Small shank equivalent

[Tubaburger]

Just bought an old boosey & hawkes/besson Eb that I really enjoy playing, and I'm looking for a small shank mouthpiece that is similar to a Denis Wick 3sl or a Laskey 30c, but I haven't seen any options for small shank anywhere. I know I can get a 3 small shank wick, or a 4 or 5, but I'm looking for more of a cup shape (without necessarily going too small a rim size) like those previously mentioned. Any thoughts?

[Tubaburger]

Neat. I use a sellmansberger symphony on my CC and love it. I'll browse the website immediately!

[ghmerrill]

If it's a small Eb, the Wick 3 may be too big. It is for my Buescher. I'm using a Wick 5.

For smaller, or more bowl-shaped mouthpieces, look at the Wick bass trombone mouthpieces such as the 2AL, 1AL, 0AL, 00AL. The shanks are almost identical with the small European tuba mouthpiece. A Schilke 60 actually worked okay for me, but you don't get much of a tuba sound with it. The Wicks would be better.

Bach has a contrabass trombone mouthpiece (Hickey's has it) that may fit as well. But I found it to be way to big.

[Bob Kolada]

I find even big bass trombone mouthpieces to be too small for small-medium Eb's. If you really want something small contrabone mp's are better, and no shallower than an A cup at that. I like the Josef Kliers, though I still find they do a better "pocket contra" in a bass trombone (get the 2C!) than anything in most tubas.

[iiipopes]

Mike Finn a few years ago did a batch of MF4's with a small shank. I don't know if he has any left.

[J.c. Sherman]

First, you may want to consider replacing the receiver. I played for 20 years on my small receiver, and did love it, but the number of mouthpiece options was small on my Imperial.

Yamaha makes good, comparable receivers. My Allied book also still lists a larger receiver for the BBbs and those work quite well.

I used a Miraphone C4 (TU 23) for all those 20+ years; it really works well. But, once I moved to large (normal) shank, I moved first to a Yamaha Self, and then to a Yamaha CB. I swear, that damn mouthpiece can do everything well on anything. At any rate, that's what I use now. And Imperial is NOT a small Eb; it merely has a small diameter bell rim, but the throat is NOT small; neither is the rest of the beast.

I'll bet blokes mouthpiece would work well as well.

J.c.S.

P.S. The Wick 3 (not the XL or L) should work fine as well if you don't like gigantic diameter mouthpieces.

[opus37]

If you know someone who knows what they are doing, you can also have the current receiver drilled out. Sometimes it is hard to find a receiver that fits these old horns. I had that done and it works just fine. If you do that you have access to the wide variety of American shank mouthpieces. Alternately, if you have a mouthpiece that you like for the horn, you can have that turned down to fit. I tried the Sellsmanberger Imperial and give it 2 thumbs up.

[Dean E]

If you know someone who knows what they are doing, you can also have the current receiver drilled out. Sometimes it is hard to find a receiver that fits these old horns. I had that done and it works just fine. If you do that you have access to the wide variety of American shank mouthpieces. Alternately, if you have a mouthpiece that you like for the horn, you can have that turned down to fit. I tried the Sellsmanberger Imperial and give it 2 thumbs up.

A taper reamer is used, not a drill. And a reamer having the exact taper would have to be borrowed or bought.

Turning down the mouthpiece taper would only be done if the mouthpice had a small backbore. If there is a big backbore, you don't have enough stock and end up with a stubby, knife-edged mouthpiece.

[J.c. Sherman]

You can actually trim the end off after or before turning a mouthpiece shank down. That's how Dick Akright (sp?) did mine. Plays great.

[iiipopes]

It's not just the shank that is at issue in this thread. It's the cup depth, as set forth in the OP's initial post. The MF4 with the small shank would do well, if Mike has any left. Otherwise, the OP would have already purchased a Wick 3 and been done with it.

[J.c. Sherman]