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Nice Gold Plated Conn-Helleberg Tuba Mouthpiece - SOLD
Posted: Fri Dec 06, 2013 9:04 pm
by Untersatz
Excellent condition early gold plated Conn-Helleberg MP
Re: Nice Gold Plated Conn-Helleberg Tuba Mouthpiece (1968)
Posted: Fri Dec 06, 2013 10:28 pm
by Untersatz
Yes, I believe the rim is the main difference between the newer models. It's not as flat & it
is the full size, same as the 120S
Re: Nice Gold Plated Conn-Helleberg Tuba Mouthpiece (1968)
Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 12:12 pm
by Donn
Great pictures, the kind of thing that I'd nominate for a Tubenet photo archive if there were one. There have been some interesting discussions of this matter in years past, particularly
this one, with photos that I think showed 3 Hellebergs from various years, but now gone as the photos were hosted by the person who posted them. Apparently the Helleberg 120 rim shape varied a lot, and got somewhat more rounded from the '70s on. But not as rounded as this - compared to this, the other examples from various eras were flat. The way I interpret the story, it does add up, though - apparently the model went from a two-tone plating like yours to an all-over (but maybe thinner) gold plate, and with a flatter, sharper rim, about the time Conn turned manufacture over to DEG while moving operations to Abilene. Which would have been after your 1968 date.