Conn 4 valve front action on Ebay

[EdFirth]

Have any of you played on or heard about this model? I've never seen one before but it is an intellegent looking design.Thanks in advance, Ed

[bort]

This one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-1901-Conn-4 ... 0471664801

[Bob Kolada]

I've been emailing the seller to see if he'll just sell it, but it looks like it's going a bit higher than I would like.

Looks pretty cool though!

[Dan Schultz]

Anyone else think it's kinda funny that a tuba from 1901 is only 98 years old?

Sure looks nice, though!

I'm not familiar with any Conn tuba made in 1901 that looks like that. Could there be a digit missing from the serial number?

[tofu]

Is it safe to assume that if this is a 1900-1901 vintage Conn that it is in high pitch?

[GC]

That's one tiny horn.

[Bob Kolada]

I hate to be a jerk and all, but...
isn't emailing a seller through ebay (dangerous assumption on my part, but I don't see a listed email address which would allow emailing outside of ebay) and asking for them to sell it seperate from the auction...
kind of...
well...
against the rules?
sorry to be a jerk (really)

Ehh, don't worry about it.
To be honest, if I'm happy with it and the seller is happy with it I don't really care.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


It looks just like my similar vintage (Bandmaster has another one) old Lyon & Healy/Conn 3 valve Eb.

I'd love to get it and I bet a Rusk-style 5th valve would be a pretty easy addition and look super slick. But it's not going to bother me too much if it doesn't happen.

[EdFirth]

What I'm curious about is how it plays. Is it high pitch? Is it relatively in tune with itself? Have any of you ever seen and or played a four valve one before? I have a 3 valve King just like the one that Bob Kolada bought and it plays great but is pretty much toast as far as cosmetics so I'd like to find something like it with four valves and spend restoration money there if necessary rather than do the one I already have and still only have three valves.Thanks Everybody, Ed

[Bob Kolada]

I had no idea there was a 4 valve version!
Only intonation problem on my old horn was a sharp 6th partial. 5th was flat at first, but I "got used to that" quickly and it was never a problem again. I'm starting to do that on my current King. It played pretty well. Low Bb and A were only OK. My horn might have needed a valve alignment, though F and E were fine.



Bandmaster's Conn-
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12857&hilit=yamaha+conn


Cheapest way to get 4 valves on one of these is probably to buy a clean 3 valver and add a rotary valve as a 4th. The King is around a .620 bore and I believe most (all?) of the front action Conn's were around .656. Kanstul has a .620 and .65 rotary valve on their contrabass trombone. You could get a long pull slide which would minimize the need for a 5th valve. There was a nice King and Conn (with the main slide before the valves) on eBay this spring for around 400 each, I believe. I had really hoped my King would work as a 3 banger, but the false tones just aren't their without a big mouthpiece and I do not like how it plays with one. The plan now is to probably get a more modern horn and keep the King as a backup.

That King and Conn (sorry about the big pictures!!)-

Eb 1920 small King.jpg

[Bob Kolada]

Frank Ortega has/had a small Conn F that he thinks was a 4 valve horn stock-
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=32652&p=287208&hilit=conn#p287208


If the eBay horn is high-pitch, one could probably trim the top inner bow and end up with an F tuba (compare with Frank's pictures).

[Dan Schultz]

This seller in near me. ...... I wonder about the source of them. Where are they getting these from? ....

I never cease to be amazed by some of the stuff that surfaces from time-to-time. Their HAS to be a lot of things 'out there' yet. ... Like the pair of Conn 'jumbos' that I bought a few months back. There have to be more 'out there' somewhere but for the time being, these are some very rare sousaphones.

There are basements, storage rooms, and attics just chucked full of stuff like this!

[EdFirth]

As far as the high pitch thing i would probably just put long inner slides on the main so it was as far out as you need when it's pushed all the way in(with a little to spare). F tubas and I are not on good terms. Thanks Bob for posting the pics and info.Ed

[Frank Ortega]

Yes, I had an F tuba that was made from one of these instruments and I loved it! I always thought that I'd like to try an Eb version.
If the intonation and low range on my F was good, I always thought that the Eb would be even better. There is a video of me playing the Carnival of Venice that horn at http://www.nysmf.org" target="_blank under 2007 faculty clips. It's also on my facebook page too!

Frank Ortega