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Forum » Vintage Saxophones » 16M Conn Saxes by jazzfool132 (144 posts) 19 years ago 16M Conn Saxes I currently own a tenor conn 16M sax and i was curious with the thoughts of other 16M players. The sound on this horn is fat with decent intonation . I purchased this horn from my instructor and has awesome key action. an amazing horn for the price! Many people would prefer the 10m over this horn but it should be given a chance!! Reply To Post [Report Abuse] Report Abuse Web Address * Your Name Your Email Address Comment
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by if_lisa_played_tenor (2 posts) 19 years ago Re: 16M Conn Saxes I bought my 1st horn about a year ago, it's a conn 16M that was made between 58 and 59 (according to its serial number), and i appreciate the sound. a lot of the laquer is missing, and it needs to be professionally cleaned, but I like the sound it has. I was told that my horn is pretty good and I got it for 500, which wasn't a bad buy I think. Reply To Post by if_lisa_played_tenor (2 posts) 19 years ago Re: 16M Conn Saxes I bought my 1st horn about a year ago, it's a conn 16M that was made between 58 and 59 (according to its serial number), and i appreciate the sound. a lot of the laquer is missing, and it needs to be professionally cleaned, but I like the sound it has. I was told that my horn is pretty good and I got it for 500, which wasn't a bad buy I think. Reply To Post by peter090 (155 posts) 19 years ago Re: 16M Conn Saxes I started out on a 16m in 1963 and played it until I switched to alto in college when I bought a Mark VI alto. I continued playing the 16m until I bought a 1947 10m in about 1978. The 16m properly set up is a decent student horn but doesn't have the sound of the 10m and the action generally has to be set higher to keep it in tune and not sounding stuffy. That said if you aren't good enough to do a gig on a 16m a 10m wouldn't help you and that goes for a Mark VI Series III or custom Z. An intermediate player on a pro horn sounds just like they would on a student horn. The advantage to an intermediate player is that the pro horn keeps its value. Things like intonation and eveness of scale are better on a pro horn but they don't play themselves. Reply To Post by jazzfool132 (144 posts) 19 years ago Re: 16M Conn Saxes thanks for the insight ps did u gig alot on your 16m? did u like it? how was the overall quality of your 16m? Reply To Post by peter090 (155 posts) 19 years ago Re: 16M Conn Saxes I played mainly alto but would used the 16m fairly regularly on gigs. It was fine. The sound is thinner than a pro horn and the intonation took more work. When I decided I prefered tenor I played Kings Martins Selmers and finally settled on a 10m. I think the new student horns especially the intermediate range seem better on intonation but the old Conns are certainly better than the cheaper student horns and pretty good bang for the buck in my opinion. I was pretty far along before that horn was holding me back. Reply To Post by spottspidermunki (55 posts) 19 years ago Re: 16M Conn Saxes we have a 16M as a school horn. It intonates somewhat decently, but my biggest complaint is that its sound is so shallow. it just lacks the depth of a pro line horn. this being said, it makes for a great marching horn, cuz its built like a tank. if ur looking for a horn based purely on sound, a 16M isn't really ur best bet. but if ur looking for durability w/ a decent sound (for gigging and such) then a 16M is a good option 4 u. Reply To Post AIM by chiamac (586 posts) 19 years ago Re: 16M Conn Saxes I'll confirm that it's built like a tank! Reply To Post Yahoo! AIM by connsaxman_jim (2336 posts) 19 years ago Re: 16M Conn Saxes Properly set up, the 16M sounds great! It doesn't sound like a 10M, but still sounds good. The earlier ones WERE built like tanks! Reply To Post Yahoo! by jazzfool132 (144 posts) 19 years ago Re: 16M Conn Saxes how much did all of you pay for your 16m's? i paid around $600 in excellent playing condition and practically no wear in the lacquer! Reply To Post by saxismyaxe (575 posts) 19 years ago Re: 16M Conn Saxes Jazzfool, Since we discussed your horn, and it's one of the better 16M's made (i.e. 50's-early 60's) I think you paid a good price for your horn. I remember in the early 70's when I got mine it was around $700.00 new, and that was a piece of junk Mexi-Conn horn, not in the same league as the earlier Conns. I would think that you could get that amount for a better than average condition horn down the road when you decide to sell it, but don't put it up on Ebay, or you will likely get bottom dollar for it. Reply To Post by johnsonfromwisconsin (767 posts) 19 years ago Re: 16M Conn Saxes A friend of mine has a Mexico-manufactured 16M. It plays boldly but it's workmanship isn't the greatest, and it plays nearly a half-tone sharp on a number of mouthpieces. When I was looking for a tenor, he wanted to sell it to me for $600. Before I had the opportunity to even see it, I had allready bought a much better 400 for the same price. Reply To Post by saxismyaxe (575 posts) 19 years ago Re: 16M Conn Saxes A Buescher is leaps and bounds better than a Mexi-Conn era Conn. Count your blessings that you chose wisely. Someone mentioned the 16M's as being built like tanks; if you want a PRO horn that is built like a tank, but also a work of art both musically and aesthetically, I recommend a Martin, in particular the MARTIN COMMITTEE models. They are on the rise cost wise as vintage collectors start discovering these sleeping beauties, but they can still be had for less than horns such as the Super 20, Connquerers, SBA etc., and are everybit their equal and in many cases superior. Mike Reply To Post