Posted by Doug Elliott on November 19, 1999 at 22:26:21:
In Reply to: Shank question posted by Tim C on November 19, 1999 at 09:45:20:
I assume you're talking about tuba mouthpiece shanks... American shanks and current European shanks both use "Morse taper" which is .050" per inch. There is a difference in diameter of about .020", which means that an American shank will go into the receiver about 2/5 (.400") farther than a European shank.
The German (or Czech) shank, which most European horns used to have, is .040" per inch taper (I assume this was a metric taper 1mm per 25mm ?). The diameter is close enough to the current European that they are almost interchangeable.
To generalize, many 4/4 tubas have American size receivers, and many 5/4 tubas have European size receivers, but each manufacturer does it differently, and in the end, each tuba is different because they are extremely inconsistent.
I hope this answers your question. The fit of the mouthpiece can have a big effect on the way a horn responds.