Robson

I intent to buy a Monette trumpet, but I don’t know the model yet. Now-a-days I play with a Bach 37 and my mouthpiece is a Monette B1-1.
I have a friend that has a C Ajna, and if everything goes as expected, Saturday is gonna be the first time I’m going to try a Monette trumpet. I don’t know exactly what to expect.

Do you have any advice?

Ps. He is not selling it, he's just showing to me.

alittlebirdy

Expect a heavy trumpet.

Dave Mickley

a few years ago I tried a Bb model Monette and it was one of the most mouthpiece sensitive horns I ever played. it was a great horn but did not make me a better player [I was scared to death the whole time I had it in my hands that I was going to ding it or something]. Dave

tatakata

I tried a old monette and really liked it. the big ones sound funny to me on recordings but I have never played one. does this have the mouthpiece built in?

Robson

No, the C Ajna is like that:



Almost like the early Rajas (the ones with mouthpiece built in), but with interchangeable mouthpiece.

PSH

you must have been looking for a miracle. If there was a horn that made you a better player then wouldn't everyone be playing it??

~PSH

rowuk

Robson,
I bought an Ajna2 Bb in 1997. It is much different than anything else that you have had in your hands.
Yes, it is heavier but that is a non-factor, if weight is required to get the horn that we want, we simply accept that.

The Ajna1 will accept a standard mouthpiece shank, the Ajna2 does not. If the horn that you are trying is an Ajna2, you will have to use one of your friends mouthpieces. You have been using Monette mouthpieces, this will be a big factor in your "test". As you know, Monette mouthpiece differ in the intonation of the octaves. This can be an advantage for players that are "relaxed" and a curse to players that are tense. That basic intonation is also built into the Ajna horns too. You will probably feel immediately at home.

The sound is brilliant with great projection. The horn slots extremely well and is very easy to play softly. When playing loudly, it is almost impossible to get it to distort, it just keeps getting louder until the player runs out of steam. In difficult rooms like certain studio situations, players used to lighter horns have trouble judging how loudly they are playing. The efficiency of the horn keeps more coming out of the bell and less reflected back to the player. The low register seems to jump out of the horn and everything above high C is very secure.

Many players that do not understand what the Ajna is and does are critical. I have used it successfully for 10 years in big band (lead and chorus books), symphony and solo chamber music. I sold it last summer when I took receipt of my Prana3 to the second trumpet player in the orchestra and in my brass quintet. I bought the Prana3 because I am doing more commercial work and the slightly lighter horn is an advantage as I need a bit more sizzle sometimes.

If you take a look at the Monette resale prices, you see that they keep their value. I sold my Ajna2 for about $1000 less than I paid for it - after 10 years of using it, in spite of giving my colleague a very good price compared to the internet.

Thinking back 10 years, I played a solo concert 2 weeks after getting the Ajna2. I sweat blood because I still was not used to the horn, but didn't crack a note. After 4-6 weeks, I tried my old Bach and knew that I would never go back unless I had to. I still own my Bach C-trumpet and it gets played once or twice a year - when I freelance with other orchestras where the "standard" horns can't keep up. You do not get invited back when you smoke the regulars.

Have fun and let us know what YOU think!

I consider the Ajna to be perfect for performances where a thick, solid, resonant sound works. It was not the optimal horn for playing lead in the big band. If you have a weak second trumpet player, he will start to have intonation issues because the resonant sound will make it more difficult for him to hear himself. A colleague of mine experienced this and it took a while to figure out what was wrong. He had weaker chops, a much smaller mouthpiece and ML lightweight horn - just a bad match.

I am sold on the Monette concepts. I enjoy working with the crew in Portland and they have been a great help during the last 11 years. I feel that their equipment stays more "out of the way" than most everything that I have ever played. That means that more of me is reaching the audience. I really do not think about hardware when I am playing. I just take the horn out of the case and blow. No mouthpiece safaris or search for the holy grail. A satisfying decision without comprimise!

Robson

Rowuk

Like you know I live in São Paulo. It's a large city, one of the largest in the world, around 17 million people, but it's really hard to find a Monette users here. It's not like New York where you find whatever you want.
I want to buy a Bb trumpet, not a C, but if to find a C is hard, to find a Bb is almost impossible!

My friend is not from São Paulo, it's gonna take me more than 2 hours to go to his city.

The best part o the story is that he uses the same mouthpiece I use. I mean almost the same. I use a B1-1 with a 19 bore and he uses a C1-1 a hole number 4! It must be huge.

Can the throat of the mouthpiece be a problem?

Thanks

rowuk

If your friend got the mouthpiece from Monette that way, you will be just fine. Dave/Dean matches the mouthpieces to the horn so the playing characteristics are ok. The throat size alone means NOTHING.

In Germany I hardly ever need a C-trumpet, but every time I play a Monette C the temptation is VERY strong to buy one. They have such a resonant, liquid tone. It is just too much money to let sit in the case.........

B15M

Hi,
I play on a Monette 993 B flat and have some other key Monette trumpets. When I bought the 993 Dave thought I should get the Ajna. The reason I didn't was because I was afraid if I didn't like the Monette thing I might have trouble selling the Ajna.

The different things I noticed were:
The heavier the trumpet the smoother it played. When I went really heavy it was almost like a keyboard. You go for the note and it's just there. I have a lighter trumpet on order now because when I play lead in a big band I want the sound to spread more and the 993 holds the sound together. Another thing is you really have to hold back. It's easy to overpower the band. I think that's because the sound projects so well.

Since I went to the 993 I have had a lot of complements on my sound and no one has ever said anything about blend.

I am the type that is never satisfied so I am always looking for a better trumpet, I can't find one. When I went to ITG I tried every trumpet I could but I'm still playing Monette.