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Hello Tubeneters,

I came across this horn when a friend invited me to look at some instruments a local band wants to get rid of...
I was wondering if it could be one of those nearly mythical Conn 34J's...
The body looks small for a Grand Bass but I haven't had one in my hands for a while, maybe my eyes got bigger...
Tubing config looks right.

Bell 22 inches
bore .735
NICKEL PLATED ?!?!?
forgot to write down the serial #... will come back with that info shortly.

Instrument would definitely need a valve job and at least partial rebuild.
Because of the amount of work necessary to make it play, I offered 650$, which of course, was refused...
They actually want closer to 2000$ CND... Which I find ridiculous!
Is this even worth restoring?
How much should one expect to pay for a horn of this rarity and condition?
Two pics :




More here:
http://s226.photobucket.com/albums/dd33 ... onn%2034J/" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

Looks kind of like this...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Conn-5J-4-V ... 276wt_1165" target="_blank

...which sold for $1,475 US.

But I'm no Conn expert.

Where is it the horn located, It is better shape than the one which just sold. I lost out on that bid, So I' be interested.

tubarnak wrote:Hello Tubeneters,

I came across this horn when a friend invited me to look at some instruments a local band wants to get rid of...
I was wondering if it could be one of those nearly mythical Conn 34J's...

34J's are not mythical. What causes confusion is that the number was used for different instruments over time.

This instrument looks old. The brass valve buttons, the engraving, and the slide-crook ferrules all point to late 1800's or early 1900's, not the 1920's and 30's around which the discussions of model numbers usually center. This might be a New Wonder or a Wonderphone or something like that. The 36J and 80J of the 1934 catalog, for example, do not have a tuning slide in front of the first valve as does this one. The 34J of that catalog is a top-action instrument.

Rick "whose limited Conn lore doesn't go back far enough for this one" Denney

The tuning slide before the valves is indeed a good marker; I can't believe I didn't see that... I just WANTED to have found a 34J...
The branches on the tuba I found are also too small for a Grand Bass.
From pics on the Conn Loyalist website, one could believe it could be a "monster" BBb, probably a 33J if the description is right.
But as Rick Denney pointed out, it might be even older... the serial number will hopefully give me a good hint.

I'll keep doing some research and post results if anyone is interested.

Thanks for your input!

Looks like an early 1900's horn to me. I pulled up some pics of the 1894 double-bell euphonium I once owned--I've seen cornets, peck horns, and tubas from the 1880's and 1890's with identical details to mine--and the ferrules and brace details on the OP's tuba are different.

CDN$2000 seems way too high for a horn with shot valves and at least one missing brace, especially for a not-well-known model with an unknown reputation for playability. Don't walk, run!

just a question. the one that was pictured with the bell front. isn't that a 36J. i actually have that horn. and if i remeber correctly it has stamped 36J in the collar.

brasshospital wrote:just a question. the one that was pictured with the bell front. isn't that a 36J. i actually have that horn. and if i remeber correctly it has stamped 36J in the collar.

Again: The model numbers mean different things in different periods. 36J's have come with both removable recording bells and with fixed upright bells at different times in Conn's history.

Rick "who has seen pictures from Conn catalogs of both" Denney

Looks like a four-valved version of the 28J.... maybe a 32J??

It's definitely not a 5J as an earlier poster suggested.

I don't quite get the loooong main tuning slide.

TubaTinker wrote:Looks like a four-valved version of the 28J.... maybe a 32J??

It's definitely not a 5J as an earlier poster suggested.

I don't quite get the loooong main tuning slide.

My Giant has a very similar long crook and a short bow after the valve set (as does this one). I have seen pics of others with a shorter slide and a longer bow, so I am assuming this tuba as well as mine are both hi-pitch horns with low-pitch slides.