This year we have a new brass director at my high school. One of the things he
did was go though the inventory and get all instruments in working order.
There were some instruments that were almost unknown around the band hall, like
they were hidden and recently uncovered. For horns, there was one King Eroica
in passable condition, and an unnamed horn that looks very close to an Eroica.
There were also two 8Ds, which were both in very fine condition. One, with the
exception of this huge dent on the flair under the pinky ring could be passed
off as new from more than two feet away.
This 8D is rather interesting. The serial number is 559xxx, meaning it was
from 1955 if I dated it right. This is about the era of the rest of the 8Ds
the school owns. We have 9, The oldest is from 1954, and the newest is from
about 1962. They are practically identical, but with slightly varying lead
pipes, and on the one I was using, different valve levers.
However, this one 1955 Conn really sticks out from the rest. I'll go from the
leadpipe out to the bell with all the differences.
The lead pipe for one is quite a bit smaller bore wise than the other lead
pipes. It gives no more or less resistance, however. The bracing that
connects the lead pipe to the flair is also a whole inch and a half longer on
each of its 'arms.' It's also thicker and more rounded.
On the main tuning slide, there are the last 3 digits of the serial number.
This is only on one of the other horns. It is engraved, but it looks like the
engraver had tourrets or something like that because the numbers are
erratically engraved and are even cleaved.
The curve right after the main slide that connects it to the Bb valve casing
has an extra curve away from the valve casing. It has a very strange S shape.
Each of the valve cylinders is quite strange. For one, there is a "B" on each
of them. It's under the numbers 1 2 and 3 on each of the valves. Under each
of the valve caps, the B is also present. Serial number is on the second
valve, this is no different from the others.
The witness marks are off. On the first valve, the marks line up when the
valve is pressed, but not when it isn't. It's off by about 20 degrees or so.
This is about the standard on the other two valves as well. The thumb valve
has witness marks going the opposite direction than what I've seen as normal,
facing towards the lead pipe. The thumb's marks are the only ones that line up
when the valve is pressed and it isn't.
The valve levers are strange. For one, they're very light. The metal is very
different from the other horns. For another, they're very quiet and fast. The
thumb valve uses a string linkage rather than the mechanical linkage I'm used
to seeing on 8Ds.
The tubing that goes out from the third valve, which eventually turns into the
top F horn tuning slide(not the F third valve slide) has a much wider curve
than the others. It goes out way farther as well.
All bracings are drastically different. Instead of having a U shaped plate, a
cylinder between them, and another U shaped plate, they have circular plates.
The last thing is the icon engraved on the bell throat.
On the other Conns, It's a shield and banner with ornamental flames and whatnot
under it. It says C. G. Conn(r) on top then 8D in the banner, then U.S.A under
that.
On this one, it says in really big letters, CONN(with no little r after it)
then 8D under it in big letters. Under that it's USA. The engraving is in a
different lettering style as well. It is also very inconsistent, as some lines
are thick then thin, some lines are thin all the way, and some are thick all
the way. It's very random and inconsistent. It's also slightly lopsided.
My question is, why is this one Conn so drastically different from the others
from practically the same era? It's even different from the other 1955 one,
which is almost identical to the others.
It plays very well, but the fourth line D is occasionally stuffy on the Bb
side. It is much more responsive
What do the Bs mean on the valves?
Why are there such inconsitencies and errors that make it seem thrown together?
Thanks
-John Stacy
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