Stubby the tuba: Mystery Conn

[ABQtuba]

A sax-playing friend of mine found an old C. G. Conn tuba in a little town in western New Mexico. It was badly tarnished and dented up. Thinking he wanted to learn to play tuba at age 65, he bought the thing. I recommended he send it off to TubaTinker (Dan Schultz) to be ironed out, which he did several months ago. I had to wait another month or so to see and play it, and it turns out to be a fine-sounding old horn. The serial number dates it to 1903. But I haven't found a "J" series number for it, even on the Conn Loyalist website.

The horn is a one-piece raincatcher with four top valves. Bore looks to be about .750". Bell is 19". Valve section looks like the later 2xJ models, but the outer bows looks like a 34J. Anybody know what its "J" number might be?

[ABQtuba]

Since I posted this question this afternoon, I got this info from Christine Derksen of the Conn Loyalist website:
"Conn didn't start using model numbers until around 1920. So to answer
your question: no, there wouldn't be a model number for it. As a rule of
thumb, the bell up top action valve models were usually called "Wonder",
bell up front action valves were "American Model" and the bell front
models "Wonderphone".

I'm amazed that a tuba made when my grandma was a teenager still plays so well. Played it this afternoon in a Dixieland ensemble and found it rivaled my King for big fat sound and playing comfort.

[Alex C]

Could you actually measure the bore size? The inside bore of any of the valve section tuning slides would do.

There are a couple of accepted 'standard' bore' sizes for Conn. I would be interested to know if the later Conn's were conforming to these standards. Maybe the early Conn's were different. ??

Thanks.

[ABQtuba]

Measured at the top passage in the fourth valve, the bore is 0.757".

[Alex C]

Measured at the top passage in the fourth valve, the bore is 0.757".

Thanks!!

[ABQtuba]

Bloke wrote:

I'm wondering if there are some cracks in the rim. The only times that I might leave a rim with a zig-zag like that might be if there are multiple cracks in the rim, particularly in conjunction with work-hardened sheet metal.

I understand the bell on this horn was mashed pretty badly when my friend found it. There is a patch on the rim as well as a couple more small (<1") ones on the bell. The horn was ironed out by TubaTinker. I played it again today, once with a civil-war brass band and once with a dixieland group. Still can't get over how good it sounds, patches and all.