Re: 10m Vs. Chu Berry Tenors
"Chu Berry" was the name given to the New Wonder Series II saxophones in general. The New Wonder Series II horns were manufactured from 1925-about 1930, when Conn began the transitional over to the M series (10M) The horn that Chu played was actually a transitional model tenor built around 1931.
Earlier New Wonder Series II models had split bell keys, like the Series I (B and Bb keys on opposite sides of the bell) The transitional models and 10M have same-side bell keys. Another feature of the "Chu Berry" horns is the "nail-file" G# key.
The intonation on the New Wonder Series II horns is fairly good. The later models with the same-side bell keys do tend to have slightly better intonation. The older split-bell key models do tend to resonate more on the low end, giving them a very warm, lush sound. I especially like this sound for blues.
The intonation on the 10M is slightly better, but the 10M works best with a large chamber mouthpiece. Many modern mouthpieces with small chambers are going to cause problems with many vintage horns. The same is true of the Chu Berry. The keywork on the 10M is better. Although a bit "clunky", the action on the 10M is light, responsive and very reliable. The set screws that help keep the action in adjustment can be a pain though when they need to come out!
The later 10M's with drawn tone holes, rather than rolled tone holes, seem to have the best intonation and the brightest sound. My preference are those horns built from 1948-1959 for this reason. (1959 being the last year for the naked lady engraving) These horns also have fewer problems with key-height adjustment and pad leakage than the earlier rolled tone hole models. The rolled tone hole models (1934-1947) typically sell for more than the post-1948 models also.
Jim
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