1911 Conn Orchestra Grand Bass

[Michael Bush]

I picked up this horn from Bob Pucci this morning in New Jersey. It's got a long way to go in appearance.

But it is just amazing to play. I'm in a hotel, so I haven't rattled the rafters with it, but I can tell it would do the job. Playing softly it is everything I hoped and more. I don't know how to describe the sound. Bob said it's like "velvet fog". Velvet, for sure. I can't believe it's me playing. The response is a lot better than I'm used to as well.

The valves are going to need some work before too long, but the tuning slides still pop a bit when you pull them out. I'll post some pictures later, as promised.

[GC]

Congrats. We'll be looking forward to the pix.

[Art Hovey]

Did Bob still have his Martin helicon with 4 rotary valves when you were there?
It's a fascinating and very unique instrument, but it needed some serious repair work when I last saw it. i could not afford it, but I hope it finds a good home.

[Michael Bush]

Did Bob still have his Martin helicon with 4 rotary valves when you were there?
It's a fascinating and very unique instrument, but it needed some serious repair work when I last saw it. i could not afford it, but I hope it finds a good home.

He did mention a helicon, but I wasn't at his house. We met at a diner in Mahwah, NJ. He mentioned he is selling all but four horns. One of the keepers was a Martin, but I think I understood that it's a bell-front lap tuba.

I must say, the diner was good for entertainment value. The building and all the people in it, from the owner to the staff to the customers, were exactly what TV would lead you to expect in a north Jersey diner, from the way they talked to what they talked about to the facial expressions to the clothes. It was really a lot of fun having a cup of coffee in there while I waited for Bob to arrive. I lived in NJ for four years, going to graduate school, but that was near Philly, not way up there. These folks really lived up to the type in way that I hadn't seen before. I enjoyed it immensely.

[sloan]

It's a little far from Mahwah, but next time try to make it to the Tick Tock Diner on S3 in Clifton.

[Lee Stofer]

Congratulations on your tuba purchase! Carefully check out the pitch on the instrument before you take it to a rehearsal or gig. I say this because I took in a Conn Grand Orchestral BBb on consignment about 3 years ago, simply did a routine servicing to it, and showed it at the Army Band's Conference. People raved about how well it played and a longtime customer of mine bought it. However, it soon came back to me, because although it played well-enough in-tune with itself, the overall pitch was low. We spent the better part of a day cutting-down the main tuning slide in the leadpipe, the leadpipe itself, and slide tubes, to bring it to modern pitch. Then, the customer decided that he wanted me to do a complete restoration of the instrument, so over the next several months the instrument was completely disassembled, buffed, reassembled and lacquered. The result was an instrument that is the American equivalent of a Rudolf Meinl 5/4 BBb with pistons.

Pre-1920 instruments may be high pitch, low pitch, or anywhere else, as A-440 as the standard was not internationally adopted until 1920. The Conn Grand Orchestral can be made into a modern-pitch instrument, but be aware that some pre-1920 instruments really cannot be made to play in modern pitch with an acceptable scale.

[Michael Bush]

Lee,

Thank you so much for that useful post.

I don't know the whole history of this horn, but Bob did say when he was trying to sell it on ebay that it had spent some time in the Los Angeles schools. That has lots of downsides in the condition of the horn. It appears that at some point some kid took a couple of shots at it with a BB gun. They didn't penetrate, but made distinctive dents. But one positive is that maybe some of the intonation work got done? I don't know.

I've spent a while with the horn and a tuner this morning. I'm going to play quite a few more hours before I come to any hard and fast conclusions of the kind that could lead to cutting. But I can at least say it is possible to play it in tune with the tuner, though for the most part it does want to go flat. The exception is the third and fourth valves, which want to go sharp in the mid range.

I've got to get back on the road, but I'll try to take some pictures this evening or in the morning before work.

[Michael Bush]

In spite of my confidence and Bob's that a valve job could wait a little, I think I'm going on with it momentarily. I did assume going in that this would have to be done sooner rather than later, and counted the cost as part of purchasing the tuba.

As an experiment, before work this morning I put straight 3-in-1 oil in all the valves. to see if it would seal them up and what difference it made The result is that with all the slides pushed in, everything went sharp. I could then tune the horn. The first valve C in the staff is still a bit flat, but at least the tuner knows for sure what note I'm trying to hit.

So it's time for a replating right?

[Michael Bush]

Here are some pics, as requested and promised. The first one is fuzzy, but gives a sense of the scale so I'm posting it.

(There's also one of the BB shots. I'll refrain from commenting on some unknown person's mental capacity and criminal tendencies. )

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[Tom Coffey]

Great thread. Thanks for the pictures, too. I always wanted a pre-war Conn, and that one has some serious mojo!

[MileMarkerZero]

WOW! That thing is in REMARKABLY good condition for a former school horn!

[Michael Bush]

WOW! That thing is in REMARKABLY good condition for a former school horn!

It's somewhat rougher in person than shows up in the pictures, but you're right. My ex-school 103 was in much worse shape when I got it (though it also is looking better now with a bit of attention at a local shop).