TromboneChat

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I use something similar on my horn.
It mellows out the sound a bit seems to make everything smoother
Great for soloing

Might be a Softone that he's taken a knife or scissors to. I have one for my bass, but if you put it completely over the bell (rather than hanging it), it's a practice mute.

https://www.amazon.com/Softone-Tenor-Tr ... 108&sr=8-7

That picture is from probably 30 years before Softones existed.
Looks totally homemade to me, probably made of felt, maybe a wool felt beret.

Doug Elliott wrote: ↑Mon Jan 08, 2024 7:44 pm Looks totally homemade to me, probably made of felt, maybe a wool felt beret.

That makes sense. Probably where Softone got the idea. You can in fact wear the Softone as a hat, but you look like a demented Parisian artiste.

I have a blue beret that I use the same way - but it looks too cool to cut a bunch of holes in it. Works similarly to a Softone mute, but less muffled.

There are lots of pictures of Curtis Fuller using the same kind of felt bell cover and at least one YouTube clip I can think of.

I think I have to try this beret idea. I used to have one around here for a long time, but either my wife or my daughter appropriated it at some point.

I'm really puzzled about what effect the beret has with that much space cut out of it (maybe it's really for the effect it has up close with the mic?). Last night, I tried a knit beret my wife has, and it was like there was nothing on the bell at all.

Also, I can see that recently there has been a sort of "beret inflation" (along with everything else). Still, worth ordering one from Amazon just in the interests of science.

I'm pretty sure that's the same thing that a former trumpet colleague of mine used for a couple of the Gershwin solos in the orchestra rep. (American in Paris, etc.). That would imply that it was a product that was commercially available. As I remember, it sounded like a slightly more open bucket mute - sort of in between the open horn and a bucket.

Jim Scott

I'm skeptical it's a commercial product -- unless it's a handmade commercial product. There's no uniformity of the hole shape and size, and some of the cutting is very ragged. It gives me confidence that I could produce that result with little effort.

Somebody over at Trumpet Herald mentions:

https://www.trumpetherald.com/forum/vie ... ?p=1242317

I don't know if they're still manufactured, but for a good while you could get the Don Goldie Felt Mute. It was powder blue in color, had a logo stamped on it, the holes (I think 5 or 6) were symmetrical. Just like this one it slipped over the bell rim & held in place by a piece of elastic sewn into the felt.

The felt was just thick enough to take a bit of edge off the sound, not quite as much as a bucket mute would. No resistance, no pitch change.

Here's a picture. Holes around the edge, but not in the center.
https://reverb.com/item/71653113-vintag ... uOVylbev70

tomato has something similar in his mute lot in the classifieds section. Maybe he'd have something to say?

My softone looks like this. It allows freer access to the higher partials without back pressure while also cutting out some of the "errant" overtones that can interrupt smooth articulation. Gives better consistency and moderates volume as well.

My Softone doesn't have any holes like that!! Or did you create those yourself? I've been thinking about that, but have decided it's probably better to keep the Softone as is (for possible use as a bucket mute) and hack up a beret instead.

ghmerrill wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 3:32 pm My Softone doesn't have any holes like that!! Or did you create those yourself? I've been thinking about that, but have decided it's probably better to keep the Softone as is (for possible use as a bucket mute) and hack up a beret instead.

My Softone Mute plays badly out of tune. I'm wondering it cutting some holes in it will improve the intonation.

Then again. Jimmy Cleveland's and Curtis Fuller's mutes look like Charlie Brown's Halloween costume in "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." If I cut holes in mine, will I end up saying...."I got a rock."

ghmerrill wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 3:32 pm My Softone doesn't have any holes like that!! Or did you create those yourself? I've been thinking about that, but have decided it's probably better to keep the Softone as is (for possible use as a bucket mute) and hack up a beret instead.

I cut it myself. Buy two, mess with one, check out the difference in the upper register.

ngrinder wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 9:19 pm

ghmerrill wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 3:32 pm My Softone doesn't have any holes like that!! Or did you create those yourself? I've been thinking about that, but have decided it's probably better to keep the Softone as is (for possible use as a bucket mute) and hack up a beret instead.

I cut it myself. Buy two, mess with one, check out the difference in the upper register.

My thinking:

• Cost of Softone = ~ $60
• Cost of cheap beret = < $10 (or ~ $0 if found at secondhand store)
• Experimentation cost differential to achieve approximately same learning result >= $50

Plus I'm also thinking that the beret may have other advantages and produce what I'm looking for more closely.

Initial project plan: Drive to town and see if they have any berets at Goodwill store. On the other hand, it's true that I'm not using the Softone for anything.

I'm ready to blow some blues.

Blue felt beret (very inexpensive).
Blue plunger (inexpensive).
Olds R15 Recording with 8" Re-O-Loy red brass bell (priceless).

I love how Doug's mouthpiece design matches with the braces of the slide!

EriKon wrote: ↑Wed Jan 10, 2024 3:20 pm I love how Doug's mouthpiece design matches with the braces of the slide!

It not only looks great, it plays beautifully (in my opinion) on this wonderful trombone.
D3(Olds) Shank (2022*) / ST D* Cup / ST 99 Rim (though I'd also like to try an ST 100 - anyone have one to sell?

Search Amazon for "cloth bowl covers." They're cheap enough to get a several to experiment with different cutout patterns.

I cut holes in my Softone, and it sounds great. But it's pretty much of a pain to put on and get off -- especially in a hurry.