Saxophone Forum


by CynBO
(3 posts)
19 years ago

Help~~~ I am all 'googled' out and still no answers!!!!

Hi everyone~~ I have a saxaphone which was my husband's back in grade school. His parents purchased it at a music store in l962 and the owner said that it was an old saxaphone but that they had re-conditioned it and replaced the pads. The ONLY numbers I can find on it are as follows: Patent : Dec. 8, l914 ; 1119954; A; Serial # M222614; L We are trying to figure out what year it was made and an approximate value. It is in 'average' condition as best determined by my limited knowledge of musical instruments. If there are any "instrument buffs' out there who could help me I would really, really appreciate your feedback. Thanks all and have a nice day.

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  1. by connsaxman_jim
    (2336 posts)

    19 years ago

    Re: Help~~~ I am all 'googled' out and still no answers!!!!

    hi CynBO, The information you provided tells me everything I need to know. I have been collecting Conn saxophones for some time now, and what you have is a CG. Conn New Wonder Series II alto saxophone. These were also called the "Chu Berry". Chu was a popular saxophone player during this time. Your saxophone was made in 1928. These saxophones are quite valuable and highly sought after. In good condition, an alto like this might bring $1500-$1800, sometimes more depending on the engraving, gold or silver plate, etc. Most of these saxophones were silver plated.

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    1. by CynBO
      (3 posts)

      19 years ago

      Re: Help~~~ I am all 'googled' out and still no answers!!!!

      Thank you so much connsaxman.........You appear to be very knowlegeable and I appreciate your help. I do though have another question. You mention that some were gold plated but mostly silver......so......my question is this: Which is more valuable of the two?

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      1. by Dave Dix
        (421 posts)

        19 years ago

        Re: Help~~~ I am all 'googled' out and still no answers!!!!

        Try this link for all the info needed on conn saxophones.Gold plate is more sought after then silver. Dave www.saxpics.com/conn/index.htm

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        1. by connsaxman_jim
          (2336 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Help~~~ I am all 'googled' out and still no answers!!!!

          Yes, the gold plated horns are the most sought after; particularly the artist series horns with the more elaborate engravings. These are some of the most valuable of the Conn saxophones, from the golden era (1922-1934). Saxpics is a good site with a lot of great information. For more Conn specific information, check out the this link. www.usd.edu/~mbanks/CONTENT.html I have a collection of now 26 saxophones, 20 of which are Conn. I absolutely LOVE them! Jim

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        2. by saxismyaxe
          (575 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Help~~~ I am all 'googled' out and still no answers!!!!

          "I have a collection of now 26 saxophones, 20 of which are Conn. I absolutely LOVE them!" Jim, you're not lagging too far behind me with the saxophone count. Watch out, it's an addiction! Mike

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        3. by CynBO
          (3 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Help~~~ I am all 'googled' out and still no answers!!!!

          Thanks everybody......you have been a lot of help. Google doesn't have anything on you guys......LOL This sax has a lot of scroll work on the bell and all up the front of the horn. So...do you classify this as 'a lot of scroll work'?

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        4. by west
          (242 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Help~~~ I am all 'googled' out and still no answers!!!!

          saxismyaxe or connsaxman jim- How many c-melodies do you have?

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        5. by connsaxman_jim
          (2336 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Help~~~ I am all 'googled' out and still no answers!!!!

          I have just one C Melody now. I had 2, both 1922 Conn New Wonder straight neck models. I sold one back before Christmas as a parts horn. The octave key had broken years ago and the neck was taken in to be repaired and lost. The horn did play with the neck from my other C Melody, but needed some work; new pads, etc. It had been sitting in a damp basement for several years. I didn't do too bad, I sold it on Ebay for $180 to a guy in Norway, and shipped it out to him around Christmas time. I play my C Mel quite a bit at home. I play a lot of blues, and the C Melody is nice when working with guitar players who like to play in E and B. E isn't too bad on the tenor (F#), but I don't like B (C#), so I play the C Melody a lot. Every year the village of Holly, Michigan has a Dickens Christmas festival, which lasts from the Saturday after Thanksgiving until Christmas. Last year I played with a quartet (trumpet, flute, Baritone horn and sax). We dressed up like they did in the late 1800's. I was originally going to play my 1908 Conn Wonder alto, which I did the first couple weeks, but I ended up playing the C Melody. The old Wonder alto is just a little too antique, and it was giving me fits after the second week. It's basically a playable wall piece. My C Melody plays very well though.

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