[JayeLID]

Is it ? Or is it a NW I ?????

I have all 3 here at the moment, and I will do a measurement comparison tom'w to reconfirm....although I do trust Bruce....

BTW....PanAms don't have the microtuner necks...NW I's and II's do...

 

[JayeLID]

OK, so here are my results:

PanAm Split-bell horns ranging from serial P-22,8XX to P-37,3XX....a NW-I of serial 101,5XX ...and a Chu (NW-II) of serial M157,XXX...have identical bodies.

Measurements taken at:

Neck receiver exterior diameter, neck receiver ferrule length, body tube diam's at upper stack A-hole, lower stack E-hole, tube-to-bow ferrule, bow-to-bell ferrule, diameters of Bell Bb hole, bow C and C# holes, and bell lip diameters.
Height from bottom of bow to bottom of tube/bow ferrule. Height from bottom of bow to bottom of bell ferrule. Distance between surface of body tube and surface of bell piece taken at tube/bow ferrule. All ferrule bands are the same width on all 3 horns.

13 measurements along the body of the horn... and all are identical (within less than a .5mm differential on all).

All necks fit and intone each other well. The necks of the Chu and NWI have a smaller interior mouthpiece end diameter than the PanAms (meaning their necks taper more than the PanAms).

Then the PanAms have no rolled holes, whereas the Wonders do.

Wowzers.....:dazed:

 

[JayeLID]

Interesting, and I think perhaps a bit of a freak(?)...I have always found that all Conn altos, from NW's up to late '60's Directors, have interchangeable necks which all work with each other (exceptions of course being the double-socket 6M necks in there). The NW-I neck I have here fits both Chus I have had here near perfectly...

Putting the more tapered Chu/NW necks on a later horn, and vice-versa, will alter the tone of the horn, but the intonation is still pretty good up and down.

Again, we can only really look at the serialed horns we have or have had....so it wouldn't surprise me if in the run of production, there were variances.