Hammond Mouthpiece Specs

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Trombola2112
Posts: 61
Joined: Oct 05, 2022

by Trombola2112 »

Was considering trying a Hammond for my small bore and was curious on the difference between the S & M cups. Also, is the skeletonized bank worth considering vs the standard. I've only used more standard pieces, so I know little on more lightweight pieces.
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MalecHeermans
Posts: 141
Joined: Apr 23, 2018

by MalecHeermans »

Of course this is all subjective, but the S cup felt too shallow for me. I also wasn't wild about the light blank.
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Trombola2112
Posts: 61
Joined: Oct 05, 2022

by Trombola2112 »

[quote="MalecHeermans"]Of course this is all subjective, but the S cup felt too shallow for me. I also wasn't wild about the light blank.[/quote]

In what way did you find it too shallow?
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dukesboneman
Posts: 935
Joined: Apr 02, 2018

by dukesboneman »

FRom what I understand, Not alot of difference between S & M cups

I have a 6S and concidering getting a M cup

I agree The Light weight cup doesn`t work as well and I don`t like the look
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Trombo
Posts: 143
Joined: Dec 11, 2020

by Trombo »

S cup is shallower than M but has a U shape, and M has a V shape. For me, S is much more convenient than M. Your preferences may vary.
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Finetales
Posts: 1482
Joined: Mar 23, 2018

by Finetales »

I've actually never played a standard blank Hammond small shank piece, only the skeletonized blank (of which I've owned a couple). 13M is a really nice do-everything small piece, 11M is good for 3rd parts and the like.
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BrianJohnston
Posts: 1165
Joined: Jul 11, 2020

by BrianJohnston »

I have played a 12s which I liked. Never really had a use for the "M" cup, but I really like all of Karl Hammond's mouthpieces in both blanks, although I prefer the standard blank a tad more than the light blank.
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muschem
Posts: 372
Joined: Jan 17, 2021

by muschem »

I have a set of Hammond pieces that I had threaded for my Doug Elliott XT rims by Bob Reeves shop. They started as 10-sized pieces, and my XTN102.5 rim was a pretty close match for most of them. A couple of the smaller pieces had to be adjusted slightly to match the rim. I have the ML and M in both large and small shank, but I most often use:

  • Large shank, standard blank 10ML on .547
  • Small shank 10M on .525
  • 10S on .500 and .508
  • 10XS on alto
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MalecHeermans
Posts: 141
Joined: Apr 23, 2018

by MalecHeermans »

[quote="Trombola2112"]<QUOTE author="MalecHeermans" post_id="217950" time="1692301517" user_id="3128">
Of course this is all subjective, but the S cup felt too shallow for me. I also wasn't wild about the light blank.[/quote]

In what way did you find it too shallow?
</QUOTE>

In the usual way. I've found over the years that, being asked to play in many different situations, I like to have one sort of middle ground mouthpiece for each horn so I can fine tune the sound myself. Then I have maybe a smaller sounding one and a bigger sounding one for the moments when I have to play something a little outside of my norms. The Hammond S, to me, is a specialist mouthpiece. Something you might use when playing alto trombone, or on a very small bore tenor. That sound never really spoke to me. I also just find it physically uncomfortable and, over the years, I've found that comfort trumps sound. Again this is all personal and part of a long long journey in playing, so you may have different tastes. Fine!