Doug Elliott shank question

[sc_curtis]

At the risk of further annoying many members of this forum, I have yet another equipment question. But, I am confident that my tuba-brethren on this forum will know the answer!

I bought my Hirsbrunner HB2 last summer (over a year ago), and the seller included the Doug Elliott mouthpiece he played it on. I never really gave it much thought, I was happy with what I had. After recently inspecting it closely, I discover that the shank has "R6H" imprinted on it. I looked it up on the Doug Elliott website, and found what a "6H" would be, but not with the "R" in front.

Does this mean its custom made, or am I missing something very obvious.

I found out what the rim and cup are, but I am curious about the shank.

Thanks,
Steve

[Tom]

R- Means the shank goes with an "R" size cup
6- Means it's a size "6" backbore
H- "Hirsbrunner" shank

Check out http://www.dougelliottmouthpieces.com for more information

[sc_curtis]

Thanks, I had not realized that the shanks are not universal. If I get a different cup, I guess I would need another shank as well.

Thanks for the clarity!