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This old Conn doesn't seem to match up with any Conn lists.

It dates to 1918, SN#154652. I suspect it may be a transitional model as Conn was changing from helicons and raincatcher to a bell front sousa. At least I don't recall seeing another sousa with a detachable bell bow.
It has a .742 (#10 3/4) bore.
The Bell collar is 7 1/4 in.
The Bell diameter is 23 1/2 in.
And, it has 7 tuning slides!

Kenton wrote:This old Conn doesn't seem to match up with any Conn lists.

It dates to 1918, SN#154652. I suspect it may be a transitional model as Conn was changing from helicons and raincatcher to a bell front sousa. At least I don't recall seeing another sousa with a detachable bell bow.....

Kenton... my 'frankenhelicon' has that option. Of course, it didn't come from the factory like this!

It does look like like good ideas do get recycled! What is the model of your helicon body? Bore?

Kenton wrote:It does look like like good ideas do get recycled! What is the model of your helicon body? Bore?

It started as a pre-1985 Conn 14K (.737" bore). I added the 4th valve that was sacrificed by another like valve section. It is pictured here with the latest helicon bell. A 'raincatcher' bell is on the table as a future project.

I just finished a valve job on the helicon a couple of weeks ago and took it to 'Windjammers' last week for a 'shakedown'. It performed very well.

ok, I was working on the suspicion that this horn was an adaptation of one of the horns that were later identified as the 1919 models. They had both helicons and raincatchers at that point. Unfortunately, I don't have bore sizes or other data to narrow it down.

Kenton,

I have seen others, so this was transitional.

My guess if that the collars are the same diameter, then in could be used outside (bell forward, with intermediate collar) or inside (bell up, without intermediate collar).

Sousa rarely marched with his own band, and disliked the directness of the helicon inside, so it would make sense if used by other bands.