Yamaha Hagstrom Sig.- How many different versions out there?

[stanton]

Without going into the details of how I arrived at purchasing a new Yamaha John Hagstrom signature mouthpiece, I bought one from Mouthpiece Express last week. It came as promised, even a day sooner than expected. I know that Parke had a deal with John some time ago, but I am also aware that Yamaha began making the John Hagstrom Signature mouthpiece a few years ago.

So the Hagstrom mouthpiece came and I was very surprised that it was much different than I remembered. The rim particularly felt extremely small. Think "smaller than a 10.5c". It was also wide and very flat. Actually it's quite comfortable, holds my lips in place and is extremely articulate.

But here's the thing... My section mate has an older Yamaha Hagstrom signature and when we compared them side by side, her mouthpiece has a RADICALLY different rim. It is rounder and thinner and feels much larger in diameter.

The thing is that I like it, except that it blows very tight (supposed to have a 25 throat) and I'm thinking of getting another one with a more open throat.

SO HOW MANY DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THE YAMAHA HAGSTROM ARE THERE???? Anyone else playing on one?

TIA
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Schilke B1, Bach 37, 1969 Getzen Severinsen Eterna
Bach C 229 w Charlie Melk custom work
Getzen Eterna Cornet, Crappy old Yamaha 3valve Eb
Stanton Kramer "Signature" Mouthpiece

[BraeGrimes]

Not much to offer here, but I always thought that Hagstrom models were small (0.63" or so, which is around a 7 or so in Bach sizing). Weird that the two would be so very different, given Yamaha's policy on tolerances is very strict. I'd consider taking some measurements and, but also, I would hazard a guess that it's a fairly inexpensive mouthpiece and probably not worth returning.

[BraeGrimes]

Having said that, if I got something that wasn't what I ordered, I'd want answers! Hahaha

[brassmusician]

Is there a mouthpiece maker out there that produces consistent replicas of the same model? Probably, but the list does not include Schilke, Bach or Yamaha. Recently I had in my possession 3 Yamaha 14B4 mouthpieces - cup depth observably different by visual inspection, felt different on the lips and all played differently. Bought a second Yamaha 11F4 mouthpiece as a spare and rim is sharper, plays differently. My Schilke story involves 4 or 5 10B4 models, varying rim diameters, rim bites - each played differently. Of course everyone has stories of variability in Bach pieces. Apart from the annoying fact that you cannot reliably buy a new copy of your favourite mouthpiece, you cannot claim a certain model works or doesn't work for you based on a sample size of one. Makes the whole game more of a crap shoot that it needs to be unfortunately.
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Cannonball 789RL
Yamaha 635ST
Yamaha 16C4
Wick 2BFL

[Jerry]

On rare occasions, John Hagstrom posts here. A while back he posted what the differences were among the original Parke, first Yamaha, and more recent Yamaha designs.

Unfortunately, I don't remember his Trumpet Herald user name. Otherwise, I could easily bring up that thread for you.

Maybe another TH member remembers Mr. Hagstrom's user name here on TH.

[jaysonr]

[cheiden]

[JohnHagstrom]

There should be only two versions of my Yamaha mouthpiece. The first one was built from 2004 until 2008 and had a 26 throat. In 2008 it was changed slightly to a design I developed on my own. It now has a slightly larger back bore and a throat that should be exactly halfway between a 25 and a 26 (.1485”). The rim has never changed—unless there has been some error in the way they have been cut more recently.

If you have found mearsuable differences in their rims, please contact Bob Malone at Yamaha. They may be able to figure out what happened—or at least make sure you receive a suitable replacement! Bob’s email is:

bmalone@yamaha.com

Best wishes,

John Hagstrom