Conn 82K Sousa??

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Thu May 11, 2006 12:04 am

I just had a Conn 82K (stamped on the bell collar) come in for repair. The Conn Loyalist doesn't list it. Serial number 211745 puts it around 1929. Satin silver with bright gold-washed bell interior. Naked lady logo. Anyone seen one of these?

trseaman · Post by **trseaman** » Thu May 11, 2006 1:14 am

Sounds interesting... Post some pics for us!

Chuck(G) · Post by **Chuck(G)** » Thu May 11, 2006 7:34 pm

Dan, are you sure it's not a 32K?

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Thu May 11, 2006 11:36 pm

Without question... the bell sports a stamp of '82K'. It might be some worker at Conn's idea of a joke, but that's what it says. It's the original stamp... not altered. Here are some pics.

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Thu May 11, 2006 11:50 pm

Chuck(G) wrote:Dan, are you sure it's not a 32K?

One odd thing, Chuck... this horn that is stamped 82K only has two bell screws. I think the sousa in your picture might have three. Small detail... but an obvioius difference. Also, note the shoulder plate. There may be other small differences that don't show up in the pictures.

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Fri May 12, 2006 12:06 am

Another fine theory shot down. Oh, well!

Two bell screws? I've never heard of a souzy with only two bell screws! Could it be a custom job?

Damn that crew who burned the books before moving to Texas!

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Fri May 12, 2006 12:26 am

iiipopes wrote:Two bell screws? I've never heard of a souzy with only two bell screws! Could it be a custom job?

Yep! Two bell screws... 180 degrees apart. The horn was probably purchased new by the St. Meinrad Archabby at St. Meinrad, Indiana. It could have been a custom job that was built for the Catholic churches around this area. Who knows?? It's a shame some of production records may have been lost.

trseaman · Post by **trseaman** » Fri May 12, 2006 12:32 am

A fine looking horn! Would sure like to see it in person and all polished up! It looks to be another fine example of Conn mystique! Thanks for sharing Dan...

Tim

Chuck(G) · Post by **Chuck(G)** » Fri May 12, 2006 12:40 am

TubaTinker wrote:
Chuck(G) wrote:Dan, are you sure it's not a 32K?
One odd thing, Chuck... this horn that is stamped 82K only has two bell screws. I think the sousa in your picture might have three. Small detail... but an obvioius difference. Also, note the shoulder plate. There may be other small differences that don't show up in the pictures.

Well, Conn did change things around quite a bit during the early years. Here's another 32K - note the shoulder plate:

I'm thinking that the 2 bell screws were another "lightweight" feature. Maybe?

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Fri May 12, 2006 12:50 am

Chuck(G) wrote: I'm thinking that the 2 bell screws were another "lightweight" feature. Maybe?

I'm sort of inclined to think that some moron at Conn grabbed the '8' stamp instead of the '3'. This could make for an interesting story. The 'naked lady' is pretty voluptous! This horn may have been made on a Friday AFTER lunch! Don't know about the two bell screw deal.

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Fri May 12, 2006 1:23 am

TubaTinker wrote:It's a shame some of production records may have been lost.

Some?! MacMillian trashed everything so they didn't have to move it to Texas, or Illinois, or wherever the #&!! they wanted to set up shop all over the world! My Japanese Conn acoustic guitar is pretty good, however: the top bout looks like a Martin 000 14-fret, the lower bout looks like a Gibson J-200, with a real spruce top! And it's bolted together, @ twenty years before Taylor started making them that way.

cthompsonjr · Post by **cthompsonjr** » Fri May 12, 2006 2:13 am

It's a 32K! I'm positive it was a mistake made by the guy who was working on the horn at the time. As far as the two bell screws go, I have owned several earlier 20K's with the two bell screw setup on the collar.

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Fri May 12, 2006 10:47 am

With only two screws, are there any other differences? Maybe it an attempt at even "lighter weight" before fiberglass... !

pulseczar · Post by **pulseczar** » Fri May 12, 2006 11:16 am

This could be one of those ultra rare and ultra valuable "mistake" items that collectors love.

Chuck(G) · Post by **Chuck(G)** » Fri May 12, 2006 11:39 am

windshieldbug wrote:With only two screws, are there any other differences? Maybe it an attempt at even "lighter weight" before fiberglass... !

"Lightweight" was Conn's advertised idea behind the 32K. From the 1936 catalog:

The 32K Lightweight Sousaphone is the newest thing in sousaphones and was designed for a light-weight sousaphone possessing the same general design and quality of performance as the 38K Sousaphone Grand. That this model fulfills this demand is fully evident because it has jumped into immediate popularity. Magnificent tone easily produced, combined with lighter weight than found in the average BBb sousaphone, makes this instrument ideal for professionals with long and tiring engagements... Although of the same bore through the valves and major portion of the tubing as the famous Conn Sousaphone Grand 38K, our engineers have ingeniously designed the instrument in respect to rings, bracings, ferrules and valve caps so as to reduce the weight by more than two pounds, making it weigh about 26 pounds. The bell is 24 inches in diameter.

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Fri May 12, 2006 11:55 am

ergo maybe "lighterweight". Didn't survive because of the plastic 'phone.

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Fri May 12, 2006 4:38 pm

"He" is a she, and she has done some very nice work!

Dutch · Post by **Dutch** » Fri May 12, 2006 4:50 pm

looks very much like my 32K (3 screws, build like the Titanic and the Bismarck). Do you enjoy its weight?
Plays very well, nice dry sound, probably thanks to the armoured plating.

ken k · Post by **ken k** » Fri May 12, 2006 9:41 pm

so what is the story behind the naked lady anyway? is it a tribute to someone or something? these has to be a story behind it...
ken k

trseaman · Post by **trseaman** » Fri May 12, 2006 11:38 pm

There's one on Ebay that's looks like the same horn... See what you think.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-C-G-Conn-38 ... dZViewItem