DE shank/cup question

Q
quiethorn
Posts: 204
Joined: Mar 24, 2018

by quiethorn »

When specing out DE mouthpieces, if the shank and cup have to match, why is the shank sold separately from the cup to begin with? For example, if you want a D cup and a 3 shank, you'd order a D3 shank, so why aren't they just sold as a single unit? Maybe it's easier to make them separately, or a cost offset by not plating the shank? Or I'm just misunderstanding how things work.
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Doug_Elliott
Posts: 4155
Joined: Mar 22, 2018

by Doug_Elliott »

It started as a way to experiment and I decided to keep doing it.

With one cup you have options of many different backbores depending on the instrument. Just another way to fine tune your setup - and it really does make a major difference.
Q
quiethorn
Posts: 204
Joined: Mar 24, 2018

by quiethorn »

[quote="Doug Elliott"]It started as a way to experiment and I decided to keep doing it.

With one cup you have options of many different backbores depending on the instrument. Just another way to fine tune your setup - and it really does make a major difference.[/quote]

Oh I see. I thought you had to order a matching shank/cup combination for them to fit together or something. I didn't realize they were interchangeable.
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Burgerbob
Posts: 6327
Joined: Apr 23, 2018

by Burgerbob »

[quote="quiethorn"]<QUOTE author="Doug Elliott" post_id="171163" time="1644522142" user_id="51">
It started as a way to experiment and I decided to keep doing it.

With one cup you have options of many different backbores depending on the instrument. Just another way to fine tune your setup - and it really does make a major difference.[/quote]

Oh I see. I thought you had to order a matching shank/cup combination for them to fit together or something. I didn't realize they were interchangeable.
</QUOTE>

They're compatible within cup sizes. All C+ and D cups fit all the D shanks, for instance.
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BGuttman
Posts: 7368
Joined: Mar 22, 2018

by BGuttman »

You can even mismatch shanks and cups, although you may not like the result. Shank length is matched to cup length so a wrong shank can make the mouthpiece play out of tune, even though the pieces screw together.

But having separate shanks and cups is useful. For example, I have an LT E cup that I use with an E2 shank on a small bore, an E4 shank on a Bach 36, and an E8 shank on a large bore.