Balu MutesThere are those who say that Balu Mutes are the best horn straight mutes in the world. They are certainly beautiful, being made of such materials as mahogany, walnut, and python skin (!). You may order them hand-painted as well. About $140.
BrassArts - Alteri gig bags; leather guards, straps, mouthpiece pouches. BrassArts has one of the best selections of horn mutes around, including: Ion Balu mutes, Moosic straight mute, TrumCor (many models), Tom Crown stop mutes, Humes and Berg, and Best Brass.
Fast Mute Changes - video tip (in WMV format) on how to switch to a mute very quickly - by Ricardo Matsinhos
Woodstop Mutes - A stopping mute made of wood. No web site. Contact Kevin Warren: woodstopmutes@sbcglobal.net
Dani Reynolds Custom Painted Mutes
Dani Reynolds is a creative music man-for-all-seasons. Among his creations is a mute-painting service. Contact him to discuss the details of what you would like your transform your current mute into, or leave it to his imagination to come with something amazing and unique.
John Kowalchuk - Canadian, John Kowalchuk, makes beautiful hand-crafted mutes and ‘baggage compartments.’
Very quiet practice mute; the electronics make you sound normal to yourself through headphones (though the feel is different). There is also and Aux In for the possibility of playing along with CDs.
TrumCor Mutes - black mutes in various styles and sizes. Tunable.
Marcus Bonna straight
mute. Rittich style, made of wood and
fiberboard. Available from Pope Repair.
Horn Guys - large selection of all kinds of mutes at hornguys.com: Stopping mutes by Tom Crown, Humes & Berg, Best Brass Non-Transposing stop mute; straight mutes by Humes & Gerg, Joral, Denis Wick, Wallace Collection, Bremner Sssshhh Practice Mute (from Australia), Trumcor, and a Cronkhite mute pouch.
Thompson Edition
Thompson Edition is one of the more attractive web sites around with high quality items for sale to match, including cases for horns and mutes, mouthpieces, and sheet music (50,000 titles). Free worldwide shipping (with a flat handling fee of $3.95).
Vintage Mutes is an interesting site, a labor of love by Kid Dutch. “Mutes actually go back a long way, maybe even to King Tut. The first mention in writing of mutes was in 1511, in Giorgio Vasari's biography of Piero di Cosimo,although the mute is such a basic principal it must have been in use for centuries before. Monteverdi, in 1607 used mutes for the first time in a written musical score, in the Toccata preceding l'Orfeo.” Categories include Mute History, Mute Classification, Virtual Museum, Buy/Sell Mutes, Appraisal Services, Mute Manufactuers, Patents, Links, and more. Check out "Just Plain Weird Mutes" in the Virtual Mute Museum.