I can't imagine there will be many more! I have covered most of the vintage saxophones that are commonly seen, and some that are not so commonly seen. Most of my material going forward (I imagine, anyhow- I don't have a detailed master plan) is going to be repair procedure oriented as it has been for the past couple years.
actually looks like I will be doing the Conn 10M prototype, a Conn-O-Sax, and a brief show-and-tell of a gold plated Mark VI in the coming months so I was wrong
@@StohrerMusic When those videos are posted I will legit cry. I cannot begin to tell you how much I have enjoyed and taken from your overviews. You're the best!
Hi Matt, I convinced my repairman (Robert Schroeck, you might remember) to get us both one of those (rare occurrence, two for sale!)... I thought I regretted that decision for a while, but now I tried out the MB Fat Boy on the sax, and oh boy. I can control it MUCH better, and it is a real joy to play. Thx for the vid, as always.
Great review Matt. These are wonderful instruments. Just some history behind how I started making the plastic guard... I was asked to make one for a sax that was missing the guard and three of the posts. Someone had sawed off the posts and installed a metal guard, so after researching the instrument I discovered what the guard should be like so I made a mold to vacuum form a guard. A very trusting musician saw. pictures of my guard and he asked if I could make one for him. He agreed to send me his guard so I could make a mold. The guard has gone through a couple of iterations with the most recent being the one you have on this sax. As you pointed out my guard is not an exact copy. I call it a replacement and not a reproduction. It functions as well as the original, is a bit stronger and if I do say so it looks pretty good. I always suggest if you have an original in good condition save it and use my guard to make it a player.
The late Santy Runyon (Runyon Products) was one of the 3 man design team for the 28M. Ergonomics (though that was not a term used in those days) was an important consideration in the design of this instrument, to get an even, precise feel, and movement that worked with the natural motion of the fingers. Santy also designed the Conn Comet mouthpiece specifically for the 28M, and his company made these (and other) mouthpieces for Conn. They began design on it around 1939, but production of this instrument was delayed to 1950 due to WWII. Santy was also featured in Conn ads for the 28M. Matt, I'll send you the ad.
"They began design on it around 1939, but production of this instrument was delayed to 1950 due to WWII." I had always had a feeling something like that was the case! Thank you so much for sharing. And the Conn Comet was a really cool mouthpiece. I love the original ligature with the star shaped cutouts!
As always . Thanks for your expertise. Seeing how you care about your work is inspiring. I’m sure my clients get a better job because I watch your videos not just due to the knowledge but the excellent work ethic.
Hi Matt as a budding repairman I read up on the 28m and brought a beat up one… case had USN (United States Navy?)…. It was a well used horn and I just loved it’s Uniqueness in design feel and tone.. I later purchased one which had spent most it’s life under a bed… Original lacquer about 90 % and fairly dent free. I love playing it and when I’m practiced the sound is great has warmth enough for jazz but punch enough for funk and club… I changed my mouthpiece to a metal Pete Ponzol to achieve as I hate having 2 mouthpieces for set jobs. My only bug bear is I haven’t been able to set the octave mechanism correct…. I always seem to have play in action however much I adjust the square topped adjustment screw… would love a vid on how to set up. I always think as conns like formula one or race cars…. The amount of adjustment and set up screws means when they are set up correct they are the best but … you have to stay on top of it…. Maybe why the robust durable selmers of the era came out on top? Oh yeah the 3 octave pip thing was reinstated by selmer some decades later I believe. Shame selmer monopolised the market after WWII a lot of conns and other innovations where lost Still love all your vids and they are an invaluable source of knowledge for reference and students Thank you
i have one this baby few year ago(its goes all the way to VietNam ) and do ovehaul myself,was come to me in bad condiction,bend body and bell turn to body . Was tricky to repair this one but went out good,just one this i chance is metal of keys are too soft so i add more metal to righthand system bridge.Love the feeling and sound come out after. Thanks for your clip.
Excellent video again, old Conns always remind me of what car mechanics must feel when a Citroen turns up. I love them but at the same time, everything is just slightly, or sometimes vastly different to any other Horn. Often for no apparent reason except - to just be different!
It is good to see these again. I have always liked the old Conn naming system for their instruments, quite unique as far as I know CONNqueror, CONNstellation, Conn Comet etc... Seeing these older saxophones with unusual designs makes me wish Saxophones today hadn't mostly had their design standardised and still had some interesting quirks in the design like these. I have heard one of these being played and I know what you mean about the tone and Yamaha saxophones as I play Yamahas and they don't have a lot of color and variation to the sound compared to some other saxophones ot that I dislike them or the sound of this Conn either. The only thing I would have liked is to hear a sound recording of you playing them to hear what the tone is like since some of these interesting saxophones you have done videos on, there isn't either any/very few sound recordings of, that I know of, or little to no videos of people playing them either.
I got to play one of these in our community band a few years ago. The owner had bought it brand new from a Pasadena, CA store in 1950. He dropped it performing in a parade and cracked the back shield. I found a replicated shield and mounted it, but not too precisely because the mounting holes weren't already pre-drilled. The intonation was light-years ahead of that from the Bundy II alto I was then playing, whose sound elicited grimaces from the conductor.😒
How are the octave vents set? The lowest controlling D-F, 2nd G-A, 3rd (neck) B through the palm keys? That would seem to make the most sense. I would think that the feel of the chromatic F# would match well with the RH touches, although it would certainly feel different than pretty much all other saxes! Thanks for doing another of these!
I need help my g sounds sharp on my soprano and I see the pad that suppose to be down is not closing idk what to tighten or fix to make my g play normal
Dear Matt, I have one of these, but the keys around G sharp have been SLAUGHTERED by some overwhelmed idiot. This tube/rod is missing, probably other stuff too. I want to rebuild the keys. Is there any chance you might have and share photos from various angles?
Had a Holton bari with three pips. Was really nice top to bottom. Not know for saxes and looked like old plumbing but it made the guys with nice horns sad:-0)
The octave mechanism is a beauty, I wish they all had that. But ....... The low C key guard is a ring? No bar across the top .. I guess they know what they are doing.
Just my percy opinion but that perspex clothes guard is horrible. I am repairing a sax that had the long pipe guard in perspex. It was missing, I expect it broke. It will be replaced by brass.
@@StohrerMusic Matt, I have the absolutely full respect for your work. You are an excellent craftsman and mechanic. But I just don't like the perspex. For me it just doesn't belong on a brass instrument. Sorry, I think it's an awful design.. Oh, I didn't mention, it isn't a Conn, it's just a cheap sax that I am practising various repair techniques.
I missed these. So happy they're back.
I can't imagine there will be many more! I have covered most of the vintage saxophones that are commonly seen, and some that are not so commonly seen. Most of my material going forward (I imagine, anyhow- I don't have a detailed master plan) is going to be repair procedure oriented as it has been for the past couple years.
actually looks like I will be doing the Conn 10M prototype, a Conn-O-Sax, and a brief show-and-tell of a gold plated Mark VI in the coming months so I was wrong
@@StohrerMusic When those videos are posted I will legit cry. I cannot begin to tell you how much I have enjoyed and taken from your overviews. You're the best!
Hi Matt, I convinced my repairman (Robert Schroeck, you might remember) to get us both one of those (rare occurrence, two for sale!)... I thought I regretted that decision for a while, but now I tried out the MB Fat Boy on the sax, and oh boy. I can control it MUCH better, and it is a real joy to play. Thx for the vid, as always.
Great review Matt. These are wonderful instruments. Just some history behind how I started making the plastic guard... I was asked to make one for a sax that was missing the guard and three of the posts. Someone had sawed off the posts and installed a metal guard, so after researching the instrument I discovered what the guard should be like so I made a mold to vacuum form a guard. A very trusting musician saw. pictures of my guard and he asked if I could make one for him. He agreed to send me his guard so I could make a mold. The guard has gone through a couple of iterations with the most recent being the one you have on this sax. As you pointed out my guard is not an exact copy. I call it a replacement and not a reproduction. It functions as well as the original, is a bit stronger and if I do say so it looks pretty good. I always suggest if you have an original in good condition save it and use my guard to make it a player.
Your guard is an upgrade, in my opinion! It will be used exactly as you suggest on this instrument.
Hey Slausonm, how can I order a guard? I happen to have a 28M with a selfmade guard. Also missing 4 of the six screws. Can you help?
The late Santy Runyon (Runyon Products) was one of the 3 man design team for the 28M. Ergonomics (though that was not a term used in those days) was an important consideration in the design of this instrument, to get an even, precise feel, and movement that worked with the natural motion of the fingers. Santy also designed the Conn Comet mouthpiece specifically for the 28M, and his company made these (and other) mouthpieces for Conn. They began design on it around 1939, but production of this instrument was delayed to 1950 due to WWII. Santy was also featured in Conn ads for the 28M. Matt, I'll send you the ad.
"They began design on it around 1939, but production of this instrument was delayed to 1950 due to WWII."
I had always had a feeling something like that was the case! Thank you so much for sharing.
And the Conn Comet was a really cool mouthpiece. I love the original ligature with the star shaped cutouts!
As always . Thanks for your expertise. Seeing how you care about your work is inspiring. I’m sure my clients get a better job because I watch your videos not just due to the knowledge but the excellent work ethic.
Seeing a new repairman's overview video nearly made me weep. This is my hands down favorite thing on TH-cam. Thank you!
This is one of the wildest design-wise "Show & Tell" videos you've done. Very cool!
Great Matt-beautiful horn-Always interesting to hear your assessment of different equipment.
I love listening to someone who really knows what they're talkin about like listening to someone who really knows how to play
🖖🖖🖖 L.L.&P 😎
Thank you Matt, this is so much valuable information you are sharing. You're videos are historical documents that will be referenced for all time!
Hi Matt as a budding repairman I read up on the 28m and brought a beat up one… case had USN (United States Navy?)…. It was a well used horn and I just loved it’s Uniqueness in design feel and tone..
I later purchased one which had spent most it’s life under a bed…
Original lacquer about 90 % and fairly dent free.
I love playing it and when I’m practiced the sound is great has warmth enough for jazz but punch enough for funk and club… I changed my mouthpiece to a metal Pete Ponzol to achieve as I hate having 2 mouthpieces for set jobs.
My only bug bear is I haven’t been able to set the octave mechanism correct…. I always seem to have play in action however much I adjust the square topped adjustment screw… would love a vid on how to set up.
I always think as conns like formula one or race cars…. The amount of adjustment and set up screws means when they are set up correct they are the best but … you have to stay on top of it…. Maybe why the robust durable selmers of the era came out on top?
Oh yeah the 3 octave pip thing was reinstated by selmer some decades later I believe.
Shame selmer monopolised the market after WWII a lot of conns and other innovations where lost
Still love all your vids and they are an invaluable source of knowledge for reference and students
Thank you
Awesome! Great to see more of your videos coming online, Matt!
"My name is Matt and I re-Stohrer saxophones for a living."
AAaaaawwww
Classic
i have one this baby few year ago(its goes all the way to VietNam ) and do ovehaul myself,was come to me in bad condiction,bend body and bell turn to body . Was tricky to repair this one but went out good,just one this i chance is metal of keys are too soft so i add more metal to righthand system bridge.Love the feeling and sound come out after.
Thanks for your clip.
Excellent video again, old Conns always remind me of what car mechanics must feel when a Citroen turns up. I love them but at the same time, everything is just slightly, or sometimes vastly different to any other Horn. Often for no apparent reason except - to just be different!
Fantastic video! Thank you Matt.
It is good to see these again. I have always liked the old Conn naming system for their instruments, quite unique as far as I know CONNqueror, CONNstellation, Conn Comet etc... Seeing these older saxophones with unusual designs makes me wish Saxophones today hadn't mostly had their design standardised and still had some interesting quirks in the design like these. I have heard one of these being played and I know what you mean about the tone and Yamaha saxophones as I play Yamahas and they don't have a lot of color and variation to the sound compared to some other saxophones ot that I dislike them or the sound of this Conn either. The only thing I would have liked is to hear a sound recording of you playing them to hear what the tone is like since some of these interesting saxophones you have done videos on, there isn't either any/very few sound recordings of, that I know of, or little to no videos of people playing them either.
I got to play one of these in our community band a few years ago. The owner had bought it brand new from a Pasadena, CA store in 1950. He dropped it performing in a parade and cracked the back shield. I found a replicated shield and mounted it, but not too precisely because the mounting holes weren't already pre-drilled. The intonation was light-years ahead of that from the Bundy II alto I was then playing, whose sound elicited grimaces from the conductor.😒
Interesting. Never saw one before!
Jim
How are the octave vents set? The lowest controlling D-F, 2nd G-A, 3rd (neck) B through the palm keys? That would seem to make the most sense. I would think that the feel of the chromatic F# would match well with the RH touches, although it would certainly feel different than pretty much all other saxes! Thanks for doing another of these!
they are responsible for the same range as usual, just the body pip is now two pips that open at the same time.
Stohrer Music oh, that makes sense...that’s why they are so small.
I need help my g sounds sharp on my soprano and I see the pad that suppose to be down is not closing idk what to tighten or fix to make my g play normal
Brilliant!
Dear Matt, I have one of these, but the keys around G sharp have been SLAUGHTERED by some overwhelmed idiot. This tube/rod is missing, probably other stuff too. I want to rebuild the keys. Is there any chance you might have and share photos from various angles?
Matt:
Did this originally use the Conn Res-o-Pads?
If so, did you use the Res-o-Pads?
A brief video about Res-o-Pads would be a helpful resource!
Is there any chance that I can send you an old baritone sax for fixing from Miami FL?
Thank you for that!
I've never seen one of these, let alone have one on the bench.
Regarding the altissimo, which mouthpiece did you use to test?
My main personal mouthpiece for alto is my tester piece, which has been a Morgan 3C for years and years. Not a mouthpiece that cheats on altissimo!
@@StohrerMusic Thank you.
Had a Holton bari with three pips. Was really nice top to bottom. Not know for saxes and looked like old plumbing but it made the guys with nice horns sad:-0)
The octave mechanism is a beauty, I wish they all had that. But ....... The low C key guard is a ring? No bar across the top .. I guess they know what they are doing.
Thank for your attention to details Sir. Have you had any hands on a 'The New King' Eb Alto Sax? Griffe.
First to give a thumbs up 👍🏽
Just my percy opinion but that perspex clothes guard is horrible. I am repairing a sax that had the long pipe guard in perspex. It was missing, I expect it broke. It will be replaced by brass.
OEM style replacements are available. Don't make it non-original without checking one out first please.
@@StohrerMusic Matt, I have the absolutely full respect for your work. You are an excellent craftsman and mechanic. But I just don't like the perspex. For me it just doesn't belong on a brass instrument. Sorry, I think it's an awful design.. Oh, I didn't mention, it isn't a Conn, it's just a cheap sax that I am practising various repair techniques.
conn