Posted by bloke on March 04, 2004 at 23:24:16:
In Reply to: Re: euro shank euph mouthpieces, etc. F. S. posted by Inquiring Mind on March 04, 2004 at 08:39:53:
I ain't no major name, and I sure ain't no fancy euphonium player - just a doubler who can get a pretty good sound and usually mash the right buttons.
There is one particular Besson "euro" shank euphonium that comes to mind (' belongs to my Alma Mater)...It has a hopelessly low Eb (third space)...but I don't blame it on the "euro" shank. Actually - come to think of it - I put a YEP-321 small shank on that instrument for the school quite a few years ago (at their request)...same horrid Eb, and no other intonation changes.
I just converted my Willson 2900 (factory "euro") to "large" shank a few months ago, and absolutely no intonation tendencies were changed (same ol' Willson "flat" tuning note - top-o'-staff Bb and A). I simply changed shanks so that I could more easily buy different mouthpieces to use with it for different applications.
As to whether the mouthpipes are different...I dunno. I currently have in stock a 70's "large shank" Besson 4V comp and a 60's "euro shank" Besson 4V comp. I just slid a spare Besson "large shank" receiver on to the "euro" instrument (' had in my parts drawer). The "large shank fit nice and snug...
...in the same way (snug) that the "large" shank receiver fit on to my Willson 2900 mouthpipe.
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Hey, I recently learned something else, too:
"Large" shank Besson euphonium receivers are vitually identical to "English" (small) shank Besson tuba receivers!
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As to personal suspicions:
I think euphoniums of all makes have always had plenty of intonation quirks and will always have plenty of quirks - some brands more than others. The reason that more attention is drawn to these intonation quirks today is the many brands (verses basically "one" in the distant past) now on the market, and the higher and higher commonly-found level of playing. I don't believe a "choke" - or lack thereof - at the beginning of the instrument to be any magical intonation "cure-all".