Does anybody out there know where I can find information about the old Conn Wonder's? I'm talking about the 1886 patent model mainly.
Hi, Conn built tons of models, and many had several evolutions within a certain model. Nick DeCarlis (of vintagecornets.com) is a leading expert on vintage instruments. He has a whole section on early Conn cornets, including some of the Conn Worchesters. Check out his website. He also has links on his site to other researchers, collectors and scholars. If you contact him, tell him Tom says "hi." Rick Schwartz from Virginia has written "The Cornet Compendium" that covers mainly the brands in the Nineteenth Century, and Conn surely rose to the largest producer in those glory days of brass band music. Dr. Schwartz' e-mail address is: [email protected] Dr. Richard Dundas' book "Twentieth Century Brass Musical Instruments in the United States" also has an excellent section on Conn. I believe Nick has a link to how to purchase this neat book that covers most of the brands in the US sold in the twentieth century. Hope this helps, Tom