conn sousa 42K

[oedipoes]

hi

is there anyone out there ever having played a Conn 42K sousaphone? (yep, from the 20's)

how is the sound, response, does it play in tune most of the time ?
how heavy is this instrument ? (in kg would be nice...), dimensions, bore ... ?
what does one pay these days for a 42K in used condition ?

i'm looking into buying a used conn sousaphone, that's why all these questions

thanks in advance !!

wim

[iiipopes]

Wow, the big 3-valve raincatcher. They are as rare as hen's teeth!

[TUbajohn20J]

wow have u already found a 42K? If so, GREAT! if not, good luck finding one..If you want a good Conn sousa, any of the old 32-42Ks from the 20's and 30's would be good, also the 14K, or the 20K which they still make.
You can find those on ebay for 1000-1500 for a good used one. Good luck!

[oedipoes]

i have seen one for sale recently, but did not find a lot of info on the internet

iipopes, does the 'raincatcher' thing mean it has an upright bell ?

as far as I could see on the picture from the person that sells it, it looked bell-front to me.

thanks for your reactions !

[TUbajohn20J]

hi

is there anyone out there ever having played a Conn 42K sousaphone? (yep, from the 20's)

how is the sound, response, does it play in tune most of the time ?
how heavy is this instrument ? (in kg would be nice...), dimensions, bore ... ?
what does one pay these days for a 42K in used condition ?

i'm looking into buying a used conn sousaphone, that's why all these questions

thanks in advance !!

wim

Im guessing the 42K is pretty much the same thas a 40K, but with an upright bell. But in the picture you saw you described a front bell..he might have the sousa mistaken for a 40k. Did it have 4 valves? But to answer your question..The sound is AMAZING. It has a huge bore and large bell throat. So, Big huge fat mellow sound! also can be very quiet and pretty when you want it to. It responds very well. And mine is very in tune if you use the 4th valve instead of 1 and 3. But if you get an old 3 valve like a 38K, you wont be dissapointed. You could also get the 1st valve loop converted to a slide to make it in tune. Mine weighs about 35 lbs. And i bougt mine for $2400. Refurbished, no dents, buffed, and re lacquered. valve job..and it was worth every bit of it! You should definately get that horn. you wont be dissapointed. Here is my 40K



Also there is a satin silver 38K on ebay right now refurbished. They are asking $3000 for it. I'd say its worth it because the thing looks brand new and comes with a new case. check it out..
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... =p3907.m29" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

[oedipoes]

hey tubajohn, your 40K looks like brand new to me.
what a great instrument this is!!!

I attached the picture of what I've been told is a 42 K, I can't tell it from the picture...

I checked out the ebay link, that's what I'm looking for !!
looks like very good condition for a sousa that age.
thanks for the ebay tip and thanks for sharing your pictures !

lucky us europeans that the dollar is so low against euro ...

[TUbajohn20J]

Thanks for the compliments. And It looks like the horn in the picture is a 38K. I bet if you shined that thing up and took some dents out, it would look as good as the one on ebay. The ebay horn has a new 26" inch 20K bell, instead of the old standard 24" inch..But Let us know what you decide on!! and post some pics on here when u get it

[Lee Stofer]

I have been thinking about bringing a 1942-vintage Conn 32K to ITEC in Cincinnati. The silver is worn in places, but it is a fine player, which I've used for several gigs in the last two months. The 32K has the standard Conn 3-valve configuaration, and the body is close to that of a 14K or King, not very large, but don't think that it won't really put out the sound!