Danbassin

Patric,

A trip to the shop is certainly worth it! Everybody there is very friendly and ready to answer any question you might have. If you're two states away from Monette, you're on the other side of the country from Felix and Stage 1, but I've heard only wonderful things about his customer service - give him a call, too!
A thing to keep in mind regarding Monette instruments is that they're compatible ONLY with Monette mouthpieces. Some people have difficulty adjusting to the concepts of body use and letting go of some physical bad habits which are necessary when dealing with Monette equipment - a trip to the shop could be very useful in finding a mouthpiece that could work best for you, and also to get an understanding of what sort of adjustments we have to let go of when playing Monette.

Best, and good luck!

-db