David Monette Mouthpieces — The Most Expensive in the World, Explained

Monette mouthpieces cost between $400 and $1,500. They're made by a single craftsman — David Monette — in Portland, Oregon. They're used by some of the most respected trumpet players in the world. And they generate more controversy per dollar than anything else in the brass instrument market.

Are they genuinely better? Are they worth the price for most players? What's actually going on with the design philosophy? This guide gives honest answers.

Who Is David Monette?

David Monette is a trumpet maker and mouthpiece designer who has been building instruments in Portland since the 1980s. His philosophy is distinctive: the trumpet and mouthpiece must be designed as a unified system, not as interchangeable components. Each Monette trumpet is designed around specific mouthpiece dimensions and acoustic characteristics. Each Monette mouthpiece is designed around the acoustic properties of Monette instruments.

This system approach is the foundation of everything about Monette products — both what makes them work at their best and what makes them inappropriate for most players.

Monette's customer list includes multiple principal players in major American orchestras, several internationally recognized soloists, and a significant number of the most respected players in the classical trumpet world. This isn't promotional fiction — the professional adoption of Monette at the highest levels of the field is genuine and well-documented.

The Monette Design Philosophy

Standard trumpet design treats the mouthpiece and instrument as separate components that interact at a coupling point. The player selects from available mouthpiece options based on their preferences. The instrument is designed to work with a range of standard mouthpieces.

Monette's philosophy is different: the mouthpiece is an extension of the instrument, not an accessory. The acoustic properties of the mouthpiece — specifically the cup volume, throat diameter, and backbore taper — should be precisely calculated to match the acoustic properties of the specific instrument it pairs with.

The practical result: a Monette trumpet and its companion mouthpiece are calibrated to each other. The intonation, response, and tone production are optimized for that specific pairing. Change either component and you disrupt the optimization.

This is why Monette mouthpieces are designed for Monette instruments. Using a Monette mouthpiece on a Bach Stradivarius or Schilke trumpet gets you some of the mouthpiece's qualities, but not the full benefit of the system design. The mouthpiece is optimized for a different acoustic environment.

The Monette Naming System

Monette uses a B-series naming convention that's less intuitive than Bach or Schilke.

B-number: Rim diameter reference. Lower B-number = larger rim. B2 is larger than B4, B4 is larger than B7.

Cup suffix (S1, S2, S3): Indicates the cup volume and backbore configuration. S1 is the most open/largest cup variant, S2 is standard, S3 is more focused/tighter. These are not simply cup depth designations — they represent complete configurations of cup volume, throat, and backbore working together as a unit.

L designation: Indicates a lighter version of the mouthpiece (the main body is machined thinner). Different acoustic character from the standard weight.

SL designation: Super Light — even lighter than L. Very focused, bright tone character.

Full Monette model names look like: B4S1, B5S3, B2-LS3. The combinations are numerous and navigating them without a consultation is difficult.

Who Actually Uses Monette Mouthpieces

The most credible evidence for Monette mouthpieces is the list of players who use them consistently over long professional careers. Several players worth noting:

Ryan Anthony — former Dallas Symphony principal, used Monette for years, widely discussed his experience with them in interviews and masterclasses.

Wayne Bergeron — premier lead trumpet player in Los Angeles, uses Monette.

Multiple Chicago Symphony players — Chicago has historically had several Monette users.

The common thread: these are players at the absolute top of their profession, playing at the highest level every day, who have concluded after extensive experience that Monette serves them better than alternatives. Their assessment carries weight.

The Honest Assessment: Are They Worth It?

For players using Monette instruments: potentially yes

If you own a Monette trumpet, the mouthpiece designed for that instrument represents the full design intent of the system. Not using the companion mouthpiece leaves performance on the table.

For players on non-Monette instruments: probably not

This is where honest assessment diverges from marketing. A Monette mouthpiece on a Bach Stradivarius produces the tone characteristics of the Monette mouthpiece geometry — which may or may not suit the Bach trumpet's acoustic properties. You're using a tool designed for one environment in a different environment.

Some players do use Monette mouthpieces successfully on non-Monette instruments. But the system optimization doesn't transfer. What you're getting is the physical characteristics of the Monette geometry, not the system-optimized performance.

For developing players: no

The subtleties of Monette mouthpiece performance are most apparent at professional development levels. The characteristics that distinguish Monette from a well-chosen Schilke or GR require a level of sensitivity and playing efficiency that most developing players haven't built yet.

A student or intermediate player putting $600 into a Monette mouthpiece and playing it on a standard trumpet is making an expensive purchase for benefits they can't yet access or evaluate.

For experienced players curious about the design: worth understanding, not necessarily worth buying

Understanding Monette's design philosophy is genuinely useful for any serious trumpet player — the system approach to mouthpiece and instrument design illuminates things about acoustic relationships that standard separate-component thinking obscures. Reading about Monette, watching masterclasses where Monette players discuss their experience, is valuable.

Buying a Monette mouthpiece to try out of curiosity, without a Monette instrument and without a consultation, is an expensive experiment with uncertain results.

The Consultation Process

Monette does not sell mouthpieces off the shelf. Every Monette mouthpiece sale involves a consultation with David Monette or his team. They discuss your playing situation, your instrument, your specific demands, and your goals. Based on this they recommend a specific model.

This consultation process is itself significant. A maker who requires conversation before selling ensures that the product is appropriate for the buyer. Many expensive mistakes in the mouthpiece world come from players buying products without this kind of guided matching.

If you're seriously considering Monette, the consultation is the starting point — not browsing the catalog and picking a model number.

Monette Equivalents in Other Brands

If you're looking for the sound characteristics associated with Monette in more accessible brands:

For precise mm-based comparisons, use the Cross-Brand Comparator with Monette as the source mouthpiece.

What to Do Next

Understand the full custom mouthpiece spectrum:
→ Custom Mouthpieces — Are They Worth It?

Find more accessible premium alternatives:
→ GR Mouthpiece Guide

Compare Monette to other brands by spec:
→ Cross-Brand Comparator

Related articles: Custom Mouthpieces Guide · GR Mouthpiece Guide · Cross-Brand Comparison Guide · Best Mouthpieces for Orchestra