Tom Crown piccolo trumpet wah-wah mute

Tom Crown, a professional trumpeter for over forty years, many with the Lyric Opera Orchestra of Chicago, produced his first trumpet straight mute in 1968.

The series of mutes for orchestral brass instruments which followed was quickly adopted by orchestras around the globe.

Since 2019 the complete manufacturing process has been carried out at the company’s own modern factory in Chicago.

Extending tube ('ET') mutes, also known as harmon mutes (after their first producer Paddy Harmon) originated in the Chicago ballrooms of the 1920s, and produce a hallmark 'wah-wah' jazz sound exemplified in the performances of Miles Davis. A cork collar seals the gap between mute and bell, directing the sound through the mute's body which has an adjustable 'stem' (an 'extending tube' with a small cup on the end of it) to further vary the tone colours that can be achieved. ET mutes are made of metal and have varying shapes, including the bulbous so-called 'bubble' mute.

Also available in the Tom Crown trumpet mute range:

* Suitable for B-flat or C trumpet