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I'm sure this has been talked about before. But.

Question is specifically for tuba players who occasionally double on a small shank euphonium.

What is the euph mp you use?

I'm not looking for a big debate here, just an idea of what others in this situation use.

The euph I just picked up came with a mp stamped Czechoslovakia A24. That's it. The inside of the rim measures .900inch which is smaller than any normal mp I have seen listed. It sounds poopie on this horn. Thanks.

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The classic choice for this would be the Wick 4AY. This is basically the 4AL with a small shank and adjusted backbore. This is what a Yamaha 321 can sound like with a 4AY.



A Giddings Kadja with a small shank is another good, if more expensive option. If your instrument is more American baritone than euphonium, you might want to look at a Bach 3 or a Doug Elliott F cup with whatever rim size is comfortable.

There are more choices than there were back when (late 70's-80's) I had my (new-condition/used/silver/metal-valve-guides/fine-threads-on-caps/black-case) Yamaha 321 euphonium, but I did pick up a 4AY. (It was the "newest thing", a long time ago.) It worked well.

I've never liked a 51D all that much, but others sound fine with them.

These days, I'm using a (free/came with something-or-other/has-a-small-chip-in-the-rim) Schilke 51 (NOT C, NOT D, NOT C4, NOT B...but PLAIN 51) with my paid-very-little-for-it "brown"/formerly-lacquered Yamaha 321/great-mechanical-condition euphonium that I currently own.

...I use a gigantic-bell/large-bore/large-receiver compensating euphonium for PRE-tuba orchestral parts, and (sometimes) with an Elliott contrabass trombone mouthpiece.

...I use the small-bore/small-bell Yamaha 321 euphonium for covering "tenor" tuba parts - particularly when screamin' high...such as Mars, etc. Since I stumbled across a great trade deal to get one, I also have one of those "dependent 5th rotary valve" gadgets for the Yamaha (which they sold as an accessory, until they introduced their first compensating euphonium...and this has nothing to do with the topic).

Considering that euphonium is a "double" for me, (even so) I have a fairly good-sized collection of small/large shank "will work with euphonium or bass trombone" mouthpieces here. The 51 seems to be the best (FOR ME) with the small-shank Yamaha 321...I don't even carry a "second choice" in the case...Come to think of it, it may (??) not be all that different from a 4AY.

fwiw...
I judge it to be a bad idea to acquire and use one of these gigantic cup width "crossover" mouthpieces simply to make it feel more normal to a tuba player.

I did (above) admit to using a contrabass trombone mouthpiece (smaller than most any tuba mouthpiece) on one of my euphoniums sometimes, but it's for a special type of sound, and not to make my embouchure feel "tuba-comfortable".

Thank you for your input. Your suggestions are pretty close to what I had in mind based solely on comparing what I have with manufacturer listed dimensions. I think that I will start trolling for a bach 3 or 4 as I dont want to spend a lot on this horn at this point. This is new territory for me. A damaged one dirt cheap would be perfect.

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I used to go big, like a bach 4 or a Mead 3.5am, but now I'm enjoying a 51d-ish size. I actually don't know what I'm playing, it came free in my packer 274 but it has no markings on it. I always come back to that one

I had a (trombone playing) friend who used to use a Marcienkwicz George Roberts on euph. He sounded GREAT.

I'm not criticizing anyone's recommendations, but I will draw attention to the fact that they ask for small shank suggestions, and some of the recommendations aren't particularly commonly available in small shank. I'm thinking some of them would probably end up being special order with a wait.

A Wick 4AL or SM3 or 3.5 or Schilke 5x (preferably not a D for me) are a solid choice. I use a contrabass trombone mouthpiece from Doug Elliot (it's mostly used for bass trombone parts on church music where a not bass trombone is needed/actually written for or hired - because I'm a tuba player).

EDIT Nevermind: just saw the small shank part of the post.

bloke wrote: ↑Tue May 14, 2024 5:31 pm I'm not criticizing anyone's recommendations, but I will draw attention to the fact that they ask for small shank suggestions, and some of the recommendations aren't particularly commonly available in small shank. I'm thinking some of them would probably end up being special order with a wait.

good point, but the 51d is use is available in every shank size

For a small shank horn, the wick 4ay is very good too

Yeah when anyone makes a general comment - such as the one I made, there's going to be an exception that doesn't apply to it.