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Folks....I just returned from Chicago, where I needed to take care of some visa business so that I can get into Greece, where I will be spending the next four months teaching and playing at Ionian University on the island of Corfu.

On my way in, I stopped in to see my good friend Fred Powell, designer of the Conn V-1 and former head of the brass division of Conn/Selmer. He had told me that he was sharing a space with Karl Hammond of Hammond Design. When he was working with Schilke, Karl made a custom/copy mouthpiece that I LOVE and have been using for the last five years. I had plans of just stopping in to see the space, hang with Fred and Karl and take care of my business at the Greek Consulate.

What a great location! Out the back door of their shop is the Metra train's Downers Grove/Belmont stop....easy access to and from downtown. I didn't need to drive downtown, I just hopped the train.

Fred allowed me to play his own personal "Powell Signature" and I was knocked out to say the least. Even blow from top to bottom, solid core,
slots all in line, full of color in any register and usable in any situation....good thing since Fred plays in many different projects in Chicago, from a wind ensemble and brass quintet to a working big band. Killin'!

Curiosity got the best of me, and I asked to try a few of Karl's stock mouthpieces. Fred knows my playing and equipment well and brought in a couple of Karl's pieces, whose diameter would match up well with the copy that Karl had previously made for me. Make no mistake, Karl's custom had done everything that I had asked of it in the last five years, but I put the 5MLX in, played a few notes and was struck by the response and color possibilities. I lost nothing in the core sound, but gained response and ease of playing...the sound lit up the room with much less exertion on my part. My concern was the rim shape, which was very different than what I have played for years. Karl put my custom on a lathe, along with the 5MLX, used his self-made laser tracer to shape the rim of his mouthpiece to match my custom, tweaked, degreased and cleaned the piece, I put it in my horn (and Fred's horn), played a few notes, and I was "home". I walked into the shop with no thoughts of a new piece or horn. I walked out with a Hammond Design 5MLX with my rim at a VERY reasonable price, as well as plans to save my nickels and dimes to get a Powell Signature trumpet when I return from Greece.

You folks should know that I have been playing Fred's designs since his time with UMI/Conn and Conn/Selmer, but this new horn is something very different. His design without the constraints of corporate America.
He will be making horns at many different price points, so he is keeping everyone in mind with his designs.

Just wanted to spread the word on this new partnership....just what I was waiting for, and I suspect very interesting to many on this forum.

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B Sandy
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