American to Euro shank mouthpiece sleeve?

[MartyNeilan]

Does an American to Euro shank mouthpiece sleeve adapter still exist? I vaguely remember hearing about them many, many years ago. I imagine they would probably be very thin and fragile.

[Worth]

Although I can't answer that specifically, I do have an analogous situation with my 15" bell B&H Eb which has an American shank receiver. When I bought it, the original owner (enroute to becoming a pro) remarked that it responded best with a British shank piece, so as to not go flat in the upper range. He included the original (unattached) British receiver in a bag. Listening to his recommendation, I've had the same piece of teflon tape ($.99 roll at Home Depot) like forever wound on the shank of my Wick 2 (British shank). It stays clean and fits perfectly in the American shank receiver without overinsertion. The horn absolutely responds beautifully through extremes of range with the resultant gap and airflow dynamics. Plus, like with your situation, keeping the existing receiver allows for more MP flexibility. As we wait for the answer to your question, any drawbacks to doing this?

[Mark]

Does an American to Euro shank mouthpiece sleeve adapter still exist? I vaguely remember hearing about them many, many years ago. I imagine they would probably be very thin and fragile.

Wessex used to sell these. I don't know if they still do. Contact them.

[sugawi]

I don’t think Wessex sells it anymore. About 5 months ago I have contacted them via PM and directly through their website about this item and no one replied. I found it on their Facebook page post from 2015 but their actual website doesn’t show that it is for sale currently by itself.

https://m.facebook.com/WessexTubas/post ... 0891897172

The new Wessex Tuba mouthpiece adaptor is a handy tool to fit an American shank mouthpiece into European shank receiver without it going too far in.
Also we have found on some tubas use of the shank actually improves response, even if not required to correct shank size. In our own range we have found that with both the Luzern and Excelsior.
Now available from Wessex Tubas in USA and UK

But their CHIEF version of tuba mouthpiece current page shows that this adapter still available:
https://wessex-tubas.com/products/chief ... iece-chief

Fitted with an American shank, an adapter for use in European shank receivers is also available (and actually improves response on some tubas).

Good luck with your hunt and let us know what you can find out.

[bort]

You could get a Dillon AGR... Slightly more intrusive to install it, but it's kind of a neat gadget

[Levaix]

Wessex sold me an adapter when I contacted them directly. Tbh if you have a very large Euro receiver the adapter might bottom out... Mine was right on the line of "is this actually fitting all the way?"

Also, if you manage to get one, they are aluminum. Several members here advised me to err on the side of caution and not leave it on a mouthpiece when not in use.

[Donn]

Sure seems like there ought to be a do-it-yourself option. For those who don't like teflon tape and that sort of thing and like metal better, it seems to me I've seen brass foil at the local hardware store. There'd be lots, enough to make a few for practice. If I have the dimensions right, the finished thickness is around 0.005 inches at the most, which happens to be a commonly available stock thickness. That wouldn't allow for any overlap, so it would be maybe a little more challenging to get a satisfactory seam.

But you could make up as many as you want, leave them on the mouthpieces that need them, replace them when they inevitably succumb to the vicissitudes of being only 0.005" thick, etc.

[Donn]

It's not my problem - my receivers are all right, and when I've wanted to deal with a mismatch I just used any plastic wrap or piece of plastic bag was handy - but I sure wouldn't use aluminum. Aluminum, brass and moisture seems like a bad combination, I have never been able to solder or braze aluminum worth a damn, and I just don't like the stuff. What you want is brass from an old York bell that has been melted down and made into foil.

[timothy42b]

I've had the same piece of teflon tape ($.99 roll at Home Depot) like forever wound on the shank of my Wick 2 (British shank).

Same here. I had a large shank trombone mouthpiece shaved down to fit a European style euphonium receiver. When I needed to use it on a large shank horn I wrapped with Teflon tape. I expected to periodically replace it but it lasted years.