Monette
David G. Monette Corporation is a Portland, Oregon manufacturer of custom, made-to-order premium brass instruments and mouthpieces serving professional trumpet and brass musicians worldwide with individually designed products combining proprietary acoustic engineering and hand craftsmanship.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1984
- HeadquartersPortland, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Monette does
David G. Monette Corporation is a Portland, Oregon-based custom manufacturer of premium brass instruments and mouthpieces, founded by David G. Monette in 1984 and operating continuously for over 40 years as a privately held company. The company produces made-to-order trumpets (RAJA, PRANA, Infinity, Tantra lines in Bb, C, Eb, and piccolo pitches), cornets, flugelhorns, the trademarked Flumpet hybrid, specialty bugles, and a broad mouthpiece portfolio spanning Unity, Prana, Resonance, Tradition PLUS, First & First Lead, and Silver Production lines. Each instrument is individually designed and built for a specific musician's musical, physical, and ergonomic requirements, combining proprietary acoustic engineering (notably the -7 rim contour and Prana cup geometry lineage) with CNC precision machining, in-house lapidary work, and hand craftsmanship.
The business model is direct-to-consumer and made-to-order: orders are placed through the company website or by phone, with shop visits at the Portland headquarters available by appointment only, and a single authorized reseller (Thompson Music in Omaha, Nebraska) handling walk-in customers. Mouthpieces retail from $199 (First/First Lead) to $385 (Unity, cornet variants), with custom inlaid finger buttons priced $600-$1,800 per set and full instruments priced materially higher (undisclosed). Lead times run 6-8 weeks. The customer base is a global long tail of professional trumpet and brass musicians across jazz, orchestral, big band, film scoring, and commercial music; notable players include Wynton Marsalis, Manny Laureano, Ron Miles, Terence Blanchard, and Itamar Borochov. The company operates with a small core team of approximately 3-5 named full-time staff, has no external investors, has never raised funding, and distributes globally with no AI/software component to the business.
Monette firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Monette
- Legal name
- David G. Monette Corporation
- Website
- https://monette.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1984
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- David G. Monette Corporation is a Portland, Oregon manufacturer of custom, made-to-order premium brass instruments and mouthpieces serving professional trumpet and brass musicians worldwide with individually designed products combining proprietary acoustic engineering and hand craftsmanship.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Monette industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Musical Instrument Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Musical Instrument Manufacturing (339992)
- SIC
- Musical Instruments (3931)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Audio Accessories & Consumables (Cables, Stands, Cases, Strings, Picks, Heads) (MPAIAJAF)
Keywords
Where Monette is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Monette business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Custom Brass Instruments: Made-to-order trumpets, cornets, flugelhorns, bugles, and flumpets. Each instrument individually designed and built for individual musicians.
- Custom Mouthpieces: Made-to-order mouthpieces including Unity, Prana, Resonance, Tradition PLUS, and First/First Lead lines. Wait time of 6-8 weeks typically.
- Custom Finger Buttons and Accessories: Custom inlaid finger buttons with precious stones, mouthpiece cases, and other accessories.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Unity Mouthpieces for Bb/C Trumpet |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Monette First & First Lead Mouthpieces |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Tradition PLUS Mouthpieces |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Unity Cornet Mouthpieces |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Custom Inlaid Finger Buttons |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Resonance XLT Lead Mouthpieces |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Monette product offering
Product offeringCore offering
David G. Monette Corporation manufactures custom-made brass instruments (trumpets, cornets, flugelhorns, bugles, and the Flumpet hybrid) and premium mouthpieces, individually designed and built for individual musicians to meet specific musical, physical, and ergonomic needs. Each instrument and mouthpiece is made-to-order with proprietary acoustic engineering, CNC precision machining, and hand-craftsmanship, supported by expert customer consultation and a 6-8 week wait time.
Product overview
David G. Monette Corporation is a custom brass instrument and mouthpiece manufacturer with 40 years of innovation. The company produces a comprehensive portfolio of premium mouthpieces and instruments. Mouthpiece offerings include the Unity line (latest generation with new rim contours), Resonance mouthpieces (available in Classic and Prana configurations), Tradition PLUS (traditional appearance with modern performance), Prana mouthpieces, First & First Lead (entry-level), and Silver Production mouthpieces. Instrument offerings span multiple trumpet configurations including RAJA (threaded integral mouthpiece), PRANA (detachable mouthpiece), Infinity, and Tantra lines, available in Bb, C, Eb, and piccolo pitches. Additional brass instruments include cornets, flugelhorns, the Flumpet hybrid, and specialty bugles. The company also offers custom inlaid finger buttons featuring semi-precious stones, custom mouthpiece cases, and Dave Monette's published book on trumpet technique. All products are made-to-order with approximately 6-8 week wait times.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Unity: Unity mouthpieces designed for use with mass-produced, non-Monette trumpets, featuring new rim contours and cup designs for improved comfort and performance.
- Resonance
- Prana
- Tradition PLUS
- RAJA
- Flumpet
Products and services
- Unity Mouthpieces
- Resonance Mouthpieces
- Prana Mouthpieces
- Tradition PLUS Mouthpieces
- Monette First & First Lead Mouthpieces
- Silver Production Mouthpieces
- RAJA Trumpets
- PRANA Trumpets
- Bb Trumpets
- C Trumpets
- Eb and Piccolo Trumpets
- Cornets
- Flugelhorns
- Flumpet
- RAJA Bugles
- Infinity Trumpet
- Tantra Trumpet
- RAJA P3Q Quarter-Tone Trumpet
- Custom Inlaid Finger Buttons
- Custom Mouthpiece Cases
Quantifiable outcome
- Players report ability to play double C and above with relative ease
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Monette
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Monette technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Monette partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Thompson Music (Omaha, NE)coreAuthorized reseller and dealer for Monette products. Thompson Music conducts in-store testing of mouthpieces and carries inventory for walk-in customers. Owner Mike Thompson actively tests and recommends Monette products.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Monette competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Curry Mouthpieces: Long-running US custom brass-mouthpiece maker (formerly Dave Curry), serving professional trumpet and trombone players with bespoke designs — directly comparable to Monette's mouthpiece-only custom-shop segment.
- GR Technologies (GR Mouthpieces): US-based custom brass mouthpiece maker founded by a former Bach/Vincent mouthpiece craftsman; competes head-to-head with Monette for professional player mouthpiece business with comparable pricing and bespoke service.
- Warburton Music Products: Independent US maker of custom brass mouthpieces and accessories offering modular systems and gold/silver plating services closely analogous to Monette's custom mouthpiece + custom accessory proposition.
- Schilke Music Products: Historically the most prominent US maker of custom and professional-level brass instruments and mouthpieces; closest historical analogue to Monette in the custom-shop brass category before its scale receded.
- Lawton Mouthpieces: UK-based custom brass mouthpiece craftsman serving professional orchestral and brass band players; comparable custom-only business model targeting the same Wynton-Marsalis-tier clientele as Monette.
Broad incumbents
- Getzen Company: US brass instrument manufacturer (custom and production trumpets including the 3000/4000 series Custom Reserve line), comparable to Monette in pro-level customization but operating at meaningfully higher volume.
- Vincent Bach (Conn-Selmer): The dominant US mass-market pro trumpet and mouthpiece brand (Bach Stradivarius line); broad incumbent serving the same professional trumpet players as Monette but at much higher production volume and lower price points.
- Yamaha (Brass Division): Global mass-market maker of brass instruments (including the Xeno and Artist-model custom trumpets); broad incumbent competing with both Monette's Unity line for mass-produced instruments and its custom shop at the pro level.
Emerging players
- Stomvi: Spanish custom brass instrument and mouthpiece maker with growing international visibility in jazz and orchestral circles; an emerging custom-shop competitor with similar go-to-market emphasis on professional endorsements.
- CarolBrass: Chinese maker offering customizable professional brass instruments (trumpets, cornets, flugelhorns) at price points below Western custom shops; an emerging player threatening Monette's mid-tier price band, especially outside the US.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Monette social profiles
Digital presenceMonette financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Monette leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Monette funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Monette M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Monette
What does Monette do?
David G. Monette Corporation manufactures custom-made brass instruments (trumpets, cornets, flugelhorns, bugles, and the Flumpet hybrid) and premium mouthpieces, individually designed and built for individual musicians to meet specific musical, physical, and ergonomic needs. Each instrument and mouthpiece is made-to-order with proprietary acoustic engineering, CNC precision machining, and hand-craftsmanship, supported by expert customer consultation and a 6-8 week wait time.
Is Monette a public or private company?
Monette is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Monette founded?
Monette was founded in 1984. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Monette based?
Monette is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Monette make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Custom Brass Instruments are the primary driver. The others are custom Mouthpieces and custom Finger Buttons and Accessories.
Who are Monette's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Curry Mouthpieces, GR Technologies (GR Mouthpieces), Warburton Music Products, Schilke Music Products and Lawton Mouthpieces. Broad incumbents are Getzen Company, Vincent Bach (Conn-Selmer) and Yamaha (Brass Division). Emerging players are Stomvi and CarolBrass.
Does Monette have an API?
No public API is recorded for Monette.
What industry is Monette in?
Monette's product category is Musical Instrument Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAJAF, Audio Accessories & Consumables (Cables, Stands, Cases, Strings, Picks, Heads). Its NAICS code is 339992 and its SIC code is 3931.