Conn-vert

Hello all, a long-winded account of a new conn-vert Like some of the other members I’ve seen recently, I to have just purchased a 6m VIII. Wow is all I can say. I always stayed away from non-Selmer type horns (ergonomics). Also since I make my living doing mostly commercial stuff and don’t get a chance to bop out much anymore I figured conns weren’t really cut out for that kind of stuff. All of these assumptions were unjustified however because I had never really played one. Another reason was because of the dual side of sax playing in college. I play mostly tenor, partly because I never really had a good alto or set up. I’m several years out of college now and gigging and doing session work more than I ever have in my life. I feel I’ve made some growth as a musician in the last couple of years and was looking to finally get a good alto set up and really become a well-rounded sax player. Plus as a school teacher and 150+ date a year musician I finally have some spare change in my pocket for the first time in my life to get what I want. In walks my best friend and roommate from college. He’s passing through town and staying with me overnight. He has one of my other college buddy’s 6m that he picked up from the shop. Now my friend has always been a conn person. Playing a 6m and a Chu. I talk to him about this horn and ask him about the commercial stuff. He says yea, our old college professor said it did the altissimo stuff better that his Mark 6. He leaves the horn with me for a week and I take the horn to school early the next day to practice with it. My perceptions of vintage conns’ are changed forever. I cannot believe how effortlessly the sound is emitted from the horn and how you can really lay into the horn and shape the sound. The deal he gave me for it was to stupid to give up. I have several mouthpieces lying around and it played great with all of them. (20 year old Meyer 6m, current production Meyer 7m, Lawton hard rubber 7*, and Vandoren V16 6m-which I think I’ve settled on for now) Now I was just going to buy a matching Z alto to my 82Z unlac-ed tenor, but I am so glad I came across this horn. I’ve never been one to jump on the bandwagon for any particular brand like I see so many people on this forum bickering about. It’s all about sound and playability for me. I’ve read many times that it is a good idea to stay with the same type horns if you switch during a show as it makes it easier. After spending a minute practicing on the 6m, I don’t find the switch to be of any concern I write this for those of you out there that were like me, and thought that an old conn would be cool but not for the stuff you usually end up doing. Give them a chance. It might be for you. Am I going to abandon my Z tenor? Well, it would take a seriously badass horn to make me give it up, and I could write another page on all of the other horns I tried that did not stand up. Will I try a 10m to see? Certainly. P.S. Anyone got a 30m they want to get rid of? Hehe….

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