Thank you all for the likes and positive comments about my necks, it's much appreciated. I've received many requests for other make of necks, in particular, the Conn 10m has been mentioned and requested on several occasions. This was only recently discussed at length with the repair department at Sax.co.uk also asking my thoughts about doing the same for the Conn saxes.
I presently have additional work commitments which unfortunately only allows me limited time on my priority work for the King line of sax parts which is the mainstay for Saxstuff. I don't have any experience with the Conns, never even played one. I do however realise they are still very popular and Conn made the 10m and 6m over a long period of time but I wouldn't know the differences between the models.
Also, the biggest problem of all is finding somebody who is willing to lend me a complete sax from Conns "Golden Era" in the long term to look over and assess the feasibility of making a neck ( I would need the complete sax to check the tenon/receiver arrangement and fit ) I certainly don't want to take on more financial commitments for another sax project. I'm not ruling anything out, it is possible this could happen at some point in the future.
Regards, Mike.
@Mikey B - From your standpoint, there could be sound financial reasons for making replacement Conn 6M and Conn 10M necks:- C.G.Conn churned them out by the shipload compared to King Super 20s. Even though Conn mass-produced huge quantities, the quality was excellent and they are "killer" horns. As a result, it's likely that more people will want to buy a Conn neck than would ever want to buy King Super 20 necks. Conn's (roughly) equivalent of the King Super 20 was the Conn 26M alto and 30M tenor. They were special order products, basically a souped-up Conn 6M and Conn 10m. You can Google photos if you're curious.
As previously mentioned, the neck tenon design on the Conn 10M changed from a single to a double-socket arrangement in 1956. However, the Conn 6M design stayed as is in an underslung model from 1934 right through to the end of production. I'll head off the "anoraks" who disagree with this statement by also mentioning the double-socket "New York" neck - but that was a very rare beast which you had to order specially. It's highly unusual to encounter a Conn 6M with the New York neck because it was a non-standard production item:-
Conn 6M from 1936 with the "New York" neck
Quite a few early and late-production Conn 6Ms had necks like this without a microtuner:-
Conn 6M "Transitional" dated 1935 (no microtuner)
Conn 6M date 1967 (no microtuner)
But most Conn 6M necks made prior to about 1952 did have a "microtuner" like this. You really should avoid replicating the microtuner because it's complicated, unnecessary and is (quite literally) a pain in the neck for various reasons. It's not a coincidence that no modern saxophone manufacturers incorporate microtuners (or similar devices) on their necks. The short answer is because microtuners are more trouble than they're worth:-
Conn 6M showing microtuner
The "deep joy" of servicing a Conn microtuner
Note:- Conn tenors never had microtuners. Only Conn altos ever had microtuners, and although most pre-1952 altos had microtuners fitted there are definitely exceptions to that rule. Over the years I have seen a few Conn New Wonder Series II altos and Conn 6M altos which did not have microtuners. Just to make it clear, these weren't post-production modifications made by someone after they'd left the factory. No, they were built that way by Conn right from the start. The good news for you is that making a Conn alto neck without having to include the microtuner mechanism is a much easier task.
Regardless, there's a
HUGE potential market out there for vintage Conn saxophone necks, though you'll obviously want to do more market research prior to making any major committment. The only real compatibility issues are between the single-socket Conn New Wonder II alto necks and the start of the Conn 6M alto double-socket necks in circa 1934, and the move from single to double-socket necks on the Conn 10M in 1956.
Another point to ponder:- Prior to starting manufacture of the Conn 10M and 6M, Conn also churned out shiploads of
Conn New Wonder Series II (what some people refer to as the "Chu Berry") altos and tenors from circa 1925 through to 1933. All used single-socket necks. Most came with microtuners, but others didn't - my first ever horn (the one I learned on many years ago) was a silver-plated Conn New Wonder Series II alto without a microtuner on the neck. Therefore, it would be "historically correct" (and also easier!) to make any model of Conn alto sax neck without the dreaded microtoner. Whether tenor or alto, all Conn New Wonder Series IIs are excellent horns in their own right, as these videos demonstrate:-
Incidentally, the tenor video you just watched was not a so-called "Chu Berry". It's a Conn Transitional.
The earlier Conn New Wonder Series I altos and tenors (produced between 1921 and 1925) use the same socket design as the Conn New Wonder Series II. Therefore, any neck you make for a Conn New Wonder Series II would also fit onto a Conn New Wonder Series I. So, there's an even larger market for your product. In fairness, the keywork on a Conn New Wonder Series I isn't as good, but the sound is much the same i.e. the "spread", boomy, punchy, masculine tone-colours.
A word of caution:- Conn made "Transitional" saxophones between circa 1931 and 1935. These combined elements of the Conn New Wonder Series II with the Conn 6M or 10M. The change was progressive e.g. early Transitionals can be 80% Conn NW#2 and 20% Conn 10M, the ones in the middle can be 40% Conn New Wonder Series II) and 60% Conn 10M and the late ones can be 20% Conn New Wonder Series II and 80% Conn 10M - with inevitable variations on those figures. In short, there was no abrupt cut-off between the end of production of the Conn New Wonder #2 and the start of the Conn 6M and 10M. These changes were evolutionary in nature, as elements of the Conn New Wonder Series II gradually disappeared as the design "morphed" from one to the other.
Assuming that you make necks for Conn NW#2 horns, I'm not sure how this would affect the internals of the neck design - probably not much. However, do be aware that late Transitionals have the "shot glass" octave vent on the neck as opposed to the earlier "mushroom-shaped" octave arm vent. All Conn 6Ms and Conn 10Ms (regardless of vintage) have "shot-glass" octave vents. Ultimately, you'd need to examine different examples and take measurements.
I hope that this information helps you re. any future research you may do re. Conn necks.
Saxstuff copper neck next to an original silver item. Saxstuff copper neck fitted to Silversonic tenor.
