Re: upright bell for old conn tuba


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Posted by Rob P-M on October 24, 2002 at 13:19:03:

In Reply to: upright bell for old conn tuba posted by Tom Mason on October 24, 2002 at 05:50:13:

I don't have my catalogs and brochures here, but here goes:

I think the horn is an 80-something-J (8XJ). In a 1930-0dd brochure for 'Wonderphone' basses, there is pictured and described a 36J Wonderphone Recording Bass with a 26" bell and 4 front action valves. A few of these horns have been seen around, I think there was one with only 3 valves on e-bay earlier this year. This was a huge horn, probably the same as the old Grand Orchestral up to the bottom bow. Bore was .770 or so, I understand, but haven't measured one. Description said largest bore made by Conn, at any rate.

At the bottom of that page, without illustration, was a brief description of an 80J, a three valve version with a smaller bore and a 24" forward 'Wonderphone' bell. If your horn has a bore less than .750 (say the same .734 as the 20K sousaphone), it is probably a four valve variant of the 80J. Numbering before the 2XJ series was not as consistent as with the 2XJ series, but it would probably be 80-something-J. That's my guess, at any rate. Perhaps someone has a picture of one or an acutal number. You might check the bell collar on both the body and bell when you get it to see if there are any numbers. Many horns will have the model number stamped on the collar and the bell.

BTW, the Grand Orchestral 36J was a teen's and (early?) twenties horn with a 23" upright fixed bell (36J in BBb; 34J in CC). By 1930 or so, the vogue for recording bells had morphed the horn into the later 36J with the removable recording bell. I have never heard of a CC version of the 34J in its Recording Bass phase.

Hope this helps. Perhaps someone else with more catalogs has better information.


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