Conn Alto Saxophone

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Conn Alto Saxophone

This is the firstborn illustrated history of the horns that have specified jazz since the 1920s and intensified more recent pop and rock music with their distinctive, classy sounds. Offering superb, specially commissioned photography and inviting descriptive text, The Sax & Brass Book tells the distinctive 70-year story of these instruments. Exquisite, color pictorials included allround heighten elaborate historical profiles of master brass and woodwind manufacturers, including Buescher, Buffet, Conn, Holton, King, Leblanc, Martin, Sax, Selmer, Yanagisawa and Yamaha.

Conn saxophones begun in Elkhart Indiana in the late 1880′s, when a man named Gus Buescher made a saxophone at the request of sax virtuoso E.A. Lefebre, somebody who had genuinely known Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone, earlier in the 19th century in Europe. C.G. Conn was the founder and owner of the Conn musical instrument company, and a good deal of of his models from the early twentieth century are highly prized instruments that are the choice of a lot of of the top professional saxophone players in the world. Not only that, but Conn’s inventions with saxophone design and production were highly influential to other manufacturers of saxophones.

Conn was a shrewd businessman, too. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1892. There he introduced a bill calling for all U.S. Army regiments to have their own bands, with respective specified instruments. This, of course, resulted in a huge influx of military orders for Conn instruments by the turn of the century. Conn probably wouldn’t get away with such a blatant conflict of interest today, but he surely knew how to keep the Conn musical instrument company productive.

Alto and tenor saxophones made their debut at the 1893 World’s Columbia Exhibition. This model was called “Wonder” and turn of the century military units employed these saxophones in their bands. Early instruments were made in silver plate, with gold-plated keys. Some were made of nickel plate, and a heap of of polished brass.

The 1920s were Conn’s heyday. The company was making instruments that were considered the “gold standard” of saxophone design. They likewise offered habit finishes and engraving, so that the instruments not only sounded great, they were rather finelooking as well. After World War II, Conn made a few modern models, such as the Constellation alto sax, which is to this day highly coveted by collectors.

The “baby boom” years of the 50s caused Conn to focus more and more on student instruments for all those new school pupils. By 1960 Conn was making student saxophones in Arizona, though professional models were still made in Elkhart. They discontinued making professional models in 1970, however. The history of Conn saxophones is rich and storied and would make an splendid book.

Conn Alto Saxophone Pic

Conn Alto Saxophone Image

Conn Alto Saxophone Image

Conn Alto Saxophone Photo