Conn Tenor Neck With Microtuner

[Zoot Horn]

I just bought a Conn Tenor neck with a microtuner on eBay. It is silver plated. The microtuner just turns and adjusts - it doesn't click of cents like some of the alto ones still do (I guss its well worn). It has just a normal tenon (no double socket).

I asked about this once before on the old forum, and an expert told me they were never made.

Can anyone tell me what model or range of serial numbers it might have come from?

[paulwl]

Sure it's a Conn? I took a look at that same auction and various details convinced me it wasn't - among them the shape of the tuner and the lack of a separate neck brace (just a rib).

The only tuner neck tenors I knew about were made in Germany. I compared it to some pictures I had of a tenor made by Hüller and it looked about the same.

I had a collector-kook type (the type who will tell you almost anything just to say "I have it") tell me once he had a factory original Conn tuner tenor, circa early 1930s. But of course, no pictures.

Then again, Conn would make you just about anything in those days.

[Zoot Horn]

No, I'm not sure. I haven't heard of German microtuner tenors. The previous 2 owners of the neck apparently played it on a 10M.

The dimensions of the neck (tenon and tip ID and OD, length, height, curvature, shape) are identical to a 10M neck, but you're right about the rib. The manufacture of the ring end of the octave key is different from any other Conn neck I have, also.

Perhaps I can get it together and post some pictures. I'll also post how the intonation is with my Chu Berry.

Thanks for your ideas.

[Pete]

If the neck is from the ancient horn on E-bay with the bevelled tone holes and no pearl keys (Item 2520534383 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?MfcISAPICommand=ViewItem&item=252053 4383)), that's probably a Couesnon, not a Conn. Take a look at http://saxontheweb.myforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=2083.

There's a possibility that there are Conn tenors with microtuners: that'd be the limited "New Invention" model (see http://www.saxpics.com/conn/newinvention.htm). The unfortunate thing is that these horns are so rare, I've only seen one!

There really is no reason why the Conn microtuner wasn't incorporated onto pitches other than the (straight neck) C melody and alto: lotsa other manufacturers did. I'd think that Conn did have at least some "prototype" microtuner necks out there for tenor.

[sarge]

Hey,
as you may know, I have many Keilwerths. I have a Tone King tenor with the same neck. the size and shape of the micro tuner and the brace are giveaways.
JK modeled his early horns after conn's so it would make sense that it fit your conn, (and of course, the fit can be easily adjusted) but I'm not sure if the shape etc. will be compatible, intonation-wise.
good luck,
sarge.