I am excited to be celebrating our 30th year making Monette trumpets! We are making the best trumpets and mouthpieces we have ever made... better than I ever dreamed we could produce! I hope this 30th ANNIVERSARY NEWSLETTER gives you an idea of how much we enjoy making these outrageous new instruments and mouthpieces. Here is a quick rundown of some of what's new since our last internet newsletter was posted two years ago.
Our new, entry level SILVER SERIES PRODUCTION MOUTHPIECES are a huge step forward in making Monette equipment available to everyone. They are the most affordable mouthpieces we have ever made, can be used on any key or brand of instrument, and are now available in our four most popular rim sizes: 1, 2, 4 as well as the original size 6. They are designed with our best selling, most popular "SLAP" cup designs in progressive sizes, so young players who outgrow their initial size selection can move up to the next larger size immediately with virtually no acclimation time and without changing rim contours. And the best part is that because we produce these in large batches, we almost always have them in stock and ready for immediate delivery.
In instrument news, our new, re-designed and re-proportioned "STC" models are easily the best instruments we have ever made. And to celebrate our 30th anniversary, we are offering a new bell design that has even more ringing overtones than we ever thought possible! This exciting new bell is available on any 24k gold-plated STC instrument in either RAJA or detachable mouthpiece configuration.
Our new, threaded integral mouthpiece RAJA instruments have made our latest RAJA designs affordable at just a modest cost over our regular tapered, detachable mouthpiece models. These are the best of the best - with all the advantages of our previous RAJA instruments but with the flexibility to change mouthpieces when needed. We offer them in lighter weight models, and in two heavier, sheet braced weights - the new RAJNA weight, and also the full-weight traditional RAJA weight.
If you are a lead trumpet player, be sure to check out our new 30th anniversary MF STC Bb, which is the best all-around and extreme upper register Bb we have ever made. More news on this coming very soon!
Our all-new STC C trumpets are by far the best C trumpets we have ever made! With the new ergonomics they are incredibly easy to hold and hear as you explore response, intonation and dynamic extremes most players only dream about. These instruments have the same layout and configuration as Charlie Schlueter's decorated presentation SAMADHI C trumpet. They range in weight from lighter than most mass-produced C trumpets to heavy enough for Charlie! These are available either with detachable mouthpieces, or in our new threaded integral mouthpiece RAJA configuration.
Our new MONETTE FLUGELHORN has been 25 years in the making. The prototype was made for Wynton Marsalis a year ago, and now these are a regular part of our production. If you want a flugelhorn that plays the way you always dreamed a flugelhorn could play - in tune in all registers, with a beautiful, rich sound and an easy upper register that slots like a trumpet, then this in your flugelhorn!
These new instruments we are making were inspired by many of our top clients. You can hear them in our videos - often playing their very first notes on their new instruments - in just about every story in this 30th ANNIVERSARY NEWSLETTER. Once you have had a chance to hear how great they sound, please contact JASON GUNDERSON, our customer relations manager, to learn more about how we can build something just as good or even better for you!
Finally, I want to thank my co-workers for helping me realize my life's dream with our latest instruments and mouthpieces. I also want to thank the players - both famous and not so famous - who constantly inspire us to make improved instruments that help them make more music with less work.
Sincerely,
David G. Monette