Any Conn loyalists that have some info?

TimBrown · Posted: Mon May 31, 2004 7:48 pm Post subject:

Hi:

I was emailing PC King about a horn I'm buying from her and mentioned a cornet my late brother used to own/rent. It's was a Conn Director, but just for the sake of it, I wanted to see if I could find one like it.

I remember it was a short cornet in lacquer. Copper bell. Tuning slide in the rear which may have been two inches high. It was vertical, not horizontal (under the horn as some of them I've seen).

The horn was dented up (I suspect it was a rental)...and this was back around 1963.

Any pictures of this to confirm what I remember....a serial number range, etc? I check on ebay once in a while. I can't imagine they would cost alot.

Thanks,

TIm
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10 out of 10 people die. Do you consider yourself to be a good person?

TimBrown · Posted: Mon May 31, 2004 8:16 pm Post subject:

Just found this...which looks fairly close. The valve buttons don't look right though...and this isn't a director model....

http://www.xs4all.nl/~cderksen/Conn12A1940image.html

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...and a little Quaker State 10w30.
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[ This Message was edited by: TimBrown on 2004-05-31 23:16 ]

mad-dog · Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2004 2:23 am Post subject:

Are you sure it wasn't a Victor, rather than a Director? The 38A and 80A Victors were the only (post 1920's) horns I'm aware of with the vertical "opera glass" tuning slides. I've seen at least a couple from the '50's with Coprion bells, but they aren't too common. The plain brass ones are fairly easy to find - I've got one from the late '50's that I could probably be persuaded to part with...
The 80A is a very large bore horn - .480" if memory serves - the 38A is a .459" bore, which is pretty small for a cornet. My 80A is a nice player, much better than a student-grade horn.

Good luck-
Dave

bulos · Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2004 3:20 am Post subject:

Is this it? (for sale)
http://www.paulayickvintagebrass.com/Cornets/Conn%2017A%20%23844689%201960/

TimBrown · Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2004 6:07 am Post subject:

Thanks for the feedback....and sorry for the confusion. By "Verticle" tuning slide, I didn't mean the old opera style. The link on my second post (above) shows what I remember. Some Conns, I've noticed, seem to have the tuning slide UNDER the horn, as if you could set the horn on it. as a base. Oh, here's a link to what I mean by my description....http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=41396&item=3727597523&rd=1 ... the bend goes from the right to left "under" the horn. The enlarged view shows it better. This is from one of Badger State's (Ed Strege) auctions.

The bell was definitely copper colored...although at 8 or 9 years of age I wasn't testing for bell composition. May have been a coprion bell, maybe not. but I remember the color. The horn *May* have had nickle trim, making it tricolor, but I may be romanticizing a bit.

My "problem" with the picture above comes down to the finger buttons not being the smooth, less expensive style. It also looks like it has completely metal valve caps. I distinctly remember felts that the valve caps rested on when the valves were depressed. An aside; the valves were bottom sprung....but that may not mean anything.

Did all conns have the marching men on the bell? I definitely recall that. But I DO remember the smooth, shiney valve buttons. I"ve also noticed from the Conn Loyalist website that the connstellation was very close...but had slide triggers and finger hooks as well as threaded slide stops. My brother's horn had none of this. From what I know now, it felt like a student horn.

I'll keep looking.

Thanks,

TIm

bgwbold · Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2004 7:30 am Post subject:

Like this one?

http://www.xs4all.nl/~cderksen/Conn9A1962image.html

What you are describing sounds like one I have seen from the 60s. It had a lot of similarity to the Connstellation.

Mike

TimBrown · Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2004 8:20 am Post subject:

Put those valve buttons on the horn in my second post here and you're onto something....

bgwbold · Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2004 9:16 am Post subject:

Tim, I have a couple of Conn cornets. What I have found is that somewhere around 1960, Conn started using these Connstellation lookalike buttons, valve caps and stuff. I have one of those trumpet shaped Connstellation cornets from the 50s that has Victor like buttons and valve caps on it, so it looks like somewhere around 1960 might be the break point.

Mike

bulos · Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2004 9:19 am Post subject:

you said it was a Director......they had different style valve buttons at different times.............the did have bottom sprung valves as does the horn I showed you. These are great playing cornets....huge .485 bore and the coprion bell adds warmth too.......very dark and wide.................this is a student horn I'd not hesitate 1 second to use on a gig.

TimBrown · Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2004 9:45 am Post subject:

Thanks guys...

From what you've said it could've easily been a director with smooth victor buttons. No third slide throw, etc., again, not fancy. And of course I'm remembering "Marching Men" on the bell means "director". And, with the 1960 threshold, it could well be that is what it was./is.

I can't say alot about the playability....I got my earliest interest in cornet/trumpet then, and any noises I made came from lots of self-tought effort. I think I got all the way up to a 2nd line G. Wow.

Thanks. I think we're getting it narrowed down.

TIm
_________________
Getzen 900 DLX
Kanstul Meha .470
L.A. Benge 3x+ 9879
1912 Holton New Proportion cornet
Kanstul CCF 925 flugel
King 1122 MFH

10 out of 10 people die. Do you consider yourself to be a good person?