Saxophones Conn 150th Anniversary Alto Saxophone

[PigSquealer]

I watched the videos as well, thanks @PigSquealer ! One thing that escaped my notice looking at the ad pictures, they put one of those flimsy keyguards over the low C# !!! No mention of this anywhere. I think this is the most unique thing about this horn. I’m not gonna buy one, though I’d like to play one. I’ll keep my eyes peeled to see if there is one nearby and go try it.

To my recollection (admittedly poor) this is the only saxophone I have ever seen with a keyguard over the low C#. The exception is those horns with the J-shape keyguard, like Yamaha, where covering the C# is kind of an afterthought. But this is deliberate, a wire keyguard covering low C and C# both. And yet they don’t mention it anywhere.

Good eye !
I like the wire guards. They have some vintage flavor and a hint of mercedes. Not sure how it would look with an additional wire mid way on both.
The C# at rest is closed. Regulated off key arm upstream. The bumper I’m guessing offers some opening force stress relief ? That and a little protection. Compare to an example without. Yeah, another feature they left out.

The C# bumper appears functional. Everything is leaning to a production of 150. 042/150.

 

[PigSquealer]

150 units @ $7k each and this is what the marketing team comes up with ? 1880’s

Conn Alto Saxophone in Eb CAS811LTD150

Learn more about the Conn Alto Saxophone in Eb CAS811LTD150.

connselmer.com

 

[PigSquealer]

What is a generative bell brace?

I have no clue. Had to “look up” and see.

First answer is believable.

Second answer copied from the Sax Stables long winded blab & drool. Maybe @turf3 can explain engineering that is rigid and vibratory. His answer may explain function O’fugly ?

“This saxophone features a brand new state of the art generative butterfly wing bell to body brace. There is no other bell to body brace out there like this. This brace was engineered using generative design technology which allows them to digitally optimize the design to achieve the perfect balance of resonance and strength while offering minimal mass. The resulting brace is remarkably strong with structural rigidity while still allowing the bell to vibrate free.”

 

[Pete Thomas]

Well this one has, that's a direct quote, and it says it's unsurpassed, although if it's as you say and they don't have much resonance in the first place then it's maybe not to hard to surpass it.

Well it also has unsurpassed acoustics. I know it’s just marketing speak so maybe there is little value in critiquing the use of language, but AFAIK acoustics is either a science or the properties of a room.

Perhaps this is a prelude for the company to re-initiate the Conn brand with a complete new line up?

That was my first thought. But does it make sense for a company to produce two competing products?

 

[PigSquealer]

150 units @ $7k each and this is what the marketing team comes up with ? 1880’s

Conn Alto Saxophone in Eb CAS811LTD150

Learn more about the Conn Alto Saxophone in Eb CAS811LTD150.

connselmer.com

View attachment 31362

The marketing department is full of surprises.

Looks like a silver crook & bell are available

View: https://youtu.be/Jt8R1d3Zkrk?si=b2ze2nJ2EWfWEy31


Two days and a whopping 9 likes on 289 views. Blurry video may be cause ?

 

[thomsax]

I can't see/read the word combo Conn-Selmer on the sax. "C.G. Conn Limited" indicate it's a Conn made after C.G. Conn sold his company to some investors around 1915. The real Conn is a sax before 1915?

 

[Jimmymack]

That video from Saxstable is probably the worst of its kind I've ever seen. What's that ooze that seems to be coming out of a lot of the joints?

 

[Ghr9204]

AFAIK acoustics is either a science or the properties of a room.

Judging by the video @PigSquealer just posted above:

The marketing department is full of surprises. Looks like a silver crook & bell are available

They picked a "live" room with considerable echo. Thus I would think your second statement on the properties of the room would apply. Earlier video seemed to have a lot of post processing (reverb, etc.) added to make it sound better.

does it make sense for a company to produce two competing products?

I've seen corporations rise and fall. I think it too early to really know what their intent is.

For companies like Yamaha, my thinking is their "bread and butter" saxes are not the pro models but the student and lower end intermediates. It is why back in 1971, I got a pro model YAS-61 alto at half price, because parents were buying their kids the entry level student models.

Perhaps I am wrong, but my thinking is that Le Blanc's money maker was their Vito line. I haven't kept up with their end history before sale. With all the used Vito's being marketed at E-Bay, I gather that Le Blanc sold scads of them, it was their money maker. When the old man died, the change in leadership didn't keep their the Vito's rolling and thus became unprofitable? Comments, @JayeNM ?

As @PigSquealer pointed out, now they are showing a silver bell 150. My first thoughts are, is it one of the 40 production cap? Or, they plan to expand it? Drop the anniversary designation, drop the price a little, and make a non-anniversary continued line? Are they planning to move some of their Selmer USA line to Conn?

The bringing out of this extremely limited edition new sax brings more questions than answers.

 

[JayeNM]

Myeah well once marketing uses the word "resonant" in regards to a sax (which we know has a body design which does not resonate sufficiently to impart anything on tonality certainly)...things get even more eyebrow-raising.

Next, as noted by others...TONS of mixdown on that FIRST vid of the guy playing one...I mean honestly, WTH ?

Secondly, re: the first vid..."the first Conn saxophone in 50 years !"...that's a lie, as we have discussed. Conn brand existed up until 2002, Conn as an independent company existed up until 1984.

So that first actually causes me more skepticism than hope. It is avoiding providing the sonic information which the model claims to embody.

Second vid, yes again, crazy...why record that in THAT room as opposed to a sound studio ?

Either of these vids could've COMPLETELY alleviated folks' skepticism by the simplest gestures of ALL.

ONE vid COULD have switched back and forth between this new horn and, say, a run of the mill 6M...played with same mouthpiece...recorded in same room with same post-recording mix....

IF they had done that, then we would be able to ascertain if they had done ANYTHING in the design to give it a throwback classic Conn tonality/identity or not.
These vid makes it impossible to ascertain this.

(If not THAT, then at least playtest it next to a contemporary Eastman or Keilwerth or Buffet or Borgani or Rampone....to see if it is relatively "throwback" and dark in tone compared to one modern model which we know, IS....)

Again my concern here : this is a modern asian horn, knocked off from a:

"sorta-kinda-Selmer-design-but already-diluted-over-the-past-50-years-by-production-decisons-which-had-already-changed-Selmer-specs-for-ease-or-cost-of-production"

...just dressed up with nice old-school looking engravings and furniture (except for that absurd bellbrace).

It'd be cool if it isn't...but we are probably gonna have to wait for someone who posts on sax forums to try one at a trade show to find out something....

I mean, lowering the bar from even all this...if it even just SOUNDS and FEELS as good as like a Yama 82 or Yani or Top-shelf model of another reputed modern maker...I guess they would have something there which could support its price tag, to a degree (?)

 

[Pete Thomas]

...just dressed up with nice old-school looking engravings and furniture (except for that absurd bellbrace).

And just to prove it is hand engraved, it is done really badly by a child!

 

[Jimmymack]

It’s quite poor and seems to be off centre.

 

[Pete Thomas]

Another photo, even worse. Thankfully they didn't attempt a naked lady

 

[GCinCT]

Another photo, even worse. Thankfully they didn't attempt a naked lady

View attachment 31367

She would probably look like a Picasso.

 

[helen]

......To my recollection (admittedly poor) this is the only saxophone I have ever seen with a keyguard over the low C#. The exception is those horns with the J-shape keyguard, like Yamaha, where covering the C# is kind of an afterthought. But this is deliberate, a wire keyguard covering low C and C# both. And yet they don’t mention it anywhere.

Low C# key guards are not uncommon on European horns. EG: certain models of the B&S blue labels,

 

[DavidUK]

Half a Chinese chicken's wishbone?

 

[Jimmymack]

I guess engravers are rare these days and you have to take who you can get. They probably got better as they went along. I’m sure I saw the engraver’s name somewhere but I can’t find it now. Still, people have complained about the laser engraving on Selmers, at least here you have the unmistakable evidence of it being hand done.

 

[Pete Thomas]

I’m surprised that nobody has commented on what at first appears an odd model name. Apparently a pun on Confirmation. What is the point of that?

Yes, I’m aware there is a bebop tune as well as a Christian ceremony. Is that good marketing I wonder?

 

[Targa]

That pathetic engraving should knock the price down by £1000 at least.
And as I type that I remembered that the Bauhaus curved soprano sax I owned for a few months was reduced by I think £200 because it was engraved with the serial number starting 'sss' instead of 'css'.

 

[LostCircuits]

I’m surprised that nobody has commented on what at first appears an odd model name. Apparently a pun on Confirmation. What is the point of that?

Yes, I’m aware there is a bebop tune as well as a Christian ceremony. Is that good marketing I wonder?

Next stop: ConnSurrection

That'll be the real thing!

 

[PigSquealer]

I’m surprised that nobody has commented on what at first appears an odd model name.

See post #22
“Connfirmation is to close to Connstipation.”