gdong

I just got my shiny new AustinWinds Stage40LT trumpet and the thing is AMAZING. One problem, however, is that none of my mutes will fit in the bell anymore!!! I thought I would be ok because they all worked on a Kanstul 1600WB bell, but boy was I wrong!

Anybody have any good suggestions for a Harmon mute and cup mute that will fit a 5.25" bell?

I have a lovely copper JoRal Harmon and a great JoRal Cup mute, would it be worth it to re-cork those? And do the JoRal bucket mutes fit inside these large bells? I immediatly thought of the bobbyShew harmon because it has a thing cork ring as opposed to the strip of cork that the JoRal has, and also to the Denis Wick adjustable cup that comes with pretty beefy corks to begin with. I'm looking to to this the cheapest way possible!

I know wynton has a slew of mutes that work on his P3 horn, and this bell has a similar taper/size to that one.

I need to get set up farily quickly before my japan tour!

Thanks in advance.

Sturmbill

I use the JoRal bubble harmon and the JoRal bucket on my Connie with a 5.25" bell and they seem to work just fine.

The cup (Denis Wick) is a close fit. The rim is just about touches the bell. Maybe one of the Humes and Berg cups in the new state (corks not filed) may work for you,

Good luck,

Bill

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gdong

I guess that the bell taper is the part that is really big on this horn. My JoRal bubble comes into contact with the rim before the cork comes into contact with anything.

rowuk

The solution is thicker corks. My standard mutes fit the Prana3 without modification.

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gdong

What about for a harmon mute? I found synthetic, self adhesive cork on the Osumun website that should work, but it comes in strips. What does anyone recommend for the harmon mute?

Sturmbill

Somewhere on the 'net I found that some guys were using Funny Foam or some kind of craft foam. The info may be over at TH. Anyway, you use the cork from the harmon to make a new pattern on the foam, cut it out and glue it down with contact cement.

I would think that you could use several layers of that stuff and build it up to the point that it fits your bell. It's the same idea as Yogi Robert's thought about thicker corks.

The nice stuff about the foam is that the old days of licking the cork (ugh) and blowing on the bell to seal the mute are over! The foam makes a great seal. I've done mutes for most of the guys in my big band section and about seven for my students. Good stuff!

Regards,

Bill

__________________
Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati!
- Red Green

rowuk

The same silicone weather stripping that I use on the harmon works on the straight and cup too. Optionally, if you are in to good wine, you can cut your own from the cork.

__________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.