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CONN

Rare 1940 Vintage Conn Victor 38A Cornet in Lacquer

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SKU:
1940 Victor Special Cornet Conn 38A 747
Weight:
6.00 LBS
Shipping:
$35.00 (Fixed Shipping Cost)
  • Rare 1940  Vintage Conn Victor 38A Cornet in Lacquer
  • Rare 1940  Vintage Conn Victor 38A Cornet in Lacquer
  • Rare 1940  Vintage Conn Victor 38A Cornet in Lacquer
  • Rare 1940  Vintage Conn Victor 38A Cornet in Lacquer
  • Rare 1940  Vintage Conn Victor 38A Cornet in Lacquer
  • Rare 1940  Vintage Conn Victor 38A Cornet in Lacquer
  • Rare 1940  Vintage Conn Victor 38A Cornet in Lacquer
  • Rare 1940  Vintage Conn Victor 38A Cornet in Lacquer
  • Rare 1940  Vintage Conn Victor 38A Cornet in Lacquer
  • Rare 1940  Vintage Conn Victor 38A Cornet in Lacquer
  • Rare 1940  Vintage Conn Victor 38A Cornet in Lacquer
  • Rare 1940  Vintage Conn Victor 38A Cornet in Lacquer
  • Rare 1940  Vintage Conn Victor 38A Cornet in Lacquer
  • Rare 1940  Vintage Conn Victor 38A Cornet in Lacquer
$549.99

Description

Conn had many wonderful instrument designs, including the 38A! The wrap of this horn is similar to the 80A, although the 38A has a full loop under the opera glass mechanism that slightly shortens the apparent overall length of the horn. This is a pre-owned horn with some dents and patches. There is a long patch on the leadpipe and one on the first valve slide knuckle (the protective patch on the second valve slide is factory standard). There's a larger dent on the bell near the first valve, and it looks like much of the bell has been worked. There's a small dent in the tuning slide and a small dent on the underside of the bell tail area. It has beautiful dark vintage lacquer. Perfect compression through the leadpipe and tuning slide, some compression loss through the valves. The horn will play best with a thicker oil like Berp #3. Please see the photos for the condition of the horn.

From the fabulous Conn Loyalist:

This is the 38A Victor. It has bottom spring valves and has a #1½ (0.458") bore, which at the time was described as a "small" bore. The main tuning slide has an expanding bore: the top tube of the main tuning slide is 0.438" and the bottom tube is 0.458". The bell size is 4 5/8", and it was produced between 1936 and 1941.

Patent for this instrument was applied for on October 4, 1937, U.S. Patent number 2,146,967. Part of the patent application reads as follows: "An object of the invention is to shorten the instrument, without sacrificing any of the tone quality, by arranging the tuning slide in a complete loop, the ends of which are arranged beside each other and facing in opposite directions, instead of the U-shaped section in which the tuning slide is usually arranged, thereby adding to the length of the air column in the instrument the full width of the loop, and consequently permitting shortening the the length of the instrument somewhat for any given total length of the air column. This involves offsetting the parts of the instrument body at the base of the loop, [as explained below,] to bring them along side each other." The patent application then goes on to state the second purpose of the patent: "Another object of the invention is to speed up the adjustment of the tuning slide by utilizing and adjustment member (...) having right-and-left threaded engagement with posts mounted to extend towards across the loop from the tuning slide and from the instrument body." The upshot of all this is that as well as shortening the length of the instrument by the width of the opera glass tuning slide, turning the knob of the tuning slide will extend it twice as fast as on, for example, the 80A.

As for the tuning and the long or short shank mouthpiece (discussed in the following paragraphs), on this instrument I find that the modern long shank cornet mouthpiece does fit but not quite as snug as a short shank mouthpiece for which it was designed. It seems to me the short shank mouthpiece offers slightly less resistance, it "opens it up" a bit. Tuning with both the short and long shank mouthpieces is remarkably good on Eb, D and C#. Both the Eb and D are almost exactly in tune, the C# is a bit sharp (of course).

I have learned that the third slide without the finger ring to adjust the pitch of a low D and C# is slightly longer than it is on modern instruments. On modern instruments the low Eb is in tune, but the low D and C# are quite sharp. On these older cornets with the longer third slide and no finger ring the Eb is a bit flat and the D and C# are slightly sharp, but not as sharp as they are on later instruments. It was thought that the flat Eb and slightly sharp D and C# were within the abilities of the player to lip into tune.

All Conn cornets built before 1955 take a short shank cornet mouthpiece as opposed to the 2¾" "Bach-style" long shank cornet mouthpiece.

What Conn said in 1937:

The new 38A Victor cornet was developed to meet the insistent demand for a cornet similar to the famous 80A Victor but in smaller bore. Soloists especially demanded a cornet which would make their work easier in the upper register. To make a cornet in small bore with both a good upper register and also a good lower register presented a most difficult task. But Conn engineers, after nearly two years of experimenting, have produced just such a cornet. The angle of taper in the bore of this cornet is greater than in any other Conn cornet. It widens from a small mouthpipe to an unusually large throated bell. This design gives a very flexible scale and a rich, mellow tone. The upper register is true and pure, while the lower notes are solid and full. This is unusual in a small bore cornet, for generally if the upper register is good the lower register is windy, colorless and hard to get. Although free blowing, it has proper resistance which gives the player just the "feel" he wants. Being in small bore, the stroke of the pistons is shortened, giving a short, fast action. Some of the finest cornet soloists in America helped us develop this model and their tests of the final model are enthusiastic in its praise. One of the first to purchase was the famous Ernest Williams, Ernest Williams School of Music. Key of Bb and A. Tuning wheel. Clickless Crysteel valves. Finger hook.

  

Sold with no case or mouthpiece.

 

 

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Prior to ordering please check our Shipping and Returns policy.

Also note weight indicated in the ad is shipping weight not actual weight of instrument.

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