Saxophone Forum


by Daryl
(4 posts)
20 years ago

Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

Hello My family and I were cleaning out my grandfathers house and we came across an old saxophone that he played in his college marching band. There is no model or serial number on it. The only thing is on the case it says C.C. Conn Ltd. Band Instruments Worlds Largest Manufacturer. How can I figure out which model this is and how to clean and sell it? It was bought probably in the early 30's considering he was class of 37. Thank you in advance.

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  1. by SaxMan
    (559 posts)

    20 years ago

    Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

    what is the serial number>? we can tell you everything having that, but close to nothing right now.

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    1. by Daryl
      (4 posts)

      20 years ago

      Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

      thats the problem I cant find a serial number. Where would it possibly be?

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      1. by sax_maniac
        (984 posts)

        20 years ago

        Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

        If the serial number can't be found on the lower body, it may be on the underside of one of the RH palm keys.

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        1. by SaxMan
          (559 posts)

          20 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          The A# key to be precise.

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        2. by delaware1
          (3 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          I've had a Conn alto sax that my grandfather, then uncle, then I played through the years. I haven't played in a while and am trying to find out what to do with this sax. Its a silver Conn, pretty good shape; back looks like this: PATD Dec 8 1914 1119954 A M147782 L Any idea of the general stats of the sax or what its worth? Thanks

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        3. by groh
          (1 post)

          14 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          I have a sax with the same information. did you ever find out what it is worth?

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        4. by Daryl
          (4 posts)

          20 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          Ok Here it is It says : PATD DEC 8 1914 1119954 A 117938 L

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        5. by DENISE
          (1 post)

          19 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          mY FRIENDS AND i HAVE ONE ALSO AND ITS NUMBERS ARE JUST A FEW OFF FROM THOSE. WE WERE WONDERING NOT ONLY THE VALUE BUT HOW TO RECONDITION IT? DENISE 7-16-2005

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        6. by ronda clark
          (1 post)

          16 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          I have the same sax how much is it worth c.g. conn ltd made in elkhart Ind. very fancy flowers embroidered on front and pearl keys.serial # m210613l.

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        7. by SaxMan
          (559 posts)

          20 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          Ok, it is a 1923 Conn alto saxophone in low pitch, useable in todays music. The model would be the new wonder series II or more commonly (but wrongly.) known as the Chu-berry, after leon chu who played that model of sax for a subtantially short time, well after the time the sax was being revered as a chu-berry. I am going to conject that it probably wont be playable after sitting for so many years, but you never know, if the environment was perfect, it could be the same as when your grandfather last played it. If I were you, I would get a small ozone machine and close it in the case (take out the sax first.) and run it for 6 or 7 hours - to get rid of the smell. as for the sax, use amonia free windex, but spray it on the exact area you want to clean/are capable of cleaning - there are several spots impossible to get without taking the sax down. Then polish it with hagerties - (I will assume that it is silver or nickel.) if anyone plays, try and play it, if not, take it to the shop and have them get you a quote for repair - the thing with conns is that if they get abused, they are rediculously expensive to fix - a guy came in today with a cmel that had about 1500 bucks of damage. ( A horn that normally fetches 300.) if this is the case, you might be able to sell it as a parts horn for 70 or 80 bucks.

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        8. by connsaxman_jim
          (2336 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          "the thing with conns is that if they get abused, they are rediculously expensive to fix" - SaxMan This is not true, Conns are no more or less expensive to repair than any other sax. The horn is a New Wonder series I, not a Chu. It's a little early for a Chu. It is in fact a 1923. I have a 1922. The keywork on these earlier horns is a bit cumbersome, and the intonation isn't the best. A lot of improvements were made with the New Wonder Series II, which is also known as the Chu Berry. The Chu's have an "M" in the serial number. M indicates saxophone. The silver plated horns usually clean up much nicer than laquered brass. As long as all the keys move freely, this sax could be cleaned up, overhauled and made playable for around $350. That includes cleaning the instrument, buffing the keys, new pads, corks, etc. I just finished restoring a 1922 Conn New Wonder. It's really a neat old horn.

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        9. by SaxMan
          (559 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          What world are you living in? With rolled tone holes, it is imperative that they be PERFECTLY level, if it gets knocked around too much, its a hell of a lot of work to relevel them - you cant just file them - the key cups have to be in PERFECT alignment - if they get bent too much, it will take a rediculous amount of work get them right, if you can. (if they are bent really bad.) if some moron ground the tone holes, whenever you do get the cups right, you will either have to make an extremely complex bend to make the cup come to the right level (which no one does it that way.) or float the pad up a considerable height, and you will fight that pad for quite some time longer than the others, which will settle in fairly quick. About silver plated horns - silver was the standard finish, gold nickel and bare brass are the ONLY other finish options availiable then - the earliest lacquers were availiable in the late 30's - from king. about the 350 - you sure as heck can NOT overhaul any saxophone for that other than maybe a cheap student model job - about the cheapest overhaul for alto that I know of is around 600 bucks. vitage horns are more - more work. (Cheap overhaul that the horn will actually play after.) I dont know if you did the overhaul yourself or not - I cant imagine - you paying 350 bucks for materials - at most, you will pay 80 bucks for a set of pads, 150 for resonators about 10 dollars for corks and felts and about 5 dollars for glue. Oh and about 4 dollars for the neck cork. springs will run roughly 3-5 a piece - lets say 4 times 25 springs is 100 bucks. wheres the other hundred dollars or so if you did it yourself? how does it NOT play it you had someone else do it?

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        10. by connsaxman_jim
          (2336 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          SaxMan, First of all, I've yet to find a Conn sax with rolled tone holes where the tone holes were damaged, that wasn't just beat to hell and not repairable period! I've generally found that the earlier models (pre-1948) with rolled tone holes have fewer problems related to their tone holes, and that the pads seat better. As for the cost of repairs and vintage horns costing more? BULLSHIT!!! I'd much rather work on vintage horns than most of the horns I've seen today. The metal is better quality on the older horns, they're usually easier to take apart and I have far less problems with them. I did say overhaul for $350, and that was a mistake. I would venture to say that the horn could probably be repadded with a decent set of resonator pads, adjusted and made playable for around $350. Maybe $400 to also replace the neck cork and a spring or 2. I seriously doubt the horn needs a complete overhaul. I wouldn't spend the money for premium pads on a 1923 New Wonder Series I. I would on a Chu Berry though. Depending on the type of pads used, the pads alone could cost as much as $120 a set for an alto. I just restored a 1932 Chu Berry tenor, and the pads I purchased for this sax were a white leather metal resonator pad and cost me over $150! Typically a GOOD overhaul will run about $700 for an alto and about $900 for a tenor.

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        11. by SaxMan
          (559 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          Well then you are obviously not your standard tech - vintage horns are a lot more work to get going - you cant get parts for them anymore unless you have some carcasses around - I can guarantee you that you are loosing money on your repairs - at 60 bucks an hour. The metal is not better quality on older horns - the metal has very little to do with the sound, and I have yet to see a horn from the twenties take dent removal as good as a horn from say the 50's and later. Any respectable tech also, would not use a pad set that has preinstalled resos - you want to maximize your resonators, and you wont get that with a premade set - those sets are more for juniors - and those sets also cost considerably more than a regular pad and putting your own resonators on them. Why are you telling what a typical good overhaul is? I obviously already know - its like goldref telling saxmaniac to be careful with tape cause it could pull off the lacquer. Another thing, no conn horns are worth anything other than the connqueror, and the gold plated artist and virtusoso deluxe models and the F keyed ones and the basses. you can get a nice "chu" (Which chu-berry never really played.) for under a grand in silver plate with the original case. it isnt really possible to spend much more than 1200 on a standard conn alto from the 20's unless it is in the condition level of say, NOS.

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        12. by connsaxman_jim
          (2336 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          SaxMan, Kid, you have no idea what you're talking about! I'm a 31 year old college grad with an engineering degree who works on saxophones as a hobby and has played Sax for 20 years! YOU are a 15 year old kid who has absolutely no idea what a Conn sax is worth and have little if any business giving advice on instruments you know NOTHING about! Vintage horns are no more work than anything else and go together better for the most part. Want to know why? Because the parts were fitted together by craftsmen, not stamped on a machine and then assembled. Yes, if these parts are broken, they can be very difficult to replace, but there are lots of parts horns available that can be purchased for next to nothing. I don't waste my time trying to repair an older horn that's beat to piss! I salvage what parts I can and trash the rest! The metal IS better quality. Of course the newer horns take dent removal better! The metal is thinner! Put a dent in a pop can an then pop it back out. Now try to make the same dent in a coffee can and pop it out? See what I mean? But here's the catch...OLDER HORNS DON'T DENT AS EASILY!!! There's NOTHING wrong with preinstalled reso pads! In fact, MOST techs DO use them, because they're easier an less time consuming to install, and they more precise and more consistant that installing the resonators seperately. AGAIN....Talking about something you know NOTHING about. Maybe you know what an overhaul consists of, but some of the people who read these might not. As for the value of Conn horns, you really have no authority to say whatsoever. What credentials do you have? What do you know? You're a 15 year old kid in band who should keep his mouth shut and his ears open more often and you just might learn something. First of all, the value is all relevant to the condition of the horn and how badley the buyer wants it. If you saw what some of the vintage Conns are going for, you might be surprised. Conns don't often bring the kind of money that the MK VI Selmer will for example, but there are still many people willing to pay top $$$ for a nice 10M or 6M!

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        13. by SaxMan
          (559 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          I have really got to change my profil age to something like a hundred - people keep making assumptions on me aobut my age - I havent been 15 for quite some time, and I dont care how old you are, I know some people older than you that are complete morons - Howard Dean, par example. BTW, engineering ahs very little to do with saxes, especially not blue book values. Maybe vintage horns do go together easier, if they are absolutely in perfect shape, if no toneholes ahve been warped, if the rods have been oiled every 4 months for the last 80 years, if they had been swabbed out everythime and there is no corrosion, if there was no mould growing on them, which can take a little bit of elbow grease to remove. Very few horns today used stamped keys, NO horns back then used stamped keys - only cheap asian saxes that run about 200 bucks use coined keys - it is cheaper than stamping the two pieces, then silver soldering them together - if you break a coined key, you can be hard pressed to silver solder it back together perfect - with a 2 piece, key, it will break at the solder most likely and then you can redo it. So what you are saying is that if the key rods fit real good then they are easy to install? Wrong. The alto I did, I swedged to where the rods were exactly the same size as the space betwwen the posts almost and I had a hell of a time getting some of them, but once they were in, the action was very smooth and quite a bit faster than before - the closer the rod to being a perfect fit, the harder it will be to get them in between the post - if your rods are rediculously easy to get in, I feel sorry for your customers - a pad hitting the tone hole consitantly in teh same spot contributes to how good a sax plays - the more consistant, the better. I have a series III alto, if you dont already know, I fart around on a 63 VI at the shop on occaision - my III is noticeably heavier than the VI - which would indicate - thicker metal. (btw, tin doesnt cause a tinny sound.) You are right, most techs use preinstalled resos - on student models - the student model horns are worth spending the time on - they are only worth so much in the first palce, why put a 600 dollar overhaul into a 700 dollar horn? adn it really doesnt take much time to install a reso - maybe 15 seconds - little ones are harder. I dont quite see how a pad with a preeinstalled reso makes it more precise, but whatever floats your boat. I ahve rebuilt 3 saxes, I know plenty what I am talking about. Ok, overhaul, strip horn off all pads, corks and felts and necessary springs, clean it if it needs it, if ti is a plated finish, polish the hard spots then fit pads to the cups, line them up either smallest to biggest or biggest to smallest, whatever way you like, and leave them sitting in the cup. Then size resos, make them as big as possible, my comfort zone is about 2 mm from the tone hole. Treat pads then attach resos. (skip treatment part if you use pre treated pads.) put pad glue on the back of the pads and put them in cups, once all are in, put on bumpers - on alto, usually 1.6 mm where the feet touch the body, the few others you have to look at. glue teflon to all rubbing points, then reassemble, using liberal amounts of oil, dont be too conservative. float pads and further adjust key heights, cork crook, then play the crap out of it for a month or so then readjust then play it at least once a day for a bit so it doesnt go out of adjustment. I ahve plenty authority on the value of conns - I own 3 or 4 of them 2 c mels, one was 250, one was 500, a c soprano - 800 and an alto that I cant remember if its a conn or buescher - either way, its 1200 bucks - in immaculate gold plate. I dont consider 2500 dollars to be top dollar - more 10 thousand dollars top dollar, which s what some VI's and SBA's go for for a sop, alto, tenor you would be stupid to pay more than 3 grand for a conn unless its one of the virtuoso deluxes, the bari really depends. The other rarities might reach the sky. BTW, ive never seen a 10m tenor above 2700.

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        14. by connsaxman_jim
          (2336 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          Ok SaxMan, I'm impressed! You know much more than I ever would have guessed. First of all though, I'm not a tech. That's not what I do for a living, it's what I do for a hobby. I'm an engineer, working in the automotive industry. I design parts for cars! This job pays better than being a technition, but it's not as fun. If I was a tech, I couldn't afford to buy all the saxes I own! I buy and play what I like. I like vintage Conn horns. I guess for the same reason I love Hammond organs, which I also restore. They have character. They're unique, American, and they sound amazing. I wanted to learn how to repair instruments so I started hanging around at a friend's shop. Together he helped me relaquer and overhaul a 10M a couple years ago. I've since rebuilt several saxophones; some that I purchased to restore and sell, and others that I purchased to keep, or for my collection. Most of the vintage saxes I work on are in pretty good shape. I haven't tried to repair one that had extensive damage. I have purchased a few on ebay, but I prefer to buy sight on seen, so I know what I'm getting myself into. I won't buy one that needs a lot of repair. I've seen 10M's go for as much as $5000, for certain models in pristine condition, but you're right; they won't bring the kind of money that a MK VI or and SBA will bring. Even some of the old King Super 20's bring more than a 10M usually. When it comes to vintage horns though, a 10M is a great sounding horn and a good buy. I try to make the horns play the best I can and look nice without putting a ton of money into them. Most 10M's sell for around $2500, so I buy one for less than $500 that's not all beat up but in need of attention, I remove dents, relaquer them if needed, Replace pads and whatever else they need, and get them playing about as good as they're going to play. Say I get lucky and find a tenor for$300, I spend say...$600 in materials and accessories (My cost of repadding, relaquering, replacing corks and springs, perhaps a new case, include a new mouthpiece, a reed holder, swab, etc...) If I sell the horn for $2500, I've made $1600. Of course, I invest a lot of time, but this is something I enjoy doing, and I get a personal satisfaction from "saving" this old horn, and bringing it back to life and putting it in the hands of a player who will appreciate what a neat instrument they are. Some of the more valuable Conns are the artist series and transitional models with the ornate engravings from the late 20's, the Connquerer series 26M Alto and 30M tenor; especially the tenor! They're so hard to find, The F Mezzo soprano and the C Soprano, anything with a union label is valuable to a collector. The Bass saxes are very rare and so are the Conn-O-Saxes. What a neat instrument! They're also keyed to "F" We have one at the shop from 1928 I've been playing with. I've been trying to get the owner to sell it. I offered him $5000 for is as is and he turned it down. They're virtually non-existant anymore. As for preinstalled reso's, thats what we use at the shop for the most part. I have installed the resonators seperately before and it's kind of a pain. Buying the preinstalled resonators takes out a lot of the guess work. They're NOT just for student model horns. I don't use student model ANYTHING! As for my collection of Conn Saxes, I have a 1908 Conn Alto, Union Label stamp, restored to original condition. I have a 1922 New Wonder Alto, (2) 1922 New wonder C Melodies, a 1926 Chu Berry (New Wonder series II) Alto, a 1932 Chu Berry tenor in gold nickel, a 1934 transitional Tenor, a 1928 F Mezzo soprano, a bunch of Naked ladies, (1947 6M, a 1950 6M, a 1956 6M, a 1939 10M a 1948 10M, a 1958 12M(Baritone) a 1938 4M Naked Lady Soprano) I have a few Selmers too, A 1954 MK VI Tenor, a 1952 SBA alto, and a 2003 Series III Soprano. I have a 1955 King Super 20 Tenor in Mint Condition, a King Zephyr Baritone, and a Buescher 400 Alto. I'm looking for a Conn 14M bass, and maybe a Martin tenor; a Committee or whatever. I'm not that familiar with Martin. I want that Conn-O-Sax!!!

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        15. by SaxMan
          (559 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          god dont we all? there is onyl one person that I know of that would even consider selling his conn-o-sax, but for now, its out of my reach.

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        16. by Joe Restucci
          (1 post)

          18 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          Can anybody tell me what my old Conn is worth. The serial#m168946 with a "L" below the number and a "T" above. It is not in the best of shape but it is playable, also the high "d" key has been replaced.

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        17. by Daryl
          (4 posts)

          20 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          Thank You so Much.. I am so grateful for all of your help. It actually seems to be in very good condition, although it definitely does smell in that case. I will try the things you have instructed, thank you again. Daryl Lannert

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        18. by fingers
          (2 posts)

          20 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          Glad to see this post. Similar situation here, except that I tried to take up sax in the '60's, which may be while it doesn't small so bad. A few lessons suggested that my musical aptitude lay elsewhere. Serial number is: PATD DEC 8 1914 1119954 A M220036 I (There may be a small I after the first one, or maybe it's a scratch.) I live in an apartment so couldn't try it out for long, but am able to play a scale. To my inexperienced eye, the finish isn't admirable... lots of pits, a little rust (it's only a bit on the bell, and one 1/4" bit of green on the edge of the bell.)

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        19. by fingers
          (2 posts)

          20 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          By the way, it's a brass color, not silver. And of course I meant "smell bad," not "small bad."

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        20. by SaxMan
          (559 posts)

          20 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          That "rust" Is most likely 1 of 2 things - an acid bleed, or red rot. If it is the latter, you need to have it buffed out ASAP, or you wont have a chance in hell selling it, if the rot goes all the way through the brass. An acid bleed is only cosmetic. THe green stuff could also be red rot - actually, I am sure it is, you would want to have that buffed out as well. take it to a repair shop and have them look at that, whether or not you decide ot repair it at that time, you want the rot gone as soon as possible. Your sax was made sometime in the late 20's - 28 or 29, it is a new wonder series II more commonly known as (but wrongly.) the Chu-berry. its an alto (if you dont know that already.) and your "I" is most likely a mistamped L, for low pitch - the usuable pitch in modern music.

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        21. by ReedJ1
          (1 post)

          19 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          I am interested in this model saxophone too. I too have an old Conn that was one of my dad's instruments and I played it in the 60's in high school and quite liked it. Mine seems to be gold plated though, kind of a brush finish and the model number is m212701 and is a L for low pitch. I have an Otto Link silver mouthpiece that I liked very much. I have been wondering where or who I could get to refinish or re-plate it. Or maybe it isn't worth having that done. Like I said it has great memories for me and it would be fun to have it look like new again. There are no dings in it but some scratch marks and of course spots where the finish is rubbed off. Any idea or thoughts of what it might cost to do this would be appriciated. Thanks, Reed.

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        22. by SaxMan
          (559 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          I wouldnt have it replated - just polish it up a bit - nothing too aggresive or you will wear through the gold, or even better, if it needs an overhaul, have a tech ultrasonically clean it, will look REALLY nice afterwards.

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        23. by connsaxman_jim
          (2336 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          Reed, this is also a Chu Berry ("M" in serial number) Also a 1928! It's definately worth putting some money into. Again, most of these were still silver plated up until 1932. Some were gold plated, and the ones that are gold plated often had more detailed engravings on them. I'd venture to say that you have a valuable collectors item here. I would recommend taking it to a very reputable tech, such as The Wind Works here in Burton, MI (810)743-5420. I would try cleaning it first. The silver and gold plated horns usually clean up nicely. Don't worry so much about the worn spots, they just add character. The Wind works can usually remove any dents, true up tone holes, and what not.

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        24. by connsaxman_jim
          (2336 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          fingers, Your sax IS a Chu Berry, New Wonder series II. It's worth more than a New Wonder series I. It's a 1928. It's interesting that yours is laquered and not silver plated. Most of these were still silver plated as late as 1932, so this could be one of the earlier laquered horns or might have been refinished at one point. 1928 was an interesting year for Conn, and they experimented with a lot of different things, even producing the infamous Conn-O-Sax; a strange looking instrument crossed between a Saxophone and baritone Oboe, or Hecklaphone, with a ball shaped bell. The Chu tenors are especially popular and valuable.

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        25. by serhart
          (5 posts)

          18 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          Personal old Conn story for what it's worth: I have what I believe is a C. G. Conn Wonder Alto that I bought for $100 in Chicago in the early 80's. Serial number 80046 and gold plated with the most elaborate hand chiseled etching I've seen. I bought it for so little that I thought it was going to be a horn to look at rather than play. So I took it to the Sax Shop in Evanston to get their opinion, which was that it was a great professional horn once you got used to the vintage key placement. They had just sold a similar one for around $700. I've been playing it for over 20 years now with only minimal basic maintenance. I've also used it with a number of modern mouthpieces such as Meyer, Yanginasawa, Pillinger, RPC, etc., and it plays in tune. I have a 10M tenor that is also a great horn, but I can't say that it's decidedly better than the alto. I am finally in the market for an additional alto, though, probably a Chu Berry or a 6M. -Stan

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        26. by Seano
          (132 posts)

          18 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          LOL. That little disagreement between Jim and SaxMan was quite entertaining.

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        27. by definition
          (963 posts)

          18 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          of course it was seano, saxMan is an annoying lil tit that wont shut up when hes Wrong!

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        28. by serhart
          (5 posts)

          18 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          That exchange was pretty entertaining. Following up to my previous post, I bought a '56 6M a few weeks ago that plays and sounds great. It appears to be refinished, the pads are nearly new, post rolled tone holes, one or two small dents. I paid $800 which I think is about right for that year and condition. I almost bought a '39 6M instead for $1000, but it needed a complete overhaul. The '56 isn't as collectible, but dollar for dollar value since I wanted a player, I went with the '56. I'm staying on the lookout for an older 6M in good shape for the right dollars, tho.

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        29. by saxplayer12490
          (1 post)

          18 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          Hey, I recently bought a Vintage Conn alto Serial Number M254752, low pitch, and i was wondering if it was a transitional or an m series, and what its worth today. Thanks

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      2. by EricPenna
        (3 posts)

        18 years ago

        Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

        how do i tell the serial number

        Reply To Post


        1. by bauerpix
          (2 posts)

          18 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          I also have a conn, PAT. Dec 8 1914 1119954 C 131981 L This sax has the engraving, and the sound hole is gold, whereas the outside of the sax is a brushed silver, very cool looking, and in great shape (I think), but i play guitar so what the heck do i know? If anyone can help please respond, thanks, peace dogs.

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          1. by Sax Mom
            (964 posts)

            18 years ago

            Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

            This is probably a C-Melody Saxophone from 1924. I suggest learning to play it.

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          2. by bauerpix
            (2 posts)

            18 years ago

            Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

            Thank you saxmom, i have read here that it may be a fairly rare sax, any idea of what it is worth?

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          3. by johnsonfromwisconsin
            (767 posts)

            18 years ago

            Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

            Not really that rare. You can find these horns on Ebay quite often, and they con't command very high prices compared to their Eb and Bb Conn cousins. C melodies are horns out of use and not in demand. There's a lot of those horns left over from the early part of the past century. They were originally made to be a sort of 'parlor' horn and were keyed in C to reflect the key of piano and human voice.

            Reply To Post


        2. by whitenanook
          (2 posts)

          17 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          I have my grandfather's saxophone and I was wondering how much it was worth and how to recondition it and sell it. Who would I take it to? It is a C.G. Conn Ltd. Elkhart Ind saxophone. This is what it says on it: Patd Dec. 8 1914 #1119954 C 55315 L Could you please email me back about it right away. Thanks.

          Reply To Post


      3. by Julie
        (2 posts)

        18 years ago

        Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

        Hello, About 7 years ago my parents got me a silver C. C. Conn Ltd. Alto Saxophonefor my grade 6 music classes. With the engraving on the lower back: PATD.DEC.8.1914 1119954 A 90222 L I have kept it in great condition for many years now but I have finished high school and have no use for it anymore. I was wondering if anyone could tell me how much it would be worth and the best way to sell it. Thanks a lot, Julie Monaghan

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        1. by serhart
          (5 posts)

          18 years ago

          Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

          Here's some info I got from saxgourmet.com No guarantee on accuracy since prices can be very subjective. Service technicians tend to find several hundred dollars worth of work on any instrument I bring them, no matter how well it seems to play, so that's another thing to keep in mind when pricing it. Conns through serial number 150XXX were called WONDER (yours is in the 90XXX range, so chances are it's a WONDER). Up until 75XXX, no rolled tone holes. Usually seen in silver. Add 20% for gold and 40% for gold with "artist" engraving and mother of pearl key touches. You sometimes see these in nickel plate. Sopranino $ 2000 Straight soprano $1600 Curved soprano $ 2200 Deduct 20% if keyed to Eb only C soprano $1000 MUST have original mouthpiece C melody $ 800 Alto $1000 Tenor $1200 Baritone $1800 Bass $ 7500

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          1. by serhart
            (5 posts)

            18 years ago

            Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

            Also should mention that it's C.G. Conn, not C.C. Conn. When reading the following, the top two lines have to do with the patent number, the third line ("A"), means "Alto". The fourth line, ("90222"), is the serial number, and the fifth line ("L") means Low Pitch, which means it can theoretically be tuned to match today's instruments (a good thing). PATD.DEC.8.1914 1119954 A 90222 L

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            1. by definition
              (963 posts)

              18 years ago

              Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

              just so you know, those prices are what steve goodson is willing to pay for that horn if everything is perfect as in not even a scratch on the origional case, and it has all the paperwork. chop off a decent chunk of change if you want an idea of what you might even think of getting

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          2. by christysax
            (1 post)

            18 years ago

            Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

            hi, i have an old sax and i am trying to find out the age of the sax and how much it may be worth . the serial # is725896, I have had it for 30 years myself someone gave it to my father before i was born and i have played it , and now my son is going to start band with it , it is in good shape is brass with nickle keys and mother of pearl on keys, it has Conn on the front with stars. please e-mail me. [email protected].

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            1. by Sax Mom
              (964 posts)

              18 years ago

              Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

              1958. Should be a good horn.

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            2. by allyballyboo
              (1 post)

              18 years ago

              Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

              Hi all am looking to buy a bari sax. Have been shown a conn. The only numbers I can find anywhere are on the back of the instrument towards the bottom. These are: 12M H16706 Any idea what it is? Thanks

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            3. by Sax Mom
              (964 posts)

              18 years ago

              Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

              I believe that one would be from 1965. Should be a good, solid horn.

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            4. by definition
              (963 posts)

              18 years ago

              Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

              actually a 66 with that H in the serial number. I have a 10M from that year. ditto the other stuff Sax Mom said, great solid horn, a long as its set up and ready to go

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            5. by Saxified
              (1 post)

              17 years ago

              Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

              Gosh I love the "debates" here... Well, not at all a new question... Old Sax from my Uncle's attic.. I'd like to know more about it. I want to get it restored, but from some of the comments, I'm not sure that it's worth it. It's... a Conn, Brass, in the original case, with the original reeds, in their cardboard 3-packs. Patd. Dec 8, 1914 1119954 C 108089 L Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

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            6. by serhart
              (5 posts)

              17 years ago

              Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

              Sounds like a C Melody from 1923. That's a good year and a good brand for C Melody horns. I have a refurbished one of that vintage that I paid $650 for, then spent another $150 on mouthpieces. It was worth it for me since I wanted to add it to my collection of Conns and play it once in awhile. But decide for yourself and your goals whether it's worth it to you. Refurbished resale seems fairly stable in the $600 - $700 range, so you won't want to spend too much on restoring it unless you're going to keep it and play it. They're worth a little bit of money even if they need work. Check ebay for current prices.

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            7. by whitenanook
              (2 posts)

              17 years ago

              Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

              I have an old saxophone as well from my grandfather. Could you please tell me what year, how much it is worth, and how to clean it or have it cleaned? It is a C.G. Conn Ltd. saxophone. This is what is says on it: Patd Dec. 8 1914 #1119954 C 55315 L Thanks for your help.....

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            8. by Bdicola
              (1 post)

              16 years ago

              Re: Conn Ltd. Saxophone

              I am trying to get some info on a 10 M T 301256 T that I recently found in the attic. No case and it looks to be brass plated. I'm sure that it is in need of restoration. Any idea of vintage & value would be appreciated. Thanks

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          3. by cuber
            (653 posts)

            16 years ago

            Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

            DID SOMEONE HONESTLY SAY THAT THE ONLY GOOD CONN WAS THE CONQUERER??????? if i remember right, the "m" series was decent (12m is concidered the BEST bari avaliable, DONT EVEN TRY TO ARGUE, the 6m's were some of the best altos ever made, ask charlie parker, when he wasnt high) i own a chu berry, and i played it side by side with a transitional, and the transitional was dissapointing compared to the chu, if your going to critize a brand, at least do your homework first

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            1. by iamberto
              (1 post)

              16 years ago

              Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

              My sax info: C 51700 L From the above posts I know its a C and Low but what year? Thanks in advanced, Roberto

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          4. by delaware1
            (3 posts)

            16 years ago

            Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

            I've had a Conn alto sax that my grandfather, then uncle, then I played through the years. I haven't played in a while and am trying to find out what to do with this sax. Its a silver Conn, pretty good shape; back looks like this: PATD Dec 8 1914 1119954 A M147762 L Any idea of the general stats of the sax or what its worth? Thanks

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            1. by delaware1
              (3 posts)

              16 years ago

              Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

              scratch that, it says M147782, not 62. Thanks

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          5. by LClemo
            (1 post)

            16 years ago

            Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

            I have a sax that has been in my family for years. The info is: PATD Dec. 8, 1914 1119954 A P26963 L The engraving on the bell says: :American Hagar Musical Instrument Co. Grand Rapids Mich USA" Seems to me it must be a Conn. The "P" in the serial # is a mystery. I think it was made for Hagar by Conn but I can't find any info about Hagar. Any insight would be great. Thanks.

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          6. by kpender
            (2 posts)

            16 years ago

            Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

            my dad found an old conn saxaphone.... the srial number is N121040 if anyone can tell me how much this saxaphone is worth i would be greatful... u can email me at [email protected]

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          7. by kpender
            (2 posts)

            16 years ago

            Re: Really Old Conn Ltd. Saxophone

            my dad found an old conn saxaphone.... the srial number is N121040 if anyone can tell me how much this saxaphone is worth i would be greatful... u can email me at [email protected]

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