Quote:
Originally Posted by 79connvictor  Hi all, I've been trying to figure out what model Conn Victor horn I have. The Conn Loyalist site provides confusing, if not conflicting information. My horn clearly says "CG Conn LTD Victor USA" on the side of the bell flare, with no other engraving. It has a bright silver finish without any nickel or brass trim; which according to the loyalist would make it an 8B, but it It has the larger 5 1/8" bell and it doesn't have the 3rd valve slide stop which is inconsistent with the 8B description and photo. The serial number is GB921660 which according to my research makes it a 1979 Trumpet made in Abilene. Right? It has the pin guide top spring valves. Is it possible I have a refinished silver late model 6B? Does anyone else have one like this? or know what about it? I really love this horn, and the way it plays and sounds makes me believe that it has to be one of Conn's better examples. (I've played a Connstellation before) Can anyone confirm this or give me their own opinion? Looking forward to your response. Thanks |
The rules for how various Conn models were made were thrown out the window when McMillan bought out the Conn company and then moved the factory to Abilene, Texas.
The 1970's Director cornets (made in Japan?) were given different shapes, the Director trumpets were silverplated and given larger bores, etc.
Conn Loyalist host Christine emphasizes that the ID rules she published in her Web site do *not* apply to instruments made after 1970. So her info is not contradictory, you are misapplying her info to a latter period.
My best guess from my past experience with the 1970's models is that Conn changed cosmetic things before it changed substantial things, so that in making an ID you should pay more attention to the bell size and less attention to the type of finish.
Since your 1979 trumpet has the larger bell and is a "Victor", I'd assume that it is a Conn 6B.
And Conn Loyalist mentions that the 6B was made at least through 1983
The Conn Loyalist
while the 8B might not have lasted much past 1976
The Conn Loyalist
McMillan was trying to *save* money in reconfiguring its Conn models in the 1970's, so no way they would have started putting *bigger* bells on the 8B.
But they might have started silver-plating or chrome-plating everything the way they did the Directors. That might *sound* more expensive, but it actually would have simplified the manufacturing process to just plate everything on a trumpet or just make everything lacquer on a trumpet rather than have some models with 3 different finishes on a single instrument they way they did previously on their Victor models (lacquered brass *and* Coprion *and* nickel on a single Victor instrument).
Christine of Conn Loyalist agrees with other people that *some* of the instruments made in Abilene were great instruments, but other instruments made there were terrible, so that the problem in Abilene was obviously quality control rather than inherent inability to make good instruments.
I have read posts from owners of Abilene instruments who said that some of their Abilene instruments were *great* instruments.
That you have a silver-plated Conn Victor with the large bell makes it a *great* instrument as long as its moving parts operate well.
The chart at
The Conn Loyalist
shows that only the 10B and the Connstellations were considered higher than the 6B in terms of quality and price in the Conn line-up.