Yamaha silent brass opinions?

[Jerryleejr]

Just curious who owns them and are they worth it?

JJ

[bisontuba]

Yes and yes....
Mark

[Jerryleejr]

Yes and yes....
Mark

Ok can you elaborate on how you use it? I'm clueless...

JJ

[tclements]

Save yer money ....

[bisontuba]

Hi-
I don't use the electronics. I just use it-- with the mic adapter plug in taken out/screwed out--to open it up even more--works on all horns--whether 3/4, 4/4 or 6/4--as a 'practice' mute. That it works on all the sizes of horns is great. Drawback--just too big & bulky--only good for at home, not for use on jobs.
Mark

[TheHatTuba]

Save yer money ....

+1

[Jerryleejr]

Ok for those that say save your money at least off an explanation...

JJ

[ankraf01]

Just curious who owns them and are they worth it?

JJ

I owned one some years ago (so I can't say if they have massively improved) but my experience was that since they changed the way my horn responded (like I suppose any mute does), it didn't help as a practice option because I was practicing pieces one way and then performing them differently. It was kind of fun to mess with all the reverb options on the controller.

Aaron

[Jay Bertolet]

Ok for those that say save your money at least off an explanation...

The ones I've tried had a few problems. They change the response of the horn a lot. Most practice mutes do, but none of the others I've tried had the other major problem of being so hard to use. By that, I mean that the Silent Brass mute does not fit into the bell. It rests on top of the bell. It felt really unstable to me there, even if you used the plastic clips to hold it in place. I'm not sold on that design at all, the mute weighs a lot and is very easy to knock over and all that adds up to extra bell creases. Since the electronics don't interest me at all, I felt it was not a very good choice for me. I prefer a mute that rests inside the bell and is more stable so that I'm less likely to do something that will cause damage to my horn. With that said, I didn't feel any of the available practice mutes changed the response of the horn any more than the Silent Brass.

[euphoni]

I have a silent brass system for my euphonium and I used to have fun with all the electronic stuff when I first got it, but now I just use the practice mute all the time. Comes in handy when I want to practice at a hotel or home after midnight. Just like every practice mute, It has the same annoying practice mute response problems (especially in extremes ranges). And I'm not sure about other tuba practice mutes, but the silent brass folds up, making it something you can travel with.

As far as price goes, I won mine, so it was definitely worth the price.

Either way, I would recommend some sort of practice mute.

[PaulTkachenko]

It's just a bit too heavy to comfortable ....

[cle_tuba]

I owned one for about 1 year. It muffled sound well, however, would change the pitch and focus. Currently I use a mute DW and I think it's much better ...

[Dean E]

Very useful for practicing at home, at night, while learning slowed-down passages using Slow Gold.

Drawbacks: Too many sets of lines: (a) headphones, (b) computer input for Slow Gold, (c) mic input, and (d) power cord. I have to be very careful with the setup, and I need a tuba stand adjacent to my chair. That way I don't have to disconnect anything when I take a break. But it is very top-heavy with 5/4 tubas.

[Tubaryan12]

I own one and still occasionally use it. I used it with the electronics once, and decided it wasn't worth the trouble. It is best used with some type of support for the tuba because it will make the horn very top heavy. I found using it with a tuba tamer the best for me. In fact, I would not recommend using it without a stand (or at least a strap). If you don't have a tuba tamer, a non playing stand is another item you will want for dealing with the silent brass. It will make installing (and uninstalling) the mute much easier.

If you absolutely need to practice and you can't disturb anyone, get one.
If that is not a requirement, then don't bother.