Marcinkiewicz shank size

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Kirley
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Marcinkiewicz shank size

Post by Kirley »

Hey.
I've got a Marcinkiewicz H1 that I bought used from someone here on TubeNet a while back. It's an Oregon made one. I love it. But the shank size is just a bit smaller than I'd like. It fits my older King 2341 fine. But it bottoms out (doesn't seat) on Conn sousaphone bits. Even newer ones that aren't all stretched out yet. It also bottoms out on an old King tuba, maybe from the 20s, that I play at a weekly rehearsal.

I don't see any shank size options on their website. Is it possible they run a tad smaller than American? Do I have an anomaly? I really like it and wish I could use it on my sousaphones and that King but I can't unless I use some teflon tape or some other shimming material, which I'd really rather not have to do.

Anybody else have a similar experience? If I order a new one from them, any chance it'll be different (larger)?

Thanks!
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Donn
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Re: Marcinkiewicz shank size

Post by Donn »

I bought several H series a ways back, probably more than 10 years ago? The shanks are common American size, and there's plenty of shank sticking out from my Conn sousaphone. Schilkes and old Conns tend to be a hair larger, but you'd hardly notice. Someone at Marcinkiewicz could probably speak more definitively to this - if you hear anything interesting from them, let us know!
TheGoyWonder
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Re: Marcinkiewicz shank size

Post by TheGoyWonder »

It's the conn bit. They don't hold a normal (any??) mouthpiece. They are junk.
You can use Olds bits instead. They work the same as Conn bits: they accept a mouthpiece, and they accept each other. If the gooseneck doesn't accept an Olds bit you can use one Conn bit and one Olds bit.
Kirley
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Re: Marcinkiewicz shank size

Post by Kirley »

Huh. That’s an interesting idea.
I’ve used probably a dozen different types of mouthpieces with Conn bits. I agree that they’re not the best available but I haven’t had this particular problem.

I will look into an Olds bit, though. Thanks for the tip.
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Re: Marcinkiewicz shank size

Post by Dan Bradley »

I know a lot of west coast players used Marcinkiewicz and also used Mirafones in the 70's. My 1974 Miraphone 186 has a receiver that is slightly smaller than the average American receiver, so regular American shanks stick out a bit farther than is preferable. Apparently, it only had this leadpipe for a year or two. I'm wondering if the Marcinkiewicz that you have might be geared towards that slightly smaller receiver. I have struggled to find mouthpieces that fit just right on this horn.

Dan B.
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Donn
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Re: Marcinkiewicz shank size

Post by Donn »

I just happened to have a good dial caliper next to a pile of mouthpieces, so I took the shank end diameter of a Marcinkiewicz H4. It was .520 inches - as we understand it, the standard American shank size.
Tuba mouthpiece shank sizes, a description.

However --- it developed after measuring a few more mouthpieces, that the way we understand it may be more of a myth, and Marcinkiewicz and my Kellyberg may be the only mouthpieces in my possession that actually meet that standard. Everything else was larger. Unfortunately, most of them weren't round enough to say with any accuracy. My Faxx fhb is .524, Denis Wick 2L .526, both old Dillon mouthpieces and a Schilke-Helleberg are .530. The other Schilkes appear to be around .530, Conns maybe a little less.

But like I say, it fits everything.
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iiipopes
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Re: Marcinkiewicz shank size

Post by iiipopes »

.520 is the traditional "standard" American size (OK, the Bach manual says .519). It seems that over the last couple of decades that, just like bore sizes have increased on several brass instrument families, the tip size of tuba mouthpieces is migrating towards .530 as a new defacto "standard," so tuba manufacturers don't have to manufacture, or at least ream their receivers, two different shank sizes for their American and European markets.
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Donn
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Re: Marcinkiewicz shank size

Post by Donn »

I can't guess the dates for my Schilkes, but one of them is shaped like a Conn Improved Precision, if that tells you anything - not real recent, I suppose. I have a Conn 3 and Conn 1 Precision, before Improved Precision (no step in at the top of the shank), and they would both have to be .530. It's plausible that some manufacturers may have stepped up their shank sizes (and receiver sizes), but this has been going on with Conn and Schilke back to the '40s. Don't have any Bachs.
Kirley
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Re: Marcinkiewicz shank size

Post by Kirley »

I just put the caliper to it. I get .5185 for my H1.

For reference I checked a few others I had laying around.
MF3 .528
Bloke Symphony $ .5235
Bloke Symphony P .5345
James New Conn 1 copy (from Donn) .530
Martin 33 .528

It's definitely the smallest one I've got laying around. And I could've told you that without the calipers but it's good to have numbers.

I guess I'll reach out to Marcinkiewicz and check with them. Thanks, guys.
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Donn
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Re: Marcinkiewicz shank size

Post by Donn »

I suppose, since you don't mention Burbank vs Oregon, they're about the same. Good stuff, this is the kind of thing that should go in the special archives.
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