Conn 40K

[Paul Scott]

Hello All,

Thought I'd share photos of a just completed restoration of a 1928 Conn 40K sousa. Martin Wilk brought this instrument "back from the brink". When I acquired the horn it was literally black with dirt and tarnish, full of holes, heavily dented, bent up and generally worn out.

But oddly enough, it still played like a gem. Pitch was (and is) spot on, with no "Conn flat F and E syndrome".

The valves were rebuilt, upper slides were added to the first and third valve tubing, crooks were replaced and replated, braces fabricated and replaced-you name it, it probably was done.

Needless to say, I am quite pleased! Martin Wilk never ceases to amaze me with his skill and dedication. Here are a few photos:









Paul Scott

[Tom Coffey]

That is a thing of beauty! Congratulations!

[Donn]

Pretty nice, I actually kind of like that worn-but-solid look. Have you weighed it?

[Paul Scott]

Here are some answers:

The neck is original but had been modified (shortened) and I believe this helps the response a great deal. I've played it with longer "stock" Conn necks and there is a real difference. Those aren't Conn bits and if you say that they're Yamaha I'll go along with that, (I know little to nothing about Yamahas) . They are what came with the (very, very used) horn and worked well so I kept them and had them plated to match.

There are original pearls in each button but they all look a little different, plus I think that the camera angle/lighting may give the impression of "pearl-less" buttons. They're all there.

I noticed the "reverse mount" on the 2nd 4th valve water key too. It looks odd but it's absolutely necessary because that crook tends to bump into the players side. If the water key was mounted in the other direction it would be opening accidentally quite often.

The guard on the back of the bell is a replacement and is brass, (the guards on the body are also replacements and are also bare brass). The silver plating cost was already running high on the valves and valve section and actually I think that the gold brass "highlights" kind of look sharp anyway. The throat of the bell was buffed to bare brass because it was severely gouged and scratched and looked terrible with the remaining silver plate. Again, I like the "golden throat" effect that this gives. BTW, the bell is 24" and is definitely the original.

As to weight, I'm not sure since I don't have a scale here. I will say that it is lighter than the Martin Mammoth 4-valve sousa that I own and the weight does not feel oppressive to me. I will try to weigh it precisely somehow this week.

[TUbajohn20J]

What a great looking horn! Have fun with it. From a fellow 40K owner

[Paul Scott]

Thank you!

[Donn]

I will try to weigh it precisely somehow this week.

General ball park is fine, really. Mine shows about 33 lbs on the bathroom scale - roughly same as my accordion. Others claim to have much heavier 40Ks.

[Paul Scott]

Just purchased an inexpensive hanging scale (50 lb. limit) so I'll be able to give a more straightforward answer regarding weight when it arrives. It seems to me that it weighs about as much as your horn. I think that the 24" bell (as opposed to a 26" bell) helps with the weight.

I have an accordion myself and yes, it seems to be about the same weight as the old Marco D'Oro!

[TUbajohn20J]

I think mine weighs around 28 pounds if I remember correctly. Also a 24" bell. I did purchase an old 26" bell from a 20k for it and it won't fit turns out it's just a tad too small. Falls right down in it

[Donn]

The neck is original but had been modified (shortened) and I believe this helps the response a great deal. I've played it with longer "stock" Conn necks and there is a real difference.

hm ... Mine plays OK, but then I've never tried one of these shorter necks. I suppose this effectively opens the leadpipe taper a little.

[Paul Scott]

Will post a photo later today. I suppose I should use the term "upper leadpipe".

When it comes to bottles, I do prefer a long neck!

Paul

[Z-Tuba Dude]

Very cool, Paul!

[Paul Scott]

Here are a few photos of my 40K upper leadpipe/neck (in silver) with a longer stock version (in lacquer). I know that the one that came with the 40K was originally longer because, until Martin Wilk reworked it, the bracing was too big for the piece and just hung off of the end. In other words, someone had shortened the tubing without changing the bracing. The difference may seem slight but there is a big difference in playing response between the two. I very much prefer the shorter modified upper leadpipe.

[TUbajohn20J]

I KNEW Conn made different style necks. Alot of people said they didn't. But this is proof. This would explain the awkward old Conn 32k (and some other older conns) reaching the mouthpiece problems.

[Paul Scott]

Just to reiterate, Conn did NOT make the shorter neck that I have. Someone took a factory Conn neck and cut it down to produce the shorter neck referred to in these posts, (hence the term "modified").

[Paul Scott]

My 40K seems to weigh about 34 lbs. I was surprised to see that my Martin Mammoth (also a 4-valve) weighed in at 28 lbs., since it feels heavier than the Conn. I guess that the Conn is balanced better than the Martin. My weighing device was a bit crude and so I'll double check the numbers on a digital scale tomorrow.

Edit: According to me new digital scale, the Conn 40K weighs 33 lbs while the Martin Mammoth weighs 30 lbs. The Conn has a bigger bell and also has more patches than the Martin.

[Paul Scott]

Actually, the Martin bell is smaller than the Conn (my Martin has a 23 inch bell while the Conn bell is 24 inches) so that doesn't explain it. I think it's a combination of better balance in the body of the horn and that nice shoulder plate that they put on the Conn that makes it seem lighter.

[iiipopes]

Aren't there some older necks that aren't as tall, but are longer in geometry going to the mouthpiece receiver? I have played one of those, and it didn't hardly come up to my chin. That was what I was referring to earlier.