Conn 2/3J CC tubas

[MaryAnn]

This is second hand info, but a friend of mine who lives in Austin bought a 2J from Dillon Music based on Matt's recommendation. Matt said, I believe, that it was the best 2J he had ever played. My friend says it is a wonderful small CC and he wishes he had bought one years ago. However he did say that it is a somewhat awkward angle to reach the valves, for him, but that he is finding ways to work around it. (Another tuba-tilting saga.)

No comparisons available from here.

MA

[Toobist]

It was my first CC (2J). My teacher at the time leant it to me for about a year as he wasn't playing in any ensembles that really called for it. I certainly miss it and it might possibly be one of the best quintet horns ever! You can hear one on the Meridian Arts Ensemble recordings I believe.

[dmmorris]

You can hear one on the Meridian Arts Ensemble recordings I believe.

You can hear it on all of the MAE recordings. The 3J has been Ray Stewart's main axe throughout. The guy kicks-it!

[Dave Hayami]

If I remember correctly,
The 2J (CC) and the 4J(BBb) were built by The Olds Company or from Olds bulit parts assembled by Conn as their valves and all of their tuning/valve slides are the same as the Olds 0-991 tuba and the Olds sousaphone.
I own a 2J, and am very happy with it as a smaller tuba, it really is a lot of fun to play. My other main horns, a Mirafone 186 5V CC and a YEB 321S both play very well, just different.(I also own a Reynolds 4V BBb clone/cousin of the Olds)
I didn't need to buy the 2J, but the deal came up and I couldn't refuse.
I don't mind leaving the 2J out of it's case just so I could pick it up to play
anytime I wanted .
The 3J is a closer cousin to the 5J than the 2J, the 3 and the 5 have a similar bore,but "fatter/shorter" pistons. I have played a 5J, but only for a few minutes, nothing side by side, as I have also played a Weril small BBb(691?)
I did play a YBB621S side by side with my 2J and my 186. I liked the 2J's sound better.
Sorry for the ramble, it's late after a HS football game and a glass of wine.
Dave Hayami

[Phil Dawson]

I own a 3J in silver and it is a great quintet horn. It will also work in a pinch in band or orchestra but it has a small bore and doesn't produce as much sound as a big horn so it wouldn't be my first choice. The horn (at least I was told) was a copy of the horn thet Harvey used in NY during his quintet days and Conn worked with him when they made the new design. Then they got into some kind of tiff and the horns were no longer made. They are very solid horns and play very well in tune.
Phil

[glangfur]

I have a 3J, built in 1979. It's a great doubler's horn, as the small bore makes it an easy transition from bass trombone, and it's very well-suited to a pit-sized orchestra (which is where I do most of my professional tuba playing). The good intonation helps me a great deal as well. It does look very similar to the 5J above.

It's my understanding that mine is an early 3J, and that most of them were made in the 80s. I have also been told of the Harvey Phillips connection. Incidentally, a colleague of mine studied with Mr. Phillips, and he said he always stressed using false tones on the low register. My 3J has amazing false tones, so much so that, as long as I am putting is some quality practice time, I hardly miss having a 5th valve on it at all.

I've also compared it to a Yamaha 621, and preferred the Conn. The Yamaha is so easy to play and so responsive, but I had a hard time getting a sound I was pleased with in the low register, and the pitch seemed to need more slide adjustments.

I think the 2J was made starting in the 50s sometime, but I may be wrong. The one I've seen looks very similar to the 3J, but it's a little lighter and has more rounded tuning slide crooks.