Brasswinds

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Conn was sold to MacMillan in 1969, so there is some overlap of the Elkhart brasswind models and their successors from Japan and Abilene, Texas.  Elkhart models with confirmed production into 1971, the year the Elkhart plant began closure, are included for completion's sake.

Color coding: student models in red, intermediate models in purple, basic-pro models in blue, and professional models in black. Pre-1990s Connquests are usually regarded as slightly higher quality than intermediate models from the 1990s, so these Connquests are considered basic-pro.  Intermediate models here are considered student-quality horns with features not common in student horns, like red brass bells, thumb saddles, etc.  "Mark I" and "Mark II" denote design changes without a model number change.

See also the unique mouthpieces included with some of these outfits.

Flugelhorn models:

• • 1970-1972 - 23A flugelhorn [stencil, French Couesnon "Star" and similar flugelhorns] - all examples say "Elkhart, Ind." on the bell, but none have serial numbers

  • 1972 to 1979 - 24A flugelhorn [stencil made by Kurath-Willson Brass, Flums, Switzerland]

  • later 1980s to ca. 1999 - 25F flugelhorn [made in Eastlake, Ohio, U. S. A.] - King 650 "Diplomat" in-house stencil

  • mid-1990s to early 2000s - 85F flugelhorn [made in Eastlake, Ohio, U. S. A.] - King 2020 "Legend" in-house stencil

  • 2000 to present - 1F[R] flugelhorn [made in Eastlake, Ohio, U. S. A.] - "Vintage One"

Cornet models:

• • [1961 to 1971] - 15A Director, brass bell

  • [1961 to 1971] - 17A Director, brass bell

  • [1964 to 1972/3?] - 38A Connstellation, brass bell

  • 1971-1973 - 19A Director*, brass bell

  • 1971-1973 - possibly later or see this - 21A Director*, Coprion bell

  • 1972 to 1974 - 25A? Director mutts [77A-style wrap, small bore, 77B valve blocks, Shooting Star bells, Director receiver]

    • The 25A designation appears only on engineering vellums, in reference to a simple telescopic brace, new small-bore tuning slide, and a generic bell - it seems this was meant to use existing valves with a simple design, and the numerical designation was incremented one after the 24A Willson stencil flugel

  • 1974 to 1976 - 18A Director, Coprion bell [made in USA with 16X bell stamp, with Director or 16A on receiver]

    • This designation only appeared in print advertising - the few examples never have 18A anywhere

  • 1974 to 1977 - 16A Director "Mark I", brass bell

    • Engineering vellums showing the distinctive "fold-back" tuning slide were first drawn up in 1968, as well as the 16B companion; this may have been designed to replace the dated 15X/17X models, but with the Elkhart factory vacated by 1972, the designs were transferred to the 19A/21A Yamaha OEM models first

  • 1977 to late 1979 - 16A Director "Mark II", brass bell (GD720488V)

  • late 1979 to 1981 - 18A Director "Mark I", brass bell

  • 1981 to 1986 - 18A Director "Mark II", brass bell [Henkin "Director" model]

  • 1979 to 1986 - 78A Century, brass bell - GK921276 is early one

  • 1986 to 1994/5 - 20A Director, brass bell

  • 1986 to 1994/5 - 1000A intermediate, red brass bell

  • 1990s to 2001? - 85A CONNstellation, brass bell

  • 1994/5 to 2003/4 - 1050A CONNquest, red brass bell

  • 1994/5 to 2003/4 - 22A Director, brass bell

  • ca. 1993 to 2012 - 34A Victor, brass bell [in-house stencil of the King 604-type cornet]

  • ca. late 1980s-pre 1997 - 35A, brass bell - see Conn Coronet 35A | eBay [in-house stencil of the King 605-type cornet]

Trumpet models:

• • [1955 to 1990] - 6B Victor, brass bell

    • 1990 "Limited Edition" with Shooting Stars bell stamps [!!!] exist, but are extremely rare, unusual horns; by this point, they were identical to the 38B, only lacking the 38B trigger

  • [1955 to 1996] - 38B Connstellation, Electro-D [later brass] bell

  • [1957 to 1980] - 77B Connquest, brass bell

    • Replaced by the 78B in 1979-1980

  • [1961 to 1980] - 36B Connstellation, Electro-D [later brass] bell

  • [1961 to 1971] - 15B Director, brass bell

  • [1961 to 1971] - 17B Director, brass bell

    • This model platform may have been on the way out by 1968, as vellums showing the 16A and 16B exist from then, but production was continued until the Elkhart factory closed

  • [1963 to 1980] - 8B Artist, brass bell

  • [1967 to 1972] - 60B Sixty-B/Super Connstellation, brass bell

  • 1971-3 - 19B Director*, brass bell

  • 1971-3 - 21B Director*, Coprion bell

  • 1972 to 1980/1 - 61B Super Connstellation, brass bell

    • 1979/1980 vellums show a 1st valve slide with reverse construction and UMI-esque thumb saddle - rare but extant on a couple models, with the last ones having squared-off "CONN" stamped on the bell side, rather than engraved

  • 1974 to 1976 - 18B Director, Coprion bell [made in USA with 16X bell stamp, with Director or 16B on receiver]

    • Only listed as such in advertising; extant examples are either stamped Director or mis-marked 16B

  • 1974 to November 1979 - 16B Director, brass bell

  • November 1979 to 1981 - 18B Director "Mark I", brass bell [I am referring to horn serial GK922080]

    • Diagonal one-piece braces, not telescoping, with bell-to-tuning-slide brace close to valves [like on reverse-tuning setups], possibly for feedback?  Pistons changed to Bach or Blessing-style two-pin guide.  One example has a plain text bell stamp

  • 1981 to 1986 - 18B Director "Mark II", brass bell [Henkin "Director" model]

    • Bell stamp changed, bell flare increased to 5", with tuning-slide-to-bell brace moved closer to flare - first and last editions have lever waterkeys of various shapes [the last ones are unusually thin and appear designed hastily, the first are solid pieces like that used on pro Conns, as opposed to the folded metal on the 16X and prior student models]

  • 1980 to 1986 - 78B Century, brass bell

  • 1982 to 1985 - SS1 Doc Severinsen, brass bell

  • 1982 to 1985 - SS2 Doc Severinsen, brass bell

  • 1982 to 1985 - SS3 Doc Severinsen, brass bell

  • 1982 to 1985 - SS4 Doc Severinsen, brass bell

  • 1982 to 1994/5 - 1000B Doc Severinsen ["Conn 1000B" after 1986], red brass bell

  • 1982 to 1994/5 - 100B Doc Severinsen ["Conn 100B" after 1986], maybe red brass bell

  • 1994/5 to 2003/4 - 1050B CONNquest, red brass bell

  • 1985/6 to 1994/5 - 20B Director, brass bell

  • 1986 to 1990s - 80B Heritage, brass bell

  • late 1980s to 1990s - 83B "Heritage"/semi-pro, brass bell

  • 1990s - 2100B Cool CONNstellation, brass bell

  • 1990s - 85B Pro CONNstellation, brass bell

  • 1990s - 86B CONNstellation in C, brass bell

  • late 1990s to early 2000s - 97T pocket trumpet, brass bell - made by Amati in Czech Republic, supposed to only be for the European market, but U. S. dealers still had them imported

  • 2000 to present - 1B Vintage One, multiple options/model deviations

  • 2000 to present - 52B CONNstellation, multiple options - in-house King 2070 "Legend" stencil

  • 2002 to 2007 - 201BY International‡, yellow brass bell

  • 2002 to 2007 - 201BR International‡, rose brass bell

  • ca. 2004 - 202BY International, yellow brass bell - made by Amati in Czech Republic - uncommon model, possibly intended for the European market

  • 2000s - 27B Director‡, brass bell

  • 1994/5 to 2007 - 22B Director, brass bell

  • 2007 to 2012 - 23B student model, brass bell

* - Models marked with an asterisk were stencils made in Japan by Yamaha.

‡ - Models marked with a diesis [double-dagger] were stencils made in Taiwan by Hoxon Gakki [CarolBrass].

Also including other models not added, and "orphaned brands" like Benge and Musica.  Newer additions to the Eastlake factory, like Holton, will be added at a later date.  Cross-brand models like the Bach CR301 and 182 Stradivarius, made in Eastlake, will be sorted at a later date as well.  Stencils, such as early Accent student trumpets and cornets and Hohner HT 1000 trumpets, will be mentioned, but Conn stencilled very little after the 1960s.

The 14D Director French horn existed from 1954 to 1978 and from the early 1980s to the present.

Accent trumpets and cornets early on [ca. mid-late 1990s] had valve blocks of the type used on the UMI-King 2055, but in lacquer finish instead of silver.  An example of the trumpet model - http://www.ebay.com/itm/Accent-USA-Trumpet-sn-5735515-w-Mouthpiece-Hard-Case/331503557079

For a short time [1987-early 1990s], Hohner had UMI stencil King 600/601 types as the Hohner HT 1000 or HT 500.  See http://www.ebay.com/itm/Seltene-Hohner-TROMPETE-HT-1000-Made-in-USA-mit-Koffer-kein-Saxophon/251523929825, http://www.ebay.de/itm/Seltene-Hohner-TROMPETE-HT-1000-Made-in-USA-mit-Koffer-kein-Saxophon/251523929825, and http://www.trompetenforum.de/TF/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=24586 - other Hohner trumpets were either KHS or Blessing stencils, such as http://www.horn-u-copia.net/instruments/Hohner/Hohner-trumpet2.jpg

The Besson BE639 USA was a UMI stencil - example is serial 43 453688 from http://tromboneforum.org/index.php?action=printpage;topic=31251.0