jazz9

I am looking to buy a new horn soon, and I wanted to look into what kind of mutes I need to buy. The only mute I have ever actually owned is a plastic and wood straight mute, but I love harmon and cup mutes. Is copper better than metal in mutes? Any help is welcome!

Jazz9

Jason Parra

My personal favs:
Harmon---Jo-Ral Copper............Cant go wrong, buy it.
Straight===Yamaha Copper bottom/Jo-Ral makes a good one (aluminum)
Cup-really depends, Dennis Wick is nice, but the classic Humes and Burg has a reliable sound.
The old Velveteen Humes and Burg is cheap and has a fantastic sound for bucket...Great for recording too.
Plunger---Pick up a small brown toilet plunger for 1.00 anywhere.

I have tried a lot of mutes, the wooden customs, combo straight/cup/plunger, Shew Harmon etc...But for price and blend the aforementioned do just fine.

Good luck! (PS-I play primarily jazz/lead gigs so keep that in mind. Legit work might be more blend specific).

PSH

I didn't know copper wasn't a metal! What else haven't you told me??!?!?!

Seriously though, i have a Harmon brand Copper harmon mute, and I love it. I've also got the Alessi-Vacchiano straight mute, and I must say that it plays the most in tune of any straight mute I've ever played.

~PSH

jazz9

Thanks PSH, I didn't catch that before I posted it. :) I believe I will buy a copper mute, but I haven't heard of this Alessi-Vacchiano straight mute.

bagmangood

Yeah,
if you want a cup for jazz band/Gershwin style stuff, get a H&B cup (cheap!)
My favorite classical straight mute has to be my copper bottom jo-ral,
but for harmon/bubble mutes you might want to try both, I've heard of people hating one metal and loving the other
see if you could try some

jazz9

Well, the majority of my playing is with the high school band, so I would say classical, but I love jazz so much more! I'll see what all I can try.

gglassmeyer

I second the alessi-vacchiano by Leblanc as a great aluminum straight mute. I think they're only $30 in the US. I've had mine for over 25 years and haven't craved buying a new one.
I think with the copper mutes you find they have a more refined sound, a bit more musical than their aluminum counter parts. The aluminum ones sound a bit more harsh, but in some cases that's the sound you expect. Expect to add a bit of weight to the end of your horn if you go with copper.
The best bet is to start with the humes and berg classic red & white mutes and compare them with others you're considering. If you can't tell a significant difference, then stick with the cheap H&B mutes.

This is what I'm currently using:
Aluminum - Harmon brand Harmon
Aluminum - Leblanc - Alessi Vacchiano straight mute
Copper - Charley Davis adjustable cup mute. This one's a recent addition, but for the previous 27 years used the Humes & Berg stonelined cup.

jazz9

Actually, I have had one of those red & white ones since I don't know when. I played a copper Tom Crown one time, and it astonished me. That Crown mute sounded to me like it shouldn't even have been a mute. The only mute sound I had ever known was that stuffy, slightly out of tune, plastic noise. This mute made me want it very much. I think I might go with this.