Jo-Ral Trombone Bubble Aluminium

Jo-Ral mutes are always top quality. This one is no different. The Jo-Ral Trombone Bubble mute in aluminium is a beautiful, sturdy mute with a great sound and design. It is incredibly small for a wah-wah trombone mute, which makes it very practical for transportation. The sound goes to the brighter side of spectrum, as expected from a small mute. One commentator mentioned that its small size implies that one must play the "wah-wah" with the trombone bell supported on the wrist. That is true, but contrary to the commentator, I find that position more comfortable and safer than supporting the trombone by the mute itself. My only criticism is that the cork pad could be a bit softer and thicker, so that the mute could fit easier different types of bells. Fitting the bell is a big problem for all wah-wah mutes, no matter if trumpet or trombone. Many wah-wah mutes have a high risk of detaching from the instrument and falling on the ground, and the Jo-Ral wah-wah mute is no exception. A few mute makers have therefore tried to replace the traditional cork pad with softer synthetic foam (like EVA foam or similar), but the results are not satisfactory: the foam pad does reduce the risk of the mute detaching from the bell, but it is too thick and soft, making the mute unstable (which is a problem for hand-operated mutes like the wah-wah mute. Besides, the foam pads deteriorate much faster than the cork (a well-cared cork pad can resist several decades of intensive use). Thus, all in all, the Jo-Ral Trombone Bubble mute in aluminium is an excellent, bright-sound wah-wah mute.

Dieser Dämpfer überzeugt durch seine leichte Ansprache in allen Lagen.
Er ist sehr gut verarbeitet und wiegt nicht viel, was das Haltegefühl fast nicht verändert. Die Glocke ist leicht zu greifen, jedoch drückt der Schalltrichter auf die Pulsadern, weil der Dämpfer hinter dem Schallstück etwas kleiner ausfällt, als seine Konkurrenten. Das macht sich aber auch erst bei längerem Spiel bemerkbar und ist ja auch immer anatomisch bedingt.
Die Intonation ist in allen Lagen gut und der Wah-Wah-Effekt kann sich auch sehen lassen, wenn er auch nicht ganz so präzise rüber kommt.