[sweetsax]

I see a number of these Conns for sale at a good price that look like they have a 10M body, but with nickle keys and no engraving, just a stamp that says "C G Conn LTD" or something like that. I've been reading back through this section and see a lot of information about the Director or Shooting Star models, but nothing about these "plain" ones. Are these a transitional model that lead up to the Shooting Star? Are they any good? By good, I mean are they like the Martin Indiana is to the Committee?

 

[JayeLID]

They are the first Director horns. This is when Conn discontinued the "Pan American" line and introduced the Directors. The first few years of production oftentimes had no engraving at all. Sometimes a very simple one, as you mentioned. So, those are basically 14M and 16M's. VERY GOOD and underrated horns, those Directors made in u.s.a.

I believe it was around '59 when the Shooting Star engraving started appearing.

Like an Indiana is to a Committee ?

Yes, good analogy.

Like a Cleveland is to a Zeph or S20.

That sorta thing...second-line horns but by today's standards, very solid players with a much better tone than most of today's offerings...

 

[sweetsax]

Thanks Jaye -
Do you know anything about the necks? I poked around on saxpics last night, and there is only one picutre of 16M which looks to have the shooting star engraving, but it has a neck with a brace just like the 10M neck's brace. I think the year on saxpics says '61. However, I've seen non-engraved ones a from a few years earlier on ebay with a neck that doesn't have that recognizable neck brace. They just have a contoured brace like you see on most modern necks.

hopefully that makes sense. I could dig up some links to pictures possibly. Is the 10M neck the same as the 16M neck, just with a nickle plated octave key? Or is there a complete difference in design?

 

[JayeLID]

You are correct. The ones from the 60's have the swoop brace. It is NOT quite the same brace as the older 10M necks..but at a glance, it's close.

The ones from the '50's do not have that, as you observed. And the '50's ones have the circular ring at the base of the octave key (like an old 10M) while the later ones have the octave key ring which 'splits' or 'forks' off of the key spine.

They are, however...interchangeable...you can put a newer 16M neck on an older model and vice versa...you can even put a 16M neck on a 10M (the kinds sans the double-socket of course) and have it work quite fine. Same bore, length, and tenon diameters....

So, you can switch 'em out...


(For one who appreciates irony...this can be entertaining...because you get folks with neckless 10M's needing a neck for it...so they either buy an original, bona fide 10M neck which goes for around $500 on eFlay and are hella few and far between...or they have one made...which goes for around...um....$500.

While they could pick up a Mexico 16M project horn for about $150....keep the neck, and turn and sell the 16M body for $50).

 

[shootingstar]

Hey Sweetsax,
As you can tell by my screen name, I really like the 16M's and 14M's. My favorite horns are the mid to late 30's 6M & 10M Naked Ladies. But the prices have gone so high as to put them out of my reach. About 6 years ago I discovered the Shooting Star's. I had always known they were good/solid horns. I think that even in their bone stock configuration they are great for any level of player. For the last several years as a repairman/business owner I've been acquiring 1950's and early 1960's models, doing some modifications plus an overhaul, and selling them. With a little work they really sing. Personally I think they can keep up with anything on the market today. I don't think you can go wrong buying an early model 14 or 16M.