TromboneChat

Hi everybody
About a year ago I've acquired a 1975 italian piston trombone (brand name is 'MEAZZI'). I've been in love with it since the very beginning because of its peculiar character and just because of how fun it is to play.
The only problem is its age and therefore the way that it is constructed, it has a very tiny bore (0.468in) and shank (0.444in) in spite of a farly normal 8" bell. This of course leads to my small shank mouthpiece not fitting properly in the receiver, and of course some intonation problems (mainly in the upper register).
Would any of you recommend having the receiver changed to a normal small bore one? Or is it better to find a mouthpiece that actually fits the instrument? (even though all mouthpieces of that kind that I've found have a small diameter that I can't play ).
Thanks for the help

One of the best solution in your situation could be DE system.
Doug can make shank in almost any size and taper.
And you can find rim size and cup depth which is best fit for your horn and your sound concept.

It depends ..

Is the receiver a separate, soldered on part? If so, then swapping out the old and installing a new one would be a fairly easy job (of course the new receiver would have to be machines first). If it is a flared/swedged receiver, like modern trombone leadpipes, then no, changing the taper is a more difficult job. Adapting a mouthpiece shank to suit is considerably less work than swapping a receiver.

Mouthpieces from 100 years ago were often smaller than a modern small shank. If your instrument is old enough it probably requires one of these.

In the Bad Old Days some repairmen would simply ream out the receiver. You don't need much, but you could ruin the leadpipe if there is one. In the case of your trombone, which doesn't have much value, this may not be a big risk.

Better solution is to find one of these older style mouthpieces, or have the shank of a modern one turned down a few microns by a machine shop (maybe 50-100 microns).

I would start by having a shank made and see if it works because it’s a lot cheaper, lower risk, and might give you the best characteristic sound. But I also already have a plethora of Elliott pieces so it would t be a huge investment for me!

If you'd like to try one of my mouthpieces, tell me your preferred size, what you normally play on your main instrument. I'll pick a rim the right size for you, and a cup that should be good for that valve trombone, and make a shank the right size.

I have a similar situation with an imported stencil "Carl Fischer" valve trombone that I'd like to use.

I see you're in Italy.
Ciao !!
Some Olds brand mouthpieces have smaller shanks than the "standard" small shank size.
I just measured one.
The small end of the taper is 0.410" diameter, and the large end of the taper is 0.470".
Is that "close enough" to fit with just minor modification ?