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So I recently acquired what I thought was a conn 14k but when I finally saw the bell it is stamped with "Elkhart ind" the guys marching like you find on most conn director instruments and the words "pan american" on it. I was told it was a 14k which it "looks/feels" like. Was I bamboozled? Plays well and everything i just wanna know if I got a 14k on my hands or not. Any help is appreciated. Thank you.

14K is a sousaphone designation.

I understand that the 'Pan American' line was pretty much the budget/student line by Conn. They were Conn-made instruments, much like 'Cleveland' and 'American Standard' instruments were made by H.N. White (King). 'Continental Colonial' was a Pan American (Conn) line of instruments, too. The Pan American 'budget' line is more similar to 'real' Conn instruments than not. Usually, only very minor differences between them.

The old 20k sousa was supposed to be the 'higher end' model compared to the 'basic standard' 14k. You not only see the larger bugle and short action pistons of the 20k, but also the shoulder rest and 'nicer' ferrules, bracing, and valve caps. Yet, many ppl prefer the playing characteristics of the 'standard' 14k

bloke wrote:(rather than a 47/64" bore)

Is that the #10 bore, as seen in the Conn Loyalist 14K catalogue entry? (... and 22K, 38K, etc. 20K is #10½.)

At times, they stamped the model number on the bell collar, might be worth close look there.

bam214 wrote:So I recently acquired what I thought was a conn 14k but when I finally saw the bell it is stamped with "Elkhart ind" the guys marching like you find on most conn director instruments and the words "pan american" on it. I was told it was a 14k which it "looks/feels" like. Was I bamboozled? Plays well and everything i just wanna know if I got a 14k on my hands or not. Any help is appreciated. Thank you.

One of the best sousaphones I've ever played was the Pan American version of the 14K.

I say "no worries", unless you paid a fortune for the horn.

I played a satin silver Pan American stencil of a Conn 14K all through high school. It said Pan American on the bell and had 32K stamped on the collar. I loved everything about that horn.