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Is a Euro shank bigger or smaller than an American shank?

How long have Euro shanks been around?

Are Euro receivers found on non-European horns?

Benefits of one shank over the other?

Doug Elliott has a pretty good classification of shank sizes on his website:

[quote]Shank sizes and tapers: (Shank should fit into the receiver 1â€

Ah, but on older British tubas, the shank was MUCH SMALLER. I played a huge Besson in high school, which was purchased new in 1972 (the same year I played it.) You could only put a Besson mouthpiece in that thing. The Vincent Bach 24 AW was too big to fit in the mouthpipe.

LoyalTubist wrote:Ah, but on older British tubas, the shank was MUCH SMALLER. I played a huge Besson in high school, which was purchased new in 1972 (the same year I played it.) You could only put a Besson mouthpiece in that thing. The Vincent Bach 24 AW was too big to fit in the mouthpipe.

Yep...Doug Elliott has those old Besson folks covered too...(as seen in the above quote I did):

S extra small, for older Besson and Boosey & Hawkes (similar to bass trombone shank)

I missed that. Senility, you know.

LoyalTubist wrote:I missed that. Senility, you know.

Oh, that's right ... I keep forgetting ...

Hey, Loyal Tubist - where did you play your Besson? My serial number dates mine to @ 1971, which would put it in the territory of a school purchase in 1972, by the time you add transportation and warehouse time. Of course it's not the same instrument, but was it a 3-valve comp instead of a 4-valve? I got lucky that when I bought mine last year all the hardware was still original and the valve block in great shape. I did have to purchase a Wick 1, NOT 1L for it, as it does have the originial receiver.

And whenever anybody else asks this question, Matt's essay should be immediately inserted, along with a comment to make sure you have your receiver measured to get the right mouthpiece, have the reciever changed only if the instrument does not have any historical or other intrinsic value otherwise, or you just can't find a mouthpiece in the particular shank size to suit, and the thread locked.

I like euro skank euph mouthpieces...
just seems to be right to me.

God forbid I ever have to get new horn, the old euro shanks are getting rare and I don't think I could afford a Willson 2900 (north american)