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Conn Victor 80A


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jhatpro
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 04, 2019 5:07 am    Post subject: Conn Victor 80A Reply with quote

I have a Conn Victor 80A made around 1955. I believe it has a .484 bore and plays very well although it can be a lot of work above the staff.

Anyone else play one of these? What mouthpiece seems best for the kind of sound you want?

And what tuning procedure do you use - main tuning slide and opera glass or just the OG with the main in all the way.

Any other thoughts on how to get the most of this horn?

Thanks!
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Last edited by jhatpro on Fri Oct 04, 2019 1:42 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Richard III
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 04, 2019 6:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Any mouthpiece works but my favorite for all my old cornets is a Cleveland C. Yup. The C is for cornet. I also have the T for my trumpets. Of course the Cleveland trumpet and cornets I have play great with them too.

If you ever get a chance to play a Holton Heim 2 cornet mouthpiece, it will take that 80A into another realm. For traditional jazz that mouthpiece is really the king. I got the tip from a guy who played for years in New Orleans. Snagged one off of Ebay and it is amazing. Though thinking about it, it would be much smaller in diameter than what you usually play.

After that comes the Curry line. And the Flip Oakes too. All those work great with the 80A.

Slides: I like the opera glass used as the tuning slide and the other one all the way in. For me that gives the most depth of sound. Plus tuning on the fly is possible, though I don't ever have to do that. The 80A is amazing.
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yourbrass
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 04, 2019 6:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It takes a Conn short shank mouthpiece. The originals can be found, but Mark Curry has come out with a series of cornet pieces that have the short shank.

I got one for a 4A (medium large version of the 80A) and it really lit the horn up - good high register as well. Conn had some stuff figured out.
-Lionel
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giakara
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 04, 2019 7:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have very good results with a pair of vintage Purviance pieces , the tight bbore helps to manage the huge bore of the horn specially in high registers.

Regards
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agroovin48
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 04, 2019 8:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Curry Conn short shank 7VC works very nicely with my 1933 Conn 80A and is very easy to play with a great sound. Conn originally recommended using the opera glass for normal tuning I believe.
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lipshurt
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 04, 2019 9:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It all depends on the cup depth you are using. Deeper than a 3c should use a short shank. The upper register wont be flat, and your opera glass slide wont be too far out. If you are using shallower than a 3c its better to use a long shank other wise you need to pull the slide too much and also the upper register will be extra deal breaker sharp. That is with a 3c or shallower short shank. you wont find many short shank mouthpiece with a shallower than 3c cup, but the 80a REALLY lights up with a shallower than 3c depth, its just sharp like crazy and even sharper around high B natural. With a long shank its pretty good, and with a extra long shank and longer throat its dialed in pretty good with a shallower cup. The OD of the shank should be about .342, .345 is ok, and .438 not as good.

If the opera glass slide is more than about 3/8 inch out the whole horn will play much less refined. If your opera slide is more than 1/2 inch out (a normal looking amount by the way) its better to pull the main slide a bit and push in the opera slide the same amount. The opera slide is a whopping .484 bore and the tubing is not thin so when its pulled out the bore at that section is something like .525, and you really feel that playing around the horn.

If you push the opera slide all the way in and only pull the main slide its not too bad actually but the slots are a little notchy. You may like that. The best intonation and response is when the opera glass i out only about half the "normal amount".
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jhatpro
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 04, 2019 9:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lots of great information and advice. Thanks, guys!
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connicalman
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 04, 2019 10:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

congrats on the semi-old Conn. They play nicely, and even better with the no-ridge, slightly shorter & wider taper, period mouthpieces.

Suggestion: Make use of the micro-tuner as well as the main tuning slide. These were originally designed to morph from Bb to A with the main and 1, 2, 3, slides.

The mpc length can be somewhat compensated for by extending the 'main' slide.
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Andy Cooper
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 04, 2019 6:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I always liked to look at them as XXL bore trumpets.

Played with a cup in the Reeves M style and a Warburton 4,4* or 5 backbore they had a great high register. I also played them with a Bach 11A 26 throat 24 backbore. Worked pretty well. Endurance was fine with the smaller diameters. With larger diameters, I found the .484 bore too much for a weekend warrior.

I usually used both tuning slides in combination.
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jhatpro
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 04, 2019 7:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I’ve tried a variety of mouthpieces with my 80A and find the most efficient for me is a short shank Curry 3DC with a Warburton 4MC a close second.
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giakara
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 04, 2019 7:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jhatpro wrote:
I’ve tried a variety of mouthpieces with my 80A and find the most efficient for me is a short shank Curry 3DC with a Warburton 4MC a close second.


If you plan to use the horn for your trad jazz combo I suggest you to use the Warburton and if is possible the M cup .

Regards
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jhatpro
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 04, 2019 7:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree the Warb 4MC is a good choice for Dixieland - especially with a tight KT Star backbore.
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giakara
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 04, 2019 7:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jhatpro wrote:
I agree the Warb 4MC is a good choice for Dixieland - especially with a tight KT Star backbore.


Exactly the mpc I use to play with my .464 eterna cornet before I change to Reeves/Purviance it was a 3M with KT bbore , very good and quite efficient combination.

Regards
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Richard III
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 05, 2019 6:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Forgot to mention earlier two things. The upper range is very easy on the 80A. If not, I suspect the mouthpiece is not a good match. Also, the Curry P makes for a really dynamite trad jazz set up. It's not that shallow but it really has a nice sound with an easy response.
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markfreitas
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2019 11:54 am    Post subject: Re: Conn Victor 80A Reply with quote

[quote="jhatpro"]I have a Conn Victor 80A made around 1955. I believe it has a .484 bore and plays very well although it can be a lot of work above the staff.

Anyone else play one of these? What mouthpiece seems best for the kind of sound you want?

And what tuning procedure do you use - main tuning slide and opera glass or just the OG with the main in all the way.

Any other thoughts on how to get the most of this horn?
-------------------------
I've had excellent results using Denis Wick Classic 3B and 4B pieces. Warm sounds and great in all ranges. I use the main tuning slide for coarse tuning and the Opera Glass for fine tuning. If your valves are on the "loose" side due to age/wear, i recommend Hetman Classic Piston lube. Try Music Nomad valve oil for very loose valves.
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jhl
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 10, 2019 2:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am glad to see Lipshurt's post. I have played a few regular cornet shank mpcs in my 1941 80A; that is, I've played the ones that don't wobble. Some work well, others do not. I wonder if the cup depth of the mpcs that "fit" affected how well they played?
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OldSchoolEuph
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 10, 2019 8:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The "main tuning slide" everyone is referring to is not the tuning slide. That slide was designed to be used for quick change between Bb and A, and to be mechanically linked to the valve slides. It is intended to function, with the aid of the stop, as a switch, not an adjustment.
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yourbrass
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 11, 2019 6:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

OldSchoolEuph wrote:
The "main tuning slide" everyone is referring to is not the tuning slide. That slide was designed to be used for quick change between Bb and A, and to be mechanically linked to the valve slides. It is intended to function, with the aid of the stop, as a switch, not an adjustment.


That was true until Conn stopped making the Bb/A quick change mechanism after WWII. They continued to make the 80A for decades afterward.
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cheiden
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 11, 2019 7:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

yourbrass wrote:
OldSchoolEuph wrote:
The "main tuning slide" everyone is referring to is not the tuning slide. That slide was designed to be used for quick change between Bb and A, and to be mechanically linked to the valve slides. It is intended to function, with the aid of the stop, as a switch, not an adjustment.


That was true until Conn stopped making the Bb/A quick change mechanism after WWII. They continued to make the 80A for decades afterward.

If you compare the two vintages the only difference I can see is that they eliminated the linkages and rotated the 2nd slide.

I believe it's correct to say the design intention was to use the front slide for key change and the vertical opera-glass for main tuning. But my reading here is that users have independently concluded that there is some advantage to mixing that up.
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steevo
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 11, 2019 9:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I own a Conn 80A made in 1948, and really enjoy it. It is from the era that does not have the Bb-A quick change mechanism, but still uses old taper "short shank" mouthpiece receiver.

I found that it can be a but tricky selecting a mouthpiece for my 80A. Modern cornet mouthpieces don't exactly fit the receiver, and I have had pitch issues and slotting inconsistencies with them. I really liked playing the 80A with a period short-shanked Conn 3 mouthpiece. It worked well... until I lost it. I tried other short-shanked Conn 3 mouthpieces, but they did not work as well.

As I live in Portland, and usually play Monette mouthpieces, I had the Monette shop make me a mouthpiece for my 80A. They measured the taper of my receiver and made a Resonance Prana B2S5 that works fantastically.



I don't like funnel shaped cornet mouthpieces in this instrument. Depending on what sound I am after, I will adjust tuning via main tuning slide or opera tuning as appropriate. If I want a more 'trumpet' sound, I keep the opera slide in all the way. If I want something more fluffy, the main slide stays in. It can take a bit to figure out, but experimentation is key.

The thing I like best about the 80A is how easy it is just to make music. I don't think about the bore size. I don't think about individual notes. I find that my 80A will almost disappear and does not get between me and the music, if that makes any sense at all. If I were stranded on a desert island, this would be the horn I would want to have with me.

-Steve
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