In short, you’ll get a lot of value out of the following brands: Soulo, Protec, LotFancy, Denis Wick, and Humes & Berg. If you want the best-of-the-best, go for the Soulo mute. If cost is an issue, check out the Humes & Berg mute. In any case, you can’t really go wrong with any of the mutes in this list.

Review Criteria

As always, I don’t like to put myself in the position of the expert. Sure, I could buy all these mutes and give you my opinion, but I think looking at general consensus of the music community is a lot more valuable.

As a result, when I research the best products, I like to leverage the various filtering features of Amazon to limit my search. For instance, I used the following settings to generate this list of the best tenor trombone mutes:

• Search Terms: Tenor Straight Mute
• Department: Trombone Mutes
• Average Customer Review: 4+ Stars

As always, I make sure to sort the products by average customer review, so I know I’m getting the best product first.

5 Best Straight Mutes

In this list, we’ll take a look at the five best tenor trombone straight mutes that I could find on Amazon. Feel free to share your favorites as well.

#1. Soulo Mute SM6378 Trombone Straight Mute – Aluminum – $$$

Apologies for the lack of a picture, but the first mute on the list is the Soulo SM6378 trombone straight mute. Like many of the mutes in this list, the Soulo mute is made of metal–specifically aluminum–so it’s light. In addition, the mute is held in place by three pieces of neoprene composite cork which are meant to let air through but also safely hold the horn in place.

In terms of features, Soulo boasts that the mute always plays in tune which can be an issue with many mutes. Likewise, the design limits backpressure, so you know it’s “easy on the chops.” Finally, the mute features a ring along the bottom, so it’s easy to stand up.

But, do the reviews hold up? Turns out, yes! For instance, one customer claimed that the mute gave them extended dynamic range. Meanwhile, another customer claimed that the mute was great in any context. Overall, I’d say the Soulo tenor trombone straight mute lives up to its claims.

#2. Protec ML106 Liberty Tenor Trombone Aluminum Mute – $$

Following closely behind Soulo is the Protec ML106 tenor trombone straight mute. According to the product description, this mute offers a lot of the same features as the Soulo including:

• Balance
• Long-lasting cork
• Limited backpressure
• Aluminum

As an added bonus, this mute comes in at just under $40 which makes it almost half the price of the Soulo mute. Of course, can Protec really make a mute just as good at that price point? Let’s find out.

While browsing through the reviews, I quickly realized that most of the reviews were for their compact practice mute. However, there were a handful of reviews for the two straight mutes (small vs. large bore). For instance, one customer claimed that the mute was excellent compared to the Humes & Berg mute they had been using.

If you get the chance, I really recommend reading the reviews because they contain a lot of great information like the mute’s note range and the mute’s susceptibility to denting.

Ultimately, I’d say this a great mute if you’re looking to save some cash but still want something of quality. Of course, it depends how often you’re going to use it, so keep that in mind.

#3. LotFancy Trombone Straight Mute, Aluminum, Light-weight – $

Of all the straight mutes in this list, this is the only straight mute I’ve seen that is marketed as a practice mute. In fact, the product description straight up states that the mute “allows you to warm up quietly and practice silently at home, no worry about disturbing your neighbors, family members or pets.” I’m not sure what that implies in terms of performance quality, so keep that in mind.

In terms of reviews, a lot of customers like this mute as advertised. For instance, one customer stated that the mute allows their son to practice without bothering people.

To be honest, I don’t love the idea of practicing with a mute because it’s nothing like the real thing. That said, if it works for you, I’d say go for it!

#4. Denis Wick DW5505 Trombone Straight Mute – $$

Unlike the FancyLot mute, the Denis Wick straight mute is meant for performance. In terms of construction, this mute is made of aluminum, but they come in many different styles including:

• Gold
• Brass
• Copper
• Synthetic
• Wood

While variety is nice, are the mutes actually any good? According to their customers, absolutely! For instance, one customer felt the mute had excellent sound in all registers. Beyond that, another customer said they loved this mute because it has a nice bright sound.

As a mid-range cost mute, I’d say this is a pretty solid deal. If you’re looking for a quality straight mute but don’t have enough money for the Soulo, this is probably the mute for you.

#5. Humes & Berg 151 Stonelined Straight Trombone Mute – $

Finally, we have a solid budget mute from Humes & Berg known as the Stonelined straight trombone mute. To be completely honest, this is the mute I use, so I decided to show it off in the featured image.

When I started college, I had to get a hold of a couple of mutes quickly. Of course, being a college kid, I never had the money for a nice mute, so I went the cheap route. Several years later, I still use this mute. It’s been through many concert bands, jazz bands, and pit orchestras, and I swear by it.

Oddly enough, a lot of other folks like this mute as well. In fact, I found one customer who has been using theirs since 1952. As another customer mentions, you just might not get a lot of mute opportunities, so why buy an expensive one?

As mentioned already, this is the mute I use, and I think it gets the job done. Unless you’re playing professionally, you can probably get by on this mute for a long time.

Summary

As with any list, this one comes with a few caveats. For one, there are a few brands that I felt should have made the cut but didn’t. For instance, Jo Ral is often well-respected, and they do a great job of marketing their work. As a result, I felt the Jo Ral straight mute deserved an honorable mention.

Likewise, I felt like there were other brands like Tom Crown that deserved a fair shake. For instance, the Tom Crown straight mute has some great reviews on Amazon.

Of course, the whole point of a list is to limit your choices a bit. If I wanted to overwhelm you, I would have just listed all mutes in existence.

At any rate, I hope you found this review valuable, and thanks for taking the time to read it. As always, respect the brass!

The post 5 Best Straight Mutes for Tenor Trombones appeared first on Trill Trombone.

As it turns out, you can get a quite a bit of value for your money. For instance, $500 will buy you a nice pBone, various F Trigger trombones, and even some solid beginner horns with loads of accessories like tuners, gloves, and cleaning kits. It’s just a matter of finding the right tenor trombone for you.

Review Criteria

One of the best ways to find out if a budget horn is right for you is to try a few out. Unfortunately, I don’t know of any places that’ll let you actually go in and try a trombone. After all, it’s kind of gross, right? Unlike with a guitar or a drum set, you have to spit into a horn to play it.

Fortunately, there’s loads of data from consumers across the internet which we can collect to make an objective decision. In particular, I used Amazon to limit my search as follows:

• Department: Trombones
• Average Customer Review: 4+ Stars
• Price Range: < $500
• Instrument Key: B♭
• Instrument Range: Tenor

From there, I sorted the trombones by average review which are listed in the following section in order.

5 Best Budget Tenor Trombones

In this section, we’ll take a look at the 5 best tenor trombones under $500. To avoid duplicates, I skipped over models that were similar—like different colored pBones.

#1. Jiggs Plastic Trombone, Blue – $

Unlike all the other trombones in this list, this one is made of plastic. As a result, it weighs just under 2 Lbs. Other than that, this horn comes with two mouthpieces, 6.5AL and 11C, and a carrying case.

In terms of verified reviews, thoughts are mixed. On one hand, some folks really like the way it looks. On the other hand, other folks didn’t care for the sound quality. Of course, a lot of people gave it a positive review just because they knew what they were getting.

All-in-all, I’d say this a pretty solid horn if you’re looking to start out. After all, it’s not a huge investment. And hey, you might just catch the music bug.

#2. Mendini MTB-31 Intermediate B♭ Tenor Slide Trombone with F Attachment – $$

For about three times the cost of a pBone, you can get a brass intermediate horn and much more. In particular, you’ll get all of the following:

• F Trigger
• Tuner (Cecilio 92-D)
• Case
• Mouthpiece (12C)
• Gloves
• Cleaning Cloth

And it’s all covered under a 1 year warranty against manufacturer’s defects.

Even better, most of the reviews are raving. For example, a lot of people were really impressed with the quality. Of course, there are always faults. For instance, one verified customer claimed the slide oil that it came with wasn’t great. All that said, most customers seemed to be quite content with the horn. Even a band director signed off on it.

Overall, if plastic isn’t your thing, this might be the horn for you.

#3. Eastar ETB-330 B♭ Tenor Trombone – $

If you’re still tight on cash but you don’t want a pBone, you can always forego the F trigger and pick up an Eastar ETB-330. In addition to the horn, you’ll get all of the following:

• Case
• Mouthpiece (7C)
• Cleaning Kit
  • White gloves
  • Short and long brushes
  • Oil
  • Joint grease

In terms of reviews, a lot of beginners were really happy: Apparently, the price was a big selling point for this horn. Despite all the praise, a few customers were concerned that the horns weren’t new.

All that said, I think this is the best horn in the list by value. If you’re a beginner looking for an affordable horn, this might be the way to go.

#4. Costzon B♭ Tenor Slide Trombone – $

Like many of the other trombones in this list, this one is targeted at beginners. As a result, it comes with plenty of accessories like:

• White gloves
• Mouth piece
• Case

In terms of reviews, many of the customers were very happy with the low barrier to entry. Of course, there were a few reviews that weren’t as nice. In particular, there appears to be some rust concerns.

That said, I think most customers would agree that the price makes up for all those issues. In other words, if you know someone just starting out, this might be the horn for them.

#5. Cecilio 3Series TB-381 Intermediate Bb Tenor Slide Trombone with F Attachment – $$$

Last but not least—and pardon the lack of a picture—we have the Cecilio 3Series TB-381 trombone. Of all the B♭ tenor trombones in this list, this one is by far the most expensive. So, what do you get? Well, here’s the breakdown:

• F attachment
• Mouthpiece (12C)
• White gloves
• Cleaning cloth
• 1 year warranty against manufacturer’s defects

All that said, what do the customers think? Unfortunately, there aren’t a ton of reviews. However, the ones that exist are four stars and up. For example, on the high end, there are several customers that bought this horn as a gift and were very happy with their purchase.

As a matter of fact, the only negative review I could find was in regards to how the product was shipped. That said, with this horn being on the high end of the budget, I think some folks felt this horn could pass off as intermediate. If you have the money, maybe this is the right horn for you.

Summary

As you can see, when you’re looking for a trombone on a budget, you can find a few diamonds in the rough. In particular, we found five solid budget B♭ tenor trombones. Up next, we’ll take a look at some intermediate horns with price points between $500 and $2000.

While your here, are you looking for a laugh? If so, check out this list of trombone jokes. They’re sure to make you laugh! And, don’t forget to respect the brass!

The post 5 Best Tenor Trombones for Musicians on a Budget appeared first on Trill Trombone.