TromboneChat

Which harmon-style mute is more commonly used, the Jo-Ral bubble or the Denis Wick "extending tube mute"? I wound up with one of each and will be only keeping one, as in over 30 years I'm not sure that I have ever needed one at all.

Keep the jo-ral

I play the Jo-Ral, and found Wick to be more difficult and not as responsive.

It's fantastic fun to use a harmon in combo playing!

...while it's much underrated as an effect for a Big Band section.

The Ullvén Popy mute is what you want:

https://trumpetmouthpiece.com/collectio ... 8744895582

https://trumpetmouthpiece.com/collectio ... h-wow-mute

This is the best sounding, most compact Harmon style mute you can get. It sounds great with the cup stem replaced with the stem inserts, too, for that "rainy city streets" sound. And it stays in the bell.

I purchased a 3D-printed Tenor Trombone "Wah-Wah/Harmon-Style" Mute from Steve Trapani:
http://www.trapanimutes.com/available-mutes.html
mostly because I had hoped that I'd have an excuse to use it. It looks really cool (black body with red stem). Light weight. Easy to use. Sounds good to my uneducated ears. But I've not yet had a chance to play it in public (just pulled it out, unasked, at a few rehearsals). Still glad that I bought it though.

I second the Trapani Harmons. I bought one for my Bass trombone. Great sound and it weighs almost nothing.
Now I use a Harmon alot on Tenor trombone, for sound effects in solos or when performing in a more "Avant Gard" situation. I have tried many of these type of mutes and the Jo Ral is by far the best I`ve tried. It has the most "color" options.
Here`s an interesting model - It`s a "plastic" harmon by Selmer. Not many of these around. Really different sound. Very dark