The plating on the part that inserts into the mouthpiece receiver is inevitably thin, but otherwise, I think it's generally clean, with minor scratches from use. There are no dents from dropping it or anything like that. Please refrain from purchasing if you are overly concerned, as this is a used item. Personally, it was a mouthpiece that was easy to play with a good balance from low to high notes, and I felt it worked well with BESSON. (I used it with a BESSON 968) The gold-plated finish gives a wonderfully mellow feeling when you put it in your mouth, it's addictive (lol) Of course, you can also use it with trombones with the same large shank. * Will be wrapped in bubble wrap for shipping. ↓ Reference from the web ↓ The latest model "URTRA-X" supervised by Mr. Steven Mead "ULTRA-X" redesigned under the supervision of Mr. Steven Mead, a popular player representing the contemporary euphonium world. Compared to the conventional ULTRA, the body shape is slightly fuller, and the weight has increased by about 10g. The inner diameter of the cup is the same as before. The rim width is thicker, and the bore is wider. While achieving a more profound sound, the cup depth is designed to be slightly shallower, improving the articulation of the high range and the clarity of the low range. It is a very well-balanced mouthpiece, excellent in terms of responsiveness, rich tone, range expansion, and comfort. euphonium euphonium sovereign Sovereign mouthpiece trombone trombone besson Besson willson Wilson alliance SM4XR SH4 4AL 5GS Denis Wick Ultra gold plating PRESTIGE Prestige LONDON gold plating