mtavelli

Godd Day to all...
I have a Conn Constellation 38B (5 1/8 bell) that I bought years ago for my brother but he never used it. The horn is in excellent shape and has been in the case in my closet for some 30 + years. Serial #N38544... (Elkhart on the Bell ) I play Sax so I haven't got any way to play it , but it's a VERY clean horn...(the case is in great shape too) Would you folks have any idea of the value?
Thanks in advance for your time!

ComeBackKid

Are you saying that it has never (almost) been played, has no dents, scratches, or wear on the lacquer or valves and that the case has no signs of use? If so, that will make a big difference in the value. Some photos would also help.

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Come-Back Kid
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Selmer Invicta London (T)
Olds SuperStar (T)
Olds Super (2T)
Olds Special (2T+C)
Olds Ambassador (9T+7C)
Andreas Eastman (2T)
Conn Director (T+C)
King Cleveland Superior (T+C)
Holton (T602+C605 Shep Crk)
Holton Collegiate (T+C)
Blessing (T+C)
Yamaha (T+C)
Getzen 300
Amati ATR213
(+Revelle, Bundy, Alcazar, & ?)

mtavelli

Hey kid...Thanks for the reply...Yep that's pretty miuch what I'm saying "it has never (almost) been played, has no dents, scratches, almost no wear on the lacquer or valves and that the case has no real signs of use apart from a tiny ding in the fabric in the right hand corner of the top and a little white paint (which could easily be removed I think) on one bottom edge where it looks like it rubbed against the wall in the closet when it was moved to get something else out...I will take a bunch of photos and try to upload them tomorrow...Thanks again for taking the time to reply...

ComeBackKid

I am not an expert but while we are waiting for one of the "heavyweights" to jump in on this, here is what I think I know. The 38B is a somewhat enigmatic instrument. It was made over several decades while Conn was undergoing ownership changes. The "N' prefix indicates that yours was made in the 1970's (I don't think you can narrow it to one year) which is before the UMI owership period. The 38B's were nickel plated but the construction of the underlying parts (leadpipe, valves, bell) could vary quite a bit. They were all professional models and had a rather unique sound due to the small bore with the large bell and the nickel plating. I'm not sure what someone will come up with value-wise given the pristine condition of yours as the 70's models are not common so obtaining a database from which to establish a value is tricky. So, let's see what else may be contributed here.

__________________
Come-Back Kid
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Selmer Invicta London (T)
Olds SuperStar (T)
Olds Super (2T)
Olds Special (2T+C)
Olds Ambassador (9T+7C)
Andreas Eastman (2T)
Conn Director (T+C)
King Cleveland Superior (T+C)
Holton (T602+C605 Shep Crk)
Holton Collegiate (T+C)
Blessing (T+C)
Yamaha (T+C)
Getzen 300
Amati ATR213
(+Revelle, Bundy, Alcazar, & ?)

trumpmac

You could do some research on the Conn Loyalist site

__________________
'74 Silver Bach 180 37 Bell
'58 Conn Director Coprion


"There are no wrong notes. Just poor choices." Miles Davis

mtavelli

I have been trying to upload pics from my computer for over an hour, and no dice...would be happy to e mail them to you guys if you have an interest...or contact me... mtavelli@q.com

thanks

A.N.A. Mendez

Are you using photobucket or similar?

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mtavelli

CONN Constellation 38B TRUMPET, with Case - eBay (item 130338889014 end time Oct-28-09 06:37:35 PDT) This trumpet was being sold on Ebay...(listing has ended)
and the horn and case appear identical to mine Elkhart logo,first and third slide triggers Bell Size etc (see above) even though my horn has an N serial number indicating 1970
or later. The Ebay horn is from 67-68. Lars Kirmser who seems pretty knowlegeable had this to say about it..."The explanation I was given years ago was: a lot of the Elkhart horns were in-progress when they moved to Abilene, hence many unfinished engraved horns were brought to Abilene in an unfinished state. " this would of course make sense, but how will it affect the value of the horn? Anybody got any idea? Thanks!

mtavelli

Oops! I just reviewed serial #'s on the Conn Loyalist site, and discover that the horn in the Ebay Link,was apparently from 1972, even though the ebay listing says it's 67-68 horn....BTW my horn is exactly like the Aussie horn, but in like new condition, no blemishes or dents, laquer is 98% really perfect...a tiny bit of laquer loss on the #2 valve. Thats it...still trying to establish a value for this horn. Help?