IMHO the biggest difference of playing a Monette is that the sweet spot of each note is really low. I'm not sure if that is the root cause or the result of the other quirks (@ their acclimation guide), but I actually quite like the feeling of playing so low on each partial instead of having to aim higher like on almost every other mouthpiece. The only other brands I have tried that feel similarly are Warburtons, and now Giddings with this Mark 1 I bought from someone here (big thank you!). Does anyone else know of other brands where the sweet spot is low? I actually think the reason they say it's difficult to switch to and from a Monette is largely due to this, since I have a much easier time switching from this Giddings to the Monette than any more normal setup from GB, Griego, etc.

[quote="Mv2541"]IMHO the biggest difference of playing a Monette is that the sweet spot of each note is really low. I'm not sure if that is the root cause or the result of the other quirks (@ their acclimation guide), but I actually quite like the feeling of playing so low on each partial instead of having to aim higher like on almost every other mouthpiece. The only other brands I have tried that feel similarly are Warburtons, and now Giddings with this Mark 1 I bought from someone here (big thank you!). Does anyone else know of other brands where the sweet spot is low? I actually think the reason they say it's difficult to switch to and from a Monette is largely due to this, since I have a much easier time switching from this Giddings to the Monette than any more normal setup from GB, Griego, etc.[/quote]

I have no Monette but I've discovered reasently that on any mouthpiece I have I get the best result when I play as "low" as possible. This means the "sweetspot" for me can be found if I go as low as possible in the mouthpiece. That way of thinking (playing) gives me the richest sound. It's why I now have my tuningslide in a closed position on every horn I play, and from there play with "long positions". It has nothing to do with pitch. Gives me a deeper sound

/Tom

Could be hard to try one if you aren’t in Europe but I’ll share some love here for Dimitri Donat, a pretty young and new maker here in France. He played Monette before making his own pieces so the design is somewhat ‘monette-y’ but with some clear differences that go towards mitigating the things that can make them frustrating (short shanks, but not as short as Monette, open back bores, but again not as ridiculously open as Monette).

Unfortunately for trombonists he only has a few sizes available at the moment which can be seen here: https://www.donat-mouthpiece.com/embouchures/ But I can say for certain that he’s in the process of machining new ones. I play on the 253 which is close to a 6 1/2 AL but a bit more open. He only started business I think in 2017 and started selling trombone pieces in the last year or so, but the quality of his work is exceptional and his designs were adapted to the trombone very thoughtfully.

I played on a Monette for 10+ years before realizing that it was working against me in a lot of ways (tanking endurance, articulations) but held onto it because I loved the feeling of playing the bottom of the partials as you described, and everything else I tried didn’t play nice with the approach I developed on that mouthpiece. On the Donat I can approach it the same way, but everything is just easier. The compromise is that I can’t play as loudly as easily as I did on Monette, but for better endurance/articulation/overall ease of playing I make that trade without blinking.

They won’t be for everyone because of the limited options (for now, at least) but I’d encourage anyone to try them out. In EU you can order lacquered/unplated ones to try at home for €10.

Wait, 10 euros for a mouthpiece? ???

?????

[quote="harrisonreed"]Wait, 10 euros for a mouthpiece? ???

?????[/quote]

Sorry if that wasn’t clear. 10 euros to ship you a tester with a prepaid return label which you can keep for 10 days. I ended up buying a mouthpiece and he let me keep the tester for the few weeks it took the mouthpiece to be made/plated.

They’re cheaper than the other boutique brands but not that cheap!

[quote="harrisonreed"]Wait, 10 euros for a mouthpiece? ???

?????[/quote]

“From €10,00” but when you choose options from the drop-down menu, you see that refers to the 10 Euro fee for trial of a raw brass piece within the EU. 150 Euro for a silver plated mouthpiece.

Interesting. That is a really curious way to do tester mouthpieces. FWIW, the site is beautiful.

I have had to play with my tuning slide almost all the way in on every instrument and mouthpiece combination I've ever played. I have to cut the tuning slides of Bach trombones. There are mouthpieces I can't get up to A=440 on without doing something radical to the instrument, and it does not necessarily have to do with how big they are overall.

I'm not so sure it's entirely about the mouthpiece, but the taper of the backbore - which is quite unique on Monettes I believe - has a lot to do with how you experience the feedback.