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Hello,

I'm looking into getting a tuba mute this summer and was hoping people could send me reviews on what they use and how they like it as well as any tips that may be helpful in my pursuit to pick out a good mute.

Thanks!

I have quite a number of mutes. For my F I prefer the plastic R&S mute, but I don't believe that these are available anymore. The Balu mutes play very well in tune and I like them for some things. They tend to make the horn softer but don't change the sound color very much. For a mute more like that of a trumpet, the metal Humes and Berg mutes are quite good and I tend to use these more. I also have a Nate Griffith mute for my big horn but it does have some issues - the low A is very hard to focus. I picked it up from Nate when he was living in Elkhart on my way to play Firebird. The only muted note in Firebird of course, is a low A. The New Faxx metal mute is also very good but I have not had the time to spend checking it out completely yet.

Just my experience.

Roger

Great, thanks! I used the university's Humes and Berg mute in the fall, but it was one I had to make a one size fits all for my BBb and F since it is the only one that even worked for either, so I didn't feel I got a fair judge on it. Would you happen to know anything about the Dennis Wick mutes? I'm in the market for a mute for my F and I want it to get more of that trumpet styled mute timbre with whatever I select.

I have the H&B aluminum for my F, it does give a lot more tonal change than the Balu, which I have for my big horn. The Balu is much better intonation-wise, though. MUCH. I"ve not tried the Balu in my F yet, but I have a feeling it could work. Balu has the changeable cork system that makes for a lot of variety of volume and color AND size.

I have 2 Denis Wick mutes, and I find the timer similar to the aluminum humes and berg. I'd be willing to sell you one brand new in the box if interested.

Thanks for everyone's input, I feel from my experence with mutes I would like to get a metal mute. I do like the timbre of the balu, but it's not what I'm looking for right now. So, as of H and B, I get the impression that they can be a bit pitchy, but from my use of them, I like timbre. So, I guess I can narrow it down to ask what metal mute is the least pitchy?

All tuba mutes suck. Some suck less than others. But they're all deplorable.

My $.02

Tuba mutes, like tubas, give out what you put into them. Playing "con sordino" isn't the same as ripping off a Bruckner excerpt.

And of course, tuba mutes are also like shoes - one size doesn't fit all, size or design-wise.

My first mute was a Winston Morris mute and I'm sorry to say that I didn't like it at all. My second was a H&B "Stone-lined", which I enjoyed with my Mirafone 186, but didn't work on anything else I had. The newer H&B metal mutes are better, but they are pretty size-specific... the extra cork strips are a difficult and time-consuming thing to adjust.

I spent a lot of time trying to get an R&S mute to fit one of my horns and finally gave up, assuming that I wasn't going to get the sound I wanted.

Sorry to all of the "Balu Faddists" out there, but I don't like them at all. The first one I saw was bought by one of my students and it fell apart very quickly (Balu did repair it free of charge, though) but it's cumbersome, and a little too stifling for my taste. The practicality of having a mute that can make a quick change (apparently some composers don't take that into consideration) is important, and the H&B mutes are good for that, but my next one, I think is going to be a Denis Wick.

On the other hand (literally!) I've been playing some more transcriptions of horn pieces, and have discovered that a catcher's mitt works really well for imitating the stopped sound. It's big enough to spread over a significant part of the bell and long arms can really make it an effective mute for those incredibly fast mute changes (e.g. Swann's "Two Moods for Tuba). I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has tried it.

and FINALLY, what ever happened to Rex Conner's Harmon Mute!!!!!??????

Trumpets, trombones, and horns are largely standardized. It is possible to design a good mute to work within the parameters of the tiny variations that do exist. But you can make a damn good mute for 99% of the manufactured instruments in the above categories.

But the same cannot be said of the tuba family. The whole family. Now, Dennis Wick has a decent Euph mute, and 90% of the people even considering purchase of a mute are playing Euphs of a similar Besson inspired layout, so that has improved immensely. Flugel horns are also improving.

But tubas haven't come up with anything even remotely resembling uniformity. And to make a mute that would be long enough to work properly in all 4 octaves, with the variations of tapers and pitches, is just impossible.

That said, the H&B metals are good values, my Jet Tone is okay (I will only mute my little horn), and whatever I borrowed once from Yasuhito Sugiyama once was quite "good". But while i like the sound of a muted trumpet or trombone, I'm really not fond of muted horn or tuba. Personal Preference. That finding the equivalent of a good Tom Crown mute for a tuba is impossible makes me revert to my original statement: Tuba Mutes Suck. Wake me when they don't. I'm not whining; I'll do it (though composers ought to realize we can mute as quickly as trumpets, but non of them %$@#% do), but I am certain they are far, far behind the efficacy of our 500 y/o brethren.

J.c.S.

(If you all just switch to B&H Ebs like me, we wouldn't have this problem)