Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2005 11:59 pm
From what I have seen on Ebay there seem to two two different Conn 15Js. The more common one is a front-action 3-valve BBb instrument similar to the 12J, with the same small bore. The difference is that the 15J has a goofy and rather fragile 3rd valve tubing arrangement and a detachable leadpipe. Apparently the idea was that you could swap the 1st and 3rd valve slides and put on a different leadpipe and play it marching, like a bass bugle. I have never tried it in that configuration, but I did repair a couple of them enough to make them playable in upright form, and liked them. They are nice horns for a high school or middle school kid. Good intonation, even response, not too heavy to carry around. They are bigger than a YBB-103, for example, but not as big as a King 2341 or YBB-321.
The other 15J that I have seen on Ebay resembles a top-action King 1140. I have not played on one, and cannot figure out why two horns so different could have the same model number.
The other 15J that I have seen on Ebay resembles a top-action King 1140. I have not played on one, and cannot figure out why two horns so different could have the same model number.