[jintsjason]

Hey all,

First time poster, long time reader!

So, I recently sold my Series III alto since I was hardly ever playing it and I needed the cash. As a backup I've had a Conn Mexican Shooting Star (1970) forever. I'm a funk and rock player so I've always used a Yani metal 8 on both my tenor and and alto. Anyhoo, I was booked for a few R&B gigs this month and need the alto for a couple songs. imagine my surprise when I opened the case and found my neck was gone (cue The Pretenders). Grr. I need to replace it quickly and barring a Shooting Star neck showing up on eBay this week (not likely), I'm prepared to buy something not original. The problem is I can't tell if it's a 24.5mm opening or 25mm. I've searched this entire forum and can only find measurements for Conn 18s. Anyone out there know? I'd appreciate it. Likewise, if you have a neck from that series horn you don't need, let me know.

Cheers! - jason

 

[livingthedream]

25mm.

 

[saxoclese]

The way some techs measure the ID of the receiver is to use a T-Gauge and a calipers. I like to take the N - S, and E - W measurements and find the average. No, they are not perfectly round. Using the right tools you can shrink or expand the neck tenon up to about .005" (.127 mm).

 

[adamk]

I don't know where you live but here's a whole sax for $150.00.
https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/...612580271.html

 

[SAXISMYAXE]

Looks like he is located near Chicago. These horns are VERY abundantly available for cheap however.

 

[adamk]

price is going down

 

[milandro]

Maybe it is a sign that it is time to buy a new horn, replacing the neck will be probably more expensive than buying a new horn and any work that you might need to have done will cost more than it is worth.

Incidentally if you really want to just replace the neck, trying one of these cheap Chinese is an option. If doesn’t work you can always sell it to someone with a neck (but mention that it is a married one).

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Excelle...964347?hash=item2a5a8f41bb:g:XWIAAMXQDjhQ5xd2

 

[jintsjason]

Maybe it is a sign that it is time to buy a new horn, replacing the neck will be probably more expensive than buying a new horn and any work that you might need to have done will cost more than it is worth.

Thanks all! No, no need for a new horn, I love the sound of my Shooting Star for my needs. That said, I do have a couple bids out on a couple different sites for whole Shooting Star horns that will get me the neck cheaply. We'll see how it goes.

In the meantime, I got my answer (25mm) and am good to go. Cheers! - jason