Changing mouthpiece shank size

[bort]

I probably already know the answer to this question....

But can a Euro shank mouthpiece be modified to be a standard shank? I'm imagining the answer to be "yes, but..." and that it would take some decent amount of surgery, and/or requiring replating of the shank. And by that point, why bother? Just buy another with the correct shank size.

My Thein RCC mouthpiece is Euro shank. I like it a LOT, either because it's a nice mouthpiece or because it's what I've grown used to over the years (or both). But I do like it more than anything else I've used recently. Problem is, my Alexander is fitted with a standard receiver. It works pretty well as-is, but I do seem to notice better overall response from the standard shank mouthipeces I've used in the tuba than the Euro shank mouthpieces.

My other idea had been to install a Dillon AGR on my tuba, which is a fine solution. However, seeing as how I may have caught my "white whale" tuba here, I'm highly reluctant to do any sort of modifications to it.

Thanks!

[tbonesullivan]

Could you have the mouthpiece converted to a screw shank system?

[bort]

Thanks, Joe.

Sounds like reordering the right thing might be more beneficial. Maybe I could try the heavy version then, too!

[A.N.Other]

A trombone player of our local wind band did exactly that (changing the shank size) for our old tuba player (then in his seventies) how just could play properly on one special mouthpiece (which still had a kaiser shank and did not fit to the euro shank instrument he played then) and who did not want to change anymore. Our trombone colleague had access to the mechanical repair workshop of the company where he worked. They took the shank size of my Bobo Symphonic and copied that on a lathe to the other mouthpiece which I preserve until today after my tuba colleague finally retired. It worked well.

Best regards
Thomas

[Art Hovey]

Trimming down the shank diameter is pretty easy if you have access to a lathe. You just wrap a strip of leather around the rim to protect it from the jaws of the chuck. Plating the shank after the operation seems kind of silly, since the plating wears off quickly after use in a tuba. Doug Elliot's shanks come in raw brass, and they look fine to me.