TubeNet

Hi - I'm looking to buy a King double-bell euphonium. I would prefer that it be silver-plated (with gold flushes in both bells) with 5 valves, but I will consider non-silver plating and 4 valves as well. Please e-mail me with what you have, asking price, condition, and pictures if you have any. My e-mail is ParLawGod@Yahoo.com - thanks!!!

I own a Conn right now - I like the King sound better (and for me the attacks and articulations are crisper and cleaner), and also with the King double-bells I have a little more room for tuning. On my Conn, with the tuning slide pushed all the way in, a few open notes are still a little flat. I've had it checked for leaks and everything and it is perfectly fine. I've even sanded down my mouthpiece shank (6.5AL). Instead of going through all the trouble I'm just going to get a King.

I use my Conn double-bell for quite a few gigs thoughout the year, and when it's cold out it is a bear to tune since I can't push in any farther.

I don't know when your Conn was built, but I have 1907 Conn and 1912 Holton Double Bells. Both of these horns were built to the Vienna Congress "Low Pitch", which, at the time, was A=435.

For brass tuning history, see Notes on Early 20th Century Pitch Standards

Because they were built to such a low pitch, I could never bring them up to play with other modern pitch, exactly as you describe. My Conn has the "W" low pitch slides, so that I actually had to make new high pitch slides (A=452) so that I could come down to A=440 and play at modern pitch.

You may want to try something similar. It might be the horn, and not you or your mouthpiece.