Pedal C

'Chaser,

My horn is rather unique. The previous owner bought the horn from Monette in raw brass (the 937 wasn't offered in silver, as far as I know) and had it plated by someone else. He did it because he has REALLY acidic hands and he can wear down the metal really fast, so he wanted the silver to protect the horn as much as possible. Even so, the silver is gone and the metal is noticeably worn at the contact points. Because of this, I bought the horn for about half what similar horns (in raw brass) sell for. I have no idea how it played straight out of the shop, but when I tried it out, I found it to be a great playing horn (I had it on a two week trial at first). My teacher, who's played Monette horns and mouthpieces for years) also tried it and thought it played really well. I called Monette and asked about the horn before I bought it, and they told me they'd seen it recently and that the mouthpiece reciever was worn out and needed to be replaced so that the mouthpiece would fit properly (the mpc went in too far). I had that done later and the horn plays even better now! Other than the contact point wear, it's in excellent condition.

I know this all sounds really squirrley, but the bottom line for me was that I got a really great playing horn. Perhaps I'll order a brand new Bb at some point, but this one does the job and the price was too good not to try it out. If it didn't play well, I could have just sent it back.

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"The oboe's A is to make sure we still play it 1 and 2" - Bud Herseth

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Pedal C

Dan...

I was uneasy about buying a modified Monette too, but it plays great, so I was fine with it. Plus I talked to Monette about the horn, and they said it was still a good playing instrument and I trusted them to tell me if it was too screwed up to play like it's supposed to. Maybe it would be ever so slightly better if it was unmodified or (more likely) if it was build just for me, but since I couldn't afford to order a new one and this one worked great, it was an easy choice.

I wish I had the silver cornet you didn't buy!

__________________
"The oboe's A is to make sure we still play it 1 and 2" - Bud Herseth

"One way or another, every patient stops bleeding." - Scrubs

rowuk

Monette will adjust the pitch center free for the original owner for the lifetime of the instrument. A second user needs to pay. I have no idea how much. If you play before you pay (like pedal C did) almost nothing can go wrong. The Monette staff is very accessible - when in doubt - just call them. They shoot straight!

I went to the shop several years ago with my picc. It is completely straight from mouthpiece to bell and Dave said to me, that this horn did coincide with the "truth" as they apply it to building trumpets. What he meant is that this is not his idea of the right way.

He sent me out of the room, took his tools, adjusted the pitch center and modified a mouthpiece to fit perfectly. 20 minutes later, I had an even better horn, for the cost of the mouthpiece. Perfect intonation, more resonance and just easier to play!

All you have to do is ASK!

__________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

Jimi Michiel

Chris,

I think you're right about less sanding/buffing to get a polished gold finish. Aesthetics come a distant second to functionality at a Monette, sometimes to the frustration of the client.

If you look at a Monette instrument, you'll notice an "orange peel" effect at the bell bend. This happens when they bend the bell, and nearly all other makers, large and small, sand this off so the texture matches the rest of the horn. At some point, Monette decided that the extra sanding compromised the sound. The man can hear grass grow, so I'll trust him. The attention to detail is paramount there. Amato key on the third slide? Nope. Silver plated heavy horns? Nope. Double case with shoulder strap? Nope. Perhaps a little OCD, but there are many people out there who think it's worth it.

-Jimi

PS. Yes, more to come on the Bach/Monette conversion.

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godchaser

.

-Appreciate that Dan, and i can't argue what you say. I'm beginning to lean to a purist view of Monette myself; save for the functional concerns you spoke to Jason. Much thanks. ..What's more accurate though, is i'm starting to feel a distant loyalty as yet, in notion of caretaker, and looking after the horn for the next person. -No shine, and no cryo. for me. :( HAAAAA-

Although the Flumpet's polished gold yes- or is that a described 'satin finish'? Maybe this could be achieved with used Monettes without leaning on it like BM talked about? My thinking's that the 'orange peel' Jimi mentioned's acceptable blemish. And a(Monette Flumpet finish) that can be gotten without the harshness of polished gold labor, could be restored to original if desired by a later owner? No harm done. May well be significant wear and tear in any event. If not, i got the shinny gold- no loss of sound, and the horn's intact. To that, i can learn what my sound is before i call in for a new build, and have my cake too.

Course the point's not lost on me that no model is like another, and no horn's like the next.

Thanks everyone, for the help.


Chris
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DarkKnight88

Ok, I have a question for you Monette loyalists...How well would a Monette mouthpiece corespound with non-Monette trumpet. It probley won't play as well, but, would it still be great if the mouthpiece was used with a different brand name trumpet?

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Music...The sound of the soul.

rowuk

The flumpets that I have played have the same brushed gold that my Ajna2 and Prana3 have.

Even although each Monette instrument is "unique", there is a very strong common denominator in the sheen, core and projection Dave build into every horn. They are all from the same sonic family where the conventional, flambouyant and nerd share genetic traits!

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Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

B15M

They work great.

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rowuk

I use Monette mouthpieces on all of my horns and find them just fine. If a horn has bad habits (intonation or pitch center), the more radical Monette mouthpieces will not fix that, rather "showcase" the problems. If someone is interested in Monette, it makes sense to start with the "standard" lowest price models first. The jump to a Prana or Prana Slap demands a very mature, relaxed approach. If you do not know what that is, don't buy the Prana.

__________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

DarkKnight88

Thanks, yes, I have heard of the Prana. I heard that they work extreamley well, but that they are for the more experienced and accomplished player.

I was going to wait until I was a professional level player to get a Monette mouthpiece. And I will take your word for it on waiting for the Prana.

__________________
Music...The sound of the soul.