Ullvén Mutes for Trumpet & Trombone

About Ullvén Mutes

For over half a century, Ullvén & Co has been recognized as one of the top brands for mutes. Their mutes are renowned for their exceptional quality and have been appreciated and used by leading professional brass musicians. The company has an impressive history of working with famous trumpet players, including Dizzy Gillespie and Maynard Ferguson, who even contributed to the development of new Ullvén mutes.

Sadly, production of these extraordinary mutes ceased at the turn of the millennium, but now, almost 20 years later, trumpeter Lasse Lindgren has proudly resurrected the brand. Each Ullvén mute is handcrafted using the same specifications, tooling, and materials as the originals. This means that you can expect the same high level of quality and sound that made Ullvén & Co one of the most revered names in the business.

So if you're looking for a mute that's not only made with the utmost care and precision but also carries a rich history of excellence and innovation, look no further than Ullvén Mutes. Try one for yourself and experience the outstanding craftsmanship and superior sound that only a Ullvén mute can provide.

Ullvén Mute History

In 1946, Gunnar Ullvén (1902 - 1989) founded a successful music business and instrument production in the small town of Uddevalla on Sweden's west coast. Through collaboration with professional musicians, Ullvén developed and manufactured cymbals, drumsticks, Popy valve lubricant, and mutes for brass instruments. However, his breakthrough moment came on May 20th, 1958, when Ullvén met world-famous trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie and Roy "Little Jazz" Eldridge at the jazz club Nalen in Stockholm. They had just performed at the Stockholm Concert Hall with "Jazz at the Philharmonic." Gillespie was so impressed with Ullvén's trumpet mutes, made in chrome-plated copper, that he decided to use them exclusively.

Ullvén and Gillespie struck an agreement that the mutes would bear his name and be synonymous with his "Be-Bop Sound" for the remainder of his illustrious career. In 1993, Ullvén was posthumously awarded "The Polar Music Prize" in Stockholm, and Wynton Marsalis accepted it on his behalf. Ullvén's legacy lives on through his commitment to excellence and his revolutionary impact on the music industry.

Maynard Ferguson

In 1971, Swedish mute maker Gunnar Ullvén attended a concert by the renowned bandleader and trumpeter Maynard Ferguson in Gothenburg, Sweden. He brought along some of his mutes for Mr. Ferguson to try, and the whole brass section of his orchestra was impressed with the mutes' superior quality. Maynard was also pleased with them and agreed to put his name on them.

Ullvén began producing the mutes in various colors, but the aluminum ones always bore the slogan "As Played by Maynard Ferguson." These mutes became top-sellers in the music industry and solidified Ullvén's reputation as one of the world's leading mute makers with a signature sound.

In 1990, Dizzy Gillespie gave his friend Maynard Ferguson one of his own Ullvén Chrome Plated Copper Bebop mutes - the last one he owned. Maynard loved this mute and used it frequently. As an interesting aside, in 1992, the Maynard Ferguson Band played a show in Detroit where Maynard performed, and his band backed up Al Hirt, Dizzy Gillespie, and Billy Eckstine.