Terry Warburton

Terry Warburton is the President and Founder of Warburton Music Products. He started playing trumpet at the age of 14, later played trombone for ten years, and began performing professionally at a young age. Through his playing experiences, he developed a unique perspective into the needs of brass players. With nearly 50 years of experience in manufacturing brass instrument mouthpieces, Terry is known worldwide for his quality work and ingenuity.

In the early 70s, Terry became inspired to learn to make brass instrument mouthpieces while working for the Canadian music company, Long and McQuade. Determined to start his own company, he spent time observing and learning from Bob Giardinelli in New York, bought his own lathe, began making his own tools, and with the help of machinist Eric Davies learned the tricks of the trade. In 1974, with the financial support of his parents, he started his own modest mouthpiece company and music store in Toronto, Canada at the age of 24. Five years later, Bob Giardinelli hired Terry to return to New York to run Giardinelli’s mouthpiece manufacturing business. After one year, Terry was drawn back to Toronto to continue the development of his own company.

As his business grew, Terry was always thinking ahead and looking for ways to make his work more efficient and his products more consistent. Partnering with trumpeter and machinist Mike Padula, Warburton was the first mouthpiece manufacturer to employ CNC technology in the mouthpiece design process. Though Warburton was not the first to utilize a two-piece mouthpiece system, the line is the most widely used and most well-known. In fact, almost all other mouthpiece manufacturers default to using “Warburton Threads” as the standard for their own two-piece models. Over the years, Terry has worked with countless brass artists and has developed a seemingly endless range of options in standard and signature model mouthpieces for every brass instrument from cornet to tuba. In its current location in an 8,000 square-foot facility in Mims, Florida, Terry and the Warburton team utilize advanced engineering processes and state of the art machinery to manufacture mouthpieces, meeting the demands of players in almost every country in the world. With an extensive worldwide dealer network, Warburton mouthpieces are easily obtainable.

Beyond the world of brass mouthpieces, Terry has invented or had a hand in developing several developmental tools for both woodwind and brass players. While some of these tools were designed with the beginning or intermediate player in mind, advanced and professional-level players have found them very useful as well. Terry has also developed the Warburton Modular Sax Neck System: The Ultimate Sax Neck, which allows saxophone players a wider variety of configurations for more control over their sound and efficiency. The Warburton Modular Sax Neck System is so unique it holds a US patent. Terry also designed a growing line of saxophone mouthpieces both in hard rubber and metal. He’s had a long time interest in woodwind mouthpieces, and finally has had the opportunity to really develop a varied line with options for every playing style and situation.

More recently, Terry came up with a design for wooden brass mutes, now known as Warburton Woody Mutes. These beautifully handcrafted mutes are available for trumpet, trombone, and French horn in a variety of wood types. Currently, Terry is working to develop a full line of Warburton Trumpets. These horns feature the “slot receiver” that Terry invented, as well as leadpipes drawn on mandrels he designed and made himself. When he’s not working in the factory, Terry is attending conferences and industry events. He’s regularly asked to speak and present clinics about his work and products at universities and industry conferences all over the world. Never satisfied with the status quo, Terry is constantly thinking about new designs and products for the future.