[Raccoon1400]

I just bought a Conn 6M from a local player I know. He gave me a great deal because he knew it was going to a good home where it would be played. #339 XXX which appears to be 1950. It has straight tone holes, and the microtuner. It has fresh pads.

I'd tried another Alto that my tech had the day before, a German made Keilwerth EX-90 II. It was $1500CND. I liked it, even though they get a bad rap on this forum. But then I remembered this guy had mentioned he had a Conn 6M he'd sell, for significantly less than the Keilworth. Of course the Conn blew the Keilwerth out of the water.

I'm mostly a tenor player and I don't play alto much, but maybe this horn will change that.

I was kicking myself for not snapping up a used Yamaha '62 alto at a local music store for $1800CND. I'm not too disappointed about that right now. I might never need another alto, unless it is another 6M. (however note I said need, not want)

Now I just need to find a 10M tenor.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/wLrauTui7EdRaAQy5

 

[saxy82291]

Sweet looking horn! Be careful though, once you blow a conn you're not going to want anything else!

 

[GaSax]

Excellent choice! The vintage Conns are the best sounding saxophones IMO.

 

[Raccoon1400]

Sweet looking horn! Be careful though, once you blow a conn you're not going to want anything else!

Yeah, I'm getting that feeling. Now I want a 10M more than I did before.

I want a better alto piece. I've got newish Meyer 6M. I like the sound but can't push it quite as hard as I want.

 

[milandro]

I just bought a Conn 6M from a local player I know. He gave me a great deal because he knew it was going to a good home where it would be played. #339 XXX which appears to be 1950. It has straight tone holes, and the microtuner. It has fresh pads.

Hello Mine is just a little earlier 338XXX

 

[kfoster]

....And just a little earlier than that 323151

 

[Raccoon1400]

Both of those 6Ms look nice! The lacquer on mine isn't as nice as that but to me that's just character. An instrument earns its character. (Reliced guitars are cheating!)

Do you guys like the microtuner?

The guy I got it from liked it, but I'm finding it to be a pain. I know where on the cork I need to put my mouthpiece to be in tune, but the microtuner makes this more complicated. Is there an easy way to make sure it stays in one place? Then I can set it and forget it.

 

[Dr G]

Both of those 6Ms look nice! The lacquer on mine isn't as nice as that but to me that's just character. An instrument earns its character. (Reliced guitars are cheating!)

Do you guys like the microtuner?

The guy I got it from liked it, but I'm finding it to be a pain. I know where on the cork I need to put my mouthpiece to be in tune, but the microtuner makes this more complicated. Is there an easy way to make sure it stays in one place? Then I can set it and forget it.

Run the adjustment to the end of its travel, then don't turn it anymore. Make all your adjustments on the cork.

If that doesn't work, drill a hole through it, and apply lockwire. :twisted: :bluewink:

 

[milandro]

Yes I think that DR.G gave you the best practical advise , de microtuner was also made to work best with short shank mouthpieces but I really like the sound of my Selmer S80 E (a world of difference from a C*) with this horn.

I don’t really play much alto ( and in fact I am selling this horn) but I am enjoying it while it is in my possession.

 

[GaSax]

I recently got a C Melody Conn with the microtuner but I haven't tried playing it yet. It needs an overhaul before I can play it. But it looks like you could put a piece of tape on it, maybe white out, paint marker, fingernail polish or something on it and the neck to mark the spot.

 

[kfoster]

I know where on the cork I need to put my mouthpiece to be in tune, but the microtuner makes this more complicated. Is there an easy way to make sure it stays in one place? Then I can set it and forget it.

The micro tuner is not really a big deal. Push the mouthpiece in all of the way and then adjust the tuner so that you are in tune. There should be plenty of room to get sharper or to go flatter if needed. The micro tuner should not really rotate a whole heck of a lot when it is in the case. Once you find a spot that works, it is like any other saxophone. Not much adjustment really needed.

Now, on the subject of short shank mouthpieces. The old Conn Steelay mouthpieces were short, but they had no baffle and really big chambers, so they tended to play flatter than modern mouthpieces with smaller chambers and roll-over baffles. So, if you are using a modern mouthpiece, it should be just fine. My 6M is happy with everything from a Morgan Excalibur to the original Conn mouthpiece. Some adjustment is needed, but not a great deal.

 

[allenlowe]

edited but cannot delete sorry

 

[allenlowe]

edited for a mistake

 

[turf3]

According to the marketing material of the time, the intention was that the player would find a place on the cork where the tone and response and intonation were best, and then use the microtuner to compensate for the usual daily fluctuations in tuning. I think mine works best with the MP about 1/4" out from the all the way in position. If you put the MP always on the cord the same distance, then tuning does not affect how much mouthpiece internal volume is occupied by the neck; it's always the same.

I would recommend disassembling the microtuner (not the innards, just remove it from the neck) and grease up the threads and the little slider tube with some heavy grease. I've never known of it to shift position on its own.

As to mouthpiece selection, I have over the years used the following and have never seen any issues with intonation - in fact the Conn 6M is well known for having the most accurate intonation of any alto out there.

Meyer
Selmer Soloist
Brilhart Level Air
Brilhart Ebolin
Runyon Spoiler

 

[jazzplr]

I've been pushing my mouthpieces all the way in and adjusting the tuning with the micro tuner. I never even thought about the characteristics of the neck distance in relationship to the mouthpiece and how that would affect the tone! Can't wait to try some different mouthpiece positions with my mouthpieces this weekend.

+1 on unscrewing the micro tuner and greasing it up. My micro tuner was leaking like cray and I cleaned it up and greased it with lanolin to seal it. That made a huge difference!

 

[paulwl]

[...] in fact the Conn 6M is well known for having the most accurate intonation of any alto out there.

Actually I know one small group of saxophonists who would disagree. Players who were classically trained on Bueschers seem to have drastic intonational difficulties with 6Ms. One told me a certain serial range (somewhere in the 250s) were ALL irredeemably out of tune.

Of course this may have to do with these players' strong emphasis on overtone practice, contrasting with Conn's engineering-based approach to acoustics - ie, tweaking individual notes without accounting for a natural overtone series. Buescher seems to have taken a different approach, occasionally leaving a note slightly stuffy (such as those small-holed fork F# keys shaped like sugar spoons).

 

[paulwl]

....And just a little earlier than that 323151

Cool tripack! Is that Conn, too?

I used to use an early-ish Selmer tripack, which had only mountings for an assembled clarinet. A fellow doubler saw it and made me promise to stop using the mountings. We both played '30s model clarinets. Old horns hanging on old mountings in an old case are a combination you might not want to rely on.

 

[Raccoon1400]

According to the marketing material of the time, the intention was that the player would find a place on the cork where the tone and response and intonation were best, and then use the microtuner to compensate for the usual daily fluctuations in tuning. I think mine works best with the MP about 1/4" out from the all the way in position. If you put the MP always on the cord the same distance, then tuning does not affect how much mouthpiece internal volume is occupied by the neck; it's always the same.

The guy I got it from said something like this. I'll just need to find a good non intrusive way to mark it.

 

[Dr G]

The guy I got it from said something like this. I'll just need to find a good non intrusive way to mark it.

Sharpie is good - pick your preferred color, alcohol soluble if you need to remove it.

 

[Sacks Of Phones]

So is the case a tray-pack, traypack, tripack, trepack or other? Serious question. I've seen all kinds of names for this case.