Cooley Helleberg shank size?

[tubanh84]

So for the past few months, because I have the time, I've been doing some mouthpiece experimentation. Because why not?

Specifically, on my Gnagey 4/4, I've gone between my normal mouthpiece - a Mike Finn H, an Olka CB1, and a Cooley Helleberg. (Sidenote: The Cooley came with the PT6 I bought years and years ago from a former student of Floyd's. It never worked FOR ME in the PT6 as well as a PT50+, Helleberg 120, or Mike Finn H. But it is a very different mouthpiece in the Gnagey - FOR ME.)

One very broad note I have is that as I go up in size, Cooley => H => Olka, the sound gets bigger, and the intonation gets more difficult. With the Cooley, the intonation locks in almost all the way up and down the scale. The H is very good intonation-wise, and has a slightly more "me" sound. And the Olka has a huge sound, very easily accessible low register, but really makes me work to keep everything in tune. (Just so it's not a lingering question, I stay with the H 90% of the time because it's a great middle ground, and I've been using it as my primary mouthpiece for years now. Though I keep saying to myself that I need to try the Cooley exclusively for a few weeks to see if I can get used to the smaller size and find my flexibility on it because it makes intonation so easy.).

What I noticed, though, was that the shank on the Cooley is significantly smaller. The prior owner must have noticed this too, because I took a few layers of packing tape off of the shank, which had clearly been used to prevent the mouthpiece from sitting so deep in the horn.

My other mouthpieces are American shank, so the Cooley is smaller-than-American-shank.

Has anyone tried the Cooley on a York copy (which I assume it was designed for??), and does it provide the same benefit? Did people routinely use the tape trick? Was there any stated reason for the unique shank size?

[jtuba]

Only guesses based on what I know. For years didn’t Floyd use a Holtan in the orchestra before the Nirschl York copies came on the scene? Perhaps the mpc came before the Nirshl. I don’t know if early Nirshls had an American receiver, as my earlier receiver was changed out. A former Floyd student tells me the Cooley Helleberg came in American. And finally I think I remember Josef Klier was the maker and they might be able to fashion a Euro shank CH if you want

[Brendan Bohnhorst]

It was a copy of a hand-made Conn that Dennis Miller has. The shank size is just a shade under what I would call a standard American shank. This mouthpiece to me seems to be almost in between a standard 120 Helleberg and a 7B.

[Alex C]

I played a Cooley on a Nirschl 4/4 for several years, I feel comfortable saying it is the "standard taper" shank used in most US made mouthpieces before 1000. I also used it on a Yamaha 822 F tuba for orchestral work with a similar fit to the Nirschl.

One of these days I will have to learn what Morse tapers are but until then "Standard" will have to do.

Every mouthpiece change is a matter of give and take. Initially, the new mouthpiece plays better then you slip back in to old habits. Usually a mouthpiece will work better if you practice 3-4 hours a day on it.