

Besides how they sounded, the idea of a wah-wah that you don't have to worry about falling out? -- I'm going to buy a set as soon as they come out!