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Forum » Vintage Saxophones » Help Clarifying Conn Neck Tuner Start Date and serial sequence


by historicsaxwhisperer
(644 posts)
8 years ago

Help Clarifying Conn Neck Tuner Start Date and serial sequence

As I was looking through the Saxophone Museum horns today, I notices a Conn C Melody Artist in Gold Plate with a serial number of 47,881 with a straight neck with the Tuner. The horn does not have rolled tone holes. In my many years of refurbishing Conn straight necks, I had an extensive run working with my Guru Barry Wilson of Cybersax, I have never had one old enough to not have rolled tone holes. We worked on many many of these and I have never seen a straight neck prior to the low 50K serial sequence and never one in the straight tone hole category. Does anyone have the knowlege of when the tuning mechanism started based on serial number? If it was not in the museum, I would have assumed the neck was not original with the above mentioned horn.

Then for more confusion, the 92XXX C melody listed along side this gold horn has rare black lacquer, rolled tone holes, and has a goose neck without a tuner. I also have not seen a C melody in this sequence that does not have a tuner. The 90K to 11oK range is my favorite C melody to work on.

Also, as I read through the Conn publications also listed here under publications, I see that the 45 page 1920 saxophone catolog states all the altos and c melodys produced at this point in history had the micro tuner. This goes against both the above mentioned C melodies making me feel both have incorrect replacement necks.

I am today a Confused seasoned refurbisher. Information we take as correct may simply be wrong. I think both of these horns may have replacement necks and I am looking to be proven wrong. Please share your knowlege

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  2. by GFC
    (842 posts)
    8 years ago

    Re: Help Clarifying Conn Neck Tuner Start Date and serial sequence

    I would have no problem believing that the microtuner was introduced on limited runs before it became standard, particularly as a premium feature on premium finish horns.  I would also have no problem believing that a catalog would announce a feature before it became standard.  The release of the Mark VII according to Selmer's literature apparently doesn't match with its release according to serial number data, leading to lots of teeth-gnashing among VI-heads.  So don't lose too much sleep over it.

    There are also examples of microtuner-less transitional altos.  There's at least one in the museum section.

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    1. by historicsaxwhisperer
      (644 posts)
      8 years ago

      Re: Help Clarifying Conn Neck Tuner Start Date and serial sequence

      I'd love to see that microtuner opened up to see if it is the first generation with six rods or the final 8M type with the two tongues. I'd be more inclined to believe a microtuner introduced on a limited run if it was in fact the first generation of tuner design. Based on the horn being a gold plated model, that would be some great information to put out there for us historically interested geek saxophone historians.

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