Our all-new, 2007 PRANA C trumpets are here! These instruments represent a whole new chapter in the evolution of Monette C trumpets - and the difference can be felt and heard in the first few notes you play. With field-testing over the last two years by some of the best orchestral and chamber players we work with in Europe, Scandanavia and the United States, we are excited to announce that these designs are now ready for all of our clients. The new tooling we have developed o

An All-star concert at the Monette shop starts out the new year - and great players with new Prana C and Bb trumpes rattled the walls! By Mike Thompson Last December I received a call from Dave Monette to see how I was doing with my new Prana 1 C Trumpet (SN 2090). As I was expressing my delight with this new horn Dave mentioned that he was building new Prana trumpets for Urban and Joakim Agnas from Stockholm, and they were planning to come to Portland in January to take deli

In the past you may have seen our custom inlaid fingerbuttons that we have made for our presentation decorated instruments, made in conjunction with Portland goldsmith/designer Tami Dean. We are excited to announce that these beautiful, inlaid fingerbuttons are back - and they are finally available for both old and new Monette instruments of any model and vintage! It is important that the fingerbuttons we inlay are the correct weight and configuration for the model and vintag

Charles Schlueter recently retired from the Boston Symphony - and he will surely be missed. Charlie's sound, personality and approach to playing allowed him a wider range of expression than most of us had ever dreamed of hearing in an orchestra or anywhere else! As Doc Severinsen recently put it, "this is truly the end of an era." For some of Charlie's thoughts on the orchestral world, please refer to his remarkably insightful article on orchestral auditions found in our Summ

Ron Miles came by our shop in January to play a private concert for us, and a group of us helped him celebrate the release of his new double album. The double album consists of the first CD, STONE, recorded on his decorated presentation RAJA NIRVIKALPA SAMADHI, and the second CD, BLOSSOM, recorded on his 900 Series PRANA Bb CORNET. The reviews have been glowing, including two recent write-ups in the New York Times. Dave Monette: Please tell us about the new double CD! Ron Mil

Slap mouthpieces are very popular! The response to our new "SLAP" mouthpieces has been more positive than we had ever expected! Players love how easy they are to play and how great they sound on them. Over the phone and through E-mails with clients, same few questions come up over and over from players wanting to know more about them... so here are the most frequently asked questions that we hear concerning "SLAP" mouthpieces, with answers by Dave Monette. SLAP MOUTHPIECE NEW

Our good friend and client Phil Snedecor is one of the busiest performer/writer/arranger/educators we know! In addition to a very busy schedule as first call sub with many of the best orchestras and chamber groups around the Washington D.C./Baltimore area, he is also a driving force behind the Washington Symphonic Brass, one of the premier brass groups in America today. For Phil's full biography, CLICK HERE. The Washington Symphonic Brass and their new CD was written up in a

Dave Monette and Patrick Hession found themselves in the shop after hours one evening last summer trying to come up with something unique and fun to be able to show Maynard at the upcoming recording session in New York. Sometimes a simple joke can ease the stress and pressure of a demanding studio date, and Maynard always loved practical jokes. As it turned out, that session was Maynard’s last record date. So during Patrick’s shop visit just prior to the recording session, Da