Horn Mystery Solved

[jhatpro]

A year or so ago I posted an item about my Conn "mystery horn." It's a vintage New York Symphony that came to me in an old case with a note inside that said "this horn was played by (name obscured) in the U.S. Army in Word War Two."

Strangely, the horn was missing a serial number, so I couldn't date it accurately.
Recently, I took it to Steve "Dr. Valve" and asked him to restore it. It's nearly finished and looking great already.

And, get this, Steve found a faint serial number on the valves. It's 300350, which indicates the horn was built in 1941, during the period when Conn had converted its machinery over to make bomb sights and navigation equipment for the military.

This horn was apparently one of the few made mostly by hand by a small contingent of craftsmen assigned to turn out horns for the military.

I'd love to know who played it where. One of Glenn Miller's Army Air Corps bandsmen, maybe?

Anyway, I'm sure looking forward to getting the finished horn back to see how it sounds on "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B,"
which -- coincidentally -- also dates from 1941.
_________________
Jim Hatfield

"The notes are there - find them.” Mingus

2021 Martinus Geelan Custom
2005 Bach 180-72R
1965 Getzen Eterna Severinsen
1946 Conn Victor
1998 Scodwell flugel
1986 Bach 181 cornet
1954 Conn 80A cornet
2002 Getzen bugle

[nextbrassguy]

Congrats. Sounds like you got both a great horn and a great piece of history! Cool!!!