The Unity B6 family of mouthpieces (conventional 3C rim size equivalents) are our most popular all-around mouthpieces for both amateur and full-time professional players. The rim size is large enough to allow classical players to produce a full sound, while still being narrow enough to be helpful in commercial and some lead trumpet settings. Easy switching to shallower depths and lighter mouthpiece weights with the same rim make equipment changes for different musical settings seamless! All this makes these mouthpieces a great versatile size for all-around trumpet playing!
The first thing to know about all of these mouthpieces is that any Unity mouthpiece provides a more effortless upper register than most players have ever experienced before! Unity mouthpieces are the dream of every high school band director who has suffered through hearing their trumpet players struggle to play a high C in tune. These mouthpieces are also easy to switch to even when someone has never played a Monette mouthpiece before.
Start with our B6-7…
Our B6-7 is the new workhorse of our B6 family of sizes—it compares directly to the diameter and depth of most conventional 3C size mouthpieces. This size provides a dramatically easier upper register, improved response and projection, and all of the other Unity mouthpiece improvements we’ve been documenting in videos and in player testimonials for almost two years now! And beyond all these improvements in sound and response, the feel of the new “-7” rim contour provides two other advantages over conventional 3C equivalent mouthpieces: this new rim actually feels softer on the chops than mouthpieces many people have grown up playing—and at the same, time it provides even more clarity in articulation than most trumpet players have ever experienced.
The old conventional wisdom that sharp rim contours that “bite” into the lips are necessary to clean up splattery articulation is thrown firmly out the widow with these new -7 rim mouthpieces! They are softer feeling and more comfortable on the chops, increase endurance, and sound cleaner in every kind of articulation—from intense staccato to the most fluid, lyrical legato!
More Shallow B6 Variations
If you use a 3C equivalent size because you have needed help in the upper register, our slightly more shallow Unity DM6LD and DM6L models—made on a slightly lighter mouthpiece blank—offer an even easier upper register than you are used to. At the same time, they provide more stability of response and a more brilliant sound in lead trumpet settings than conventional 3C equivalent mouthpieces. The DM in the nomenclature stands for my initials, since this is what we called the first versions of these mouthpieces that I designed for myself. After having them around the shop for months, with shop visitors trying them—and preferring them to other similar sized lead mouthpieces, we decided to make them available to everyone.
Our mouthpieces with an “LD” in the designation stands for “lead-deep.” They are best for players who want a bigger sound, and/or who “bottom out” on more shallow lead mouthpieces. The “L” version is for players who prefer a more shallow cup, brighter sound, or both.
Unity lead mouthpieces are most commonly made on our standard lightweight mouthpiece blank. For the brightest possible sound and even more ease in the extreme upper register, we also make them on our extra lightweight Unity mouthpiece blank.
Unity Mouthpieces With Older-Style Rim Contour
If you play an older Monette B6 and really like that style of sharper rim, then our Unity B6, B6LD and B6L provide a matched set of B6 rim mouthpieces with all the musical qualities described above… still with seamless switching back and forth between depths of cup and mouthpiece blank weights.
How About a Mouthpiece Just a Tad Larger Than the B6 Series?
If you play a 3C equivalent size mouthpiece because it makes the high notes easier—but you’d actually like to play something just a little bigger—with a more robust sound—then our very popular Unity B4-7 is the ticket. It’s enough larger than the B6-7 to provide a larger sound and more room for your lips, but still smaller than our B2/B2-7 (conventional 1 1/4C equivalent size mouthpieces). We make two lead variations in this same rim diameter on shallower mouthpiece cups that make a seamless transition when switching from classical or all-around playing to lead work: the DM4LD and DM4L provide an instant change to a more lead/commercial sound and response.
More Traditional Looking Trumpet Mouthpieces
For those with an eye and ear for a more traditional sound and feel, our Unity Retro trumpet mouthpieces provide a more traditional look and a closer sound placement than our regular Unity mouthpieces. They are available in B6-7, B4-7 and B2-7 sizes.
Flugelhorn Options
Flugelhorn mouthpieces with these same -7 rims are our Unity flugelhorn 6-7, 4-7 and 2-7. The flugel 2-7 is preferred by some players on flugelhorn even though they play the smaller diameter 4-7 or 6-7 rim size on trumpet—since the flugelhorn is a different animal! It’s all about a larger, wider, darker and thicker sound—which a larger, wider, deeper flugelhorn mouthpiece cup provides. The common rim contours and constant pitch center acoustic advantages that these sizes provide make changing from one diameter to another unusually easy. Our flugelhorn mouthpiece clients are universally impressed with how easy it is to and play in tune up to and even above high C with a Unity flugelhorn mouthpiece!
If you have any questions about any of these mouthpiece options, our main customer relations mouthpiece expert is BJ Cord (BJ@monette.net). Every Monette employee is not only a trumpet player…they were Monette clients before they were hired at the shop! One third of our co-workers (3 full-time employees: BJ, Jeff and Jason) man the phones every day to answer your questions! 503 255 5552.
All Unity mouthpieces orders this week will be shipped with a free Monette mouthpiece case (normally $35). For online orders just click the word 'STORE' at www.monette.net.
Thanks for reading this long post!
Dave Monette