Saxophone Forum


by Vesper
(9 posts)
19 years ago

Conn ID Help

Hello, I purchased another sax today on ebay... I have no idea what it is. It looks to me as pad guards were soildered on at some point, because the ones in the pictures do not match any Conn I have ever seen. The serial number (127xxx) means it should be early 20's, but it dosn't seem to look like any New Wonder pictures I can find... Also, it looks like the Engraving just says "CONN" I thought that for that era, it should say C.G. Conn... Please help! heres the ebay link cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7344816844&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&rd=1

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  1. by connsaxman_jim
    (2336 posts)

    19 years ago

    Re: Conn ID Help

    That's an early Conn Director's model (14M) saxophone; probably made in 1955 or 1956. Later, these saxophones featured the shooting stars engraving. The key guard was fabricated and made to fit this sax. This Conn should have had wire guards originally. Looks like you got it for a good price though. They play very well, have a nice sound, and good intonation.

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    1. by connsaxman_jim
      (2336 posts)

      19 years ago

      Re: Conn ID Help

      Consequently, some of the serial numbers on the earlier Director's models don't exactly fit the normal Conn serial number sequence. Who knows what Conn was thinking there, but I do believe that this is one of the earlier Director's models.

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    2. by Vesper
      (9 posts)

      19 years ago

      Re: Conn ID Help

      Why is it that it dosn't say 'C.G. Conn'? I thought they all had that afterCG bought Conn in 1916 or so?

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      1. by Vesper
        (9 posts)

        19 years ago

        Re: Conn ID Help

        I actually just recieved another clue, the serial number is 'N127xxx' Does that make any difference? Also, I can seem to find any pictures of a 14M with the bell toneholes all on the same side... all the pictures I have seen have some on one side, some on the other

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        1. by connsaxman_jim
          (2336 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Conn ID Help

          Actually CG Conn is Charles Gerard Conn, who was the founder of the Conn Company. Conn was sold to Carl Dimond Greenleaf in 1916 and the name was then changed to CG Conn Ltd. The Director's model horns and some of the later 6M's and 10M's were engraved with only CONN, or CONN USA instead of CG CONN. Many changes took place after Leland Greenleaf took over the company in 1959. The N in the serial number would indicate 1970. Typically a Directors model that late would have the shooting stars engraving, but there were a lot of changes going on around that time. MacMillan purchased Conn in 1969 and moved production from Elkhart, IN to Nogales, AZ, and then Mexico.

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