HB-1 shank size?

[willthetubaguy]

I recently purchased a Hirsbrunner HB-1 CC and I'm trying to find if it's better with a Euro or American shank?

[Tom]

Many Hirsbrunner CC tubas have a receiver (and thus shank requirement) that is actually slightly larger than Euro. I've used a Euro shank on every Hirsbrunner I've played without any apparent problems and suggest you try that first.

Of course if you have an American shank piece and a Euro shank piece on hand to try, it should be pretty obvious which one is the better fit for the tuba. Generally speaking you want the shank to go in at around an inch and not wobble around.

If you really want a Hirsbrunner shank, look for an older Tilz mouthpiece or see if you can find a Doug Elliott with a HB shank - he had them at one time. I would bet that the originally supplied mouthpiece with that tuba was a Tilz.