heck99

Thank you very much for the info. The Director I tried had to of been a smaller bore just becuase it felt much smaller than say my Bach 37, an ML horn. But yes after reading up on some of the history I have become even more interested Conn horns. Thanks for the info.

-heck

screamingmorris

You're one of those pros who own a Bach trumpet?

And you were interested in adding a Conn Director to your collection?

Because you were expressing an interest in buying a student-level Conn Director, I was imagining you to be 18 years old and buying your first trumpet.
Which I should have known better, I guess, since I am 50 years old and I bought my first Conn Director a couple of months ago.

It's like 9 years ago when I first got on the Internet and I started debating in one of the religious forums.
I thought one guy I was debating was 20 years old.
I told him he was wrong about something.
He then told me that he was a 50 year old rabbi.
Boy was I surprised.
He was still *wrong*
He just wasn't who I imagined him to be.

When I read posts in various Web sites I have a tendency to picture whom I think the people are.
For instance, I picture Robt Rowe having a pot belly and devil's horns
But he'll probably turn out to be 98 pounds with a cowlick

- morris

screamingmorris

My mistake.
I misinterpreted what Christine meant in that table.
I thought it meant that 1955 was the last year it was made.
But the heading in that table said that was the year it was "discontinued".
So Chritine's table was correct.
!954 was the last year the Symphony 22B was made, 1955 was the year that it was discontinued so that the Victor 22B could replace it.
When I grow up I hope to be as perfect as Christine

- morris

screamingmorris

I forgot to mention this, but you might have already done the checking.
The ad for the 1940 22B you are interested in does not include the serial number that you can compare to the list at
The Conn Loyalist
You should get the serial number from the seller so that you can find out for sure that it was made in 1940.
The seller could be mistaken about it being a 1940, although even if he is off by a few years that wouldn't change the fact that it is a *great* 22B.

Also, the seller does not mention how he knows that the trumpet is a 22B.
Although most 22B's from the 1920's through the 1970's did not have "22B" stamped on them and you have to use various other methods to identify them, Christine at the Conn Loyalist says:
"For a period during the 1930's and 1940's Conn stamped the model number underneath the mouthpiece receiver."
- quoted from
The Conn Loyalist
(where she even shows the "22B" stamp on a trumpet)
So it would be good to ask the seller if "22B" is actually stamped onto the mouthpiece receiver.

If you need to do more research on Conn trumpets, below are the pages at the Conn Loyalist that I use most frequently.
After a few months I have only scratched the surface of all the info Christine has in that great Web site.

Home page:
The Conn Loyalist

Conn model recognition guide:
The Conn Loyalist

Photios of many of the Conn models:
The Conn Loyalist

Serial numbers:
The Conn Loyalist

Relative quality of models:
The Conn Loyalist

Conn mouthpieces:
The Conn Loyalist

Connstellation mouthpieces:
The Conn Loyalist

Assorted Conn articles:
The Conn Loyalist

copper / Coprion bells:
The Conn Loyalist

original prices of Conn trumpets:
The Conn Loyalist

Dale Proctor

Hey Morris - I own 3 Bach Strads. Does that make me a pro?

I'm fond of many of the instruments Conn made, but I've owned a 60's Director cornet with the Coprion bell and didn't think much of it. I'm more of a Victor fan - I have two now, a 1960 6B trumpet and a 1963 5A cornet. The trumpet's a great instrument, and I hope the cornet is, too (I've only had it a week now).

__________________
"Brass bands are all very well in their place - outdoors and several miles away." - Sir Thomas Beecham

Olde Towne Brass
www.otbrass.com

Brass Band of Huntsville
www.brassbandofhuntsville.org

screamingmorris

I e-mailed the seller and he said:
"it does have 22B stamped on the receiver....serial is 330xxx"
so that takes care of that.
It's a great 22B.

Meanwhile, my 1952 22B that was only supposed to have 2 small dents in it arrived in the mail an hour ago and it really has more like 9 dents in it.
Oy.

- morris

heck99

Haha. You know what that's happened to me a few times. Actually I'm 19, so you weren't too far off with the age estimate but I've played for about 8-9ish years. I have quite a playing resume, but I'm probably nowhere close to being a pro, but I was flatered by the gesture. I'm really torn if I should pounce on it or not but I'm leaning towards it. Thanks for all of your help with research help.


-heck

heck99

That's a shame about the dents, but depending on where they are on the horn they could be taken out rather easily. If you can post some pics so we can see your find.

-heck

Dale Proctor

Yes, the Conn 5A cornet I received last week from an eBay purchase was advertised as having a bad finish but no dents. I knew there would be dents, and there were actually 8 or 10. For $29, though, I won't complain.

__________________
"Brass bands are all very well in their place - outdoors and several miles away." - Sir Thomas Beecham

Olde Towne Brass
www.otbrass.com

Brass Band of Huntsville
www.brassbandofhuntsville.org

heck99

I missed the opportunity with the last one he listed but he posted another one:

eBay: 1940 Conn 22B Trumpet .438 bore GOLD BRASS Bell!!! (item 110141904428 end time Jun-25-07 15:16:45 PDT)

It has the same pictures and the same overall name/description. Should I be suspicious of this horn? I emailed him about it and we'll see what I can turn up.

-heck