Saxophones What's it currently worth? Ladyface Baritone

[Melissa]

Hi all,
I have been offered a Ladyface Baritone with the straight cut tone holes, very good condition, recently serviced and in playing order. This is not one for me as am still trying to tame the Tenor, and yes I do deal in instruments, especially old saxes, however, never had a Bari, I know the ladyfaces are supposedly very good so would appreciate your input.

If I can buy it at a good price, I would be happy to sell it on to anyone on the forum for cost plus a jolly good donation to Pete.

 

[jbtsax]

I don't know how this relates to the UK market, but in the last 90 days on Ebay in the U.S. there were 19 Conn 12M baris sold. The average price was $1301 or £797. Depending upon the condition the high price was $2750 or £1684.5 and the low was $475 or £271. Hope this gives a bit of a perspective.

 

[altissimo]

Howarths have a couple of Conn Baris - http://www.howarth.uk.com/wo/manuals/2hsaxes.htm

and there's one here - http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/conn-crossbar-baritone-sax-to-bflattransitional-horn/1041322768

over the last few years, Conn Baris have tended to be around £1200 to £2000 depending on age and condition, but prices are going up...

 

[Pete Thomas]

Ah, the old Conn Crossbar. Lovely horn, with or without RTH. Unlike the 10M, the 12M can be mouthpiece picky - not sure why but mine was crap with a lawton but great with a Link (slant)

I'd say one in very good nick (ie reasonable cosmetics and good pads and tight action) could go for £1200. RTH and excellent original lacquer you're talking quite a bit more. Beat up and skanky, quite a lot less. So jbt is in the ballpark - though prices in the UK may be higher due to fewer of them being here and if you import one you have a big shipping/duty bill.

 

[Pete Thomas]

Howarths have a couple of Conn Baris - http://www.howarth.uk.com/wo/manuals/2hsaxes.htm

There you go, £1400 - given that it's a London store prices are premium (though Howarths prices seem to be on the fair rather than the stupid side of premium)

 

[Melissa]

Thank you all for that, I shall find out some more about the horn though I think by jbt's evaluation it is being sold for the higher estimate. I believe there is also a 10M available too but cannot remember who mentioned it.

 

[altissimo]

http://youtu.be/t317bulDP0k

 

[Juju]

Hi Melissa,
a 12M without RTH should be a lot cheaper than one from the prime era.
Personally I don't care about what the horn looks like. We got ours from Howarth when they had 3 Crossbars in, and the one we chose certainly looked skanky with hardly any lacquer, but what a sound!! They vary quite a lot, so it's worth trying a few.

 

[DavidUK]

Here's a Pan Am: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CONN-Pan-...t=UK_Woodwind_Instruments&hash=item3f2d761530

Will be interesting to see if it makes that money?

 

[Paul Warner]

The best advice is…..do play before you buy! I tried one a few years ago, when I was regularly playing a Yani', and it really was very clanky mechanically (although it looked quite good) and the sound wasn't very appealing at all. Mind you, it was a late one and many of those really aren't worth that much and seem quite unreliable. This one had been imported from the States(at quite a cost), didn't have RTH, and I'm sure the owner would have been very happy to be shot of it! A nice early one would be well worth having though.

 

[Plod]

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=gary+smulyan&sm=1 I think Gary plays a early thirties 12m

 

[Paul Warner]

Sounds like a nice one. Didn't later production move to Nogales, Mexico (late sixties/ early seventies) and effectively become a student horn? The one I played was certainly no Jerry Mulligan model!

 

[altissimo]

http://www.saxpics.com/?v=mod&modID=45

"1959/60: Conn acquired the Best Manufacturing Company of Nogales, Arizona and moved most student/intermediate saxophone production there. The "Naked Lady" engraving is discontinued, and while "Artist" models (6/10/11/12M) are still produced in Elkhart, they have different engraving. (Please note that some 12M's still have the "Naked Lady" engraving.)"
"1969: Sale of the Conn company to the Crowell-Collier MacMillan Company4 production starts to be completely transitioned to Nogales.
1971: The last saxophone is produced in Elkhart and the Conn-made "pro" horns are discontinued5. The model numbers, however, are NOT retired."
http://www.saxpics.com/?v=man&manID=3
"In 1969 in a hostile takeover bid C.G. Conn Ltd was acquired by Crowell-Collier Macmillan installed Jack Latter as president. Latter considered the existing production facility unworkable and suggested moving out of Elkhart. So Conn's Elkhart factories were closed in 1970 (the buildings were sold to Selmer US the following year), and from 1970 until 1986 Conn's brass and wind instruments were manufactured in Abilene, Texas, with student instrument production moving to Japan. Problems continued, this time because the new Texas facility took time to get underway and the new workforce was unused to wind instrument manufacturing. Instruments from this period are renowned for poor workmanship"

the Matt Stohrer youtube video I posted earlier gives a good rundown on the technical issues found on 12M's - http://youtu.be/t317bulDP0k

 

[Ads]

So the Mexiconn's aren`t Mexican after all, they`re a mile or so into the USA near the border (after looking on a Map) ....... I always thought Nogales was in Mexico but being in the UK and naff at geography and Nogales sounding decidedly mex, that`s not suprising

 

[altissimo]

http://www.saxophonepeople.com/what-is-a-conns-alto-sax-n69717-worth-74184.html

seems like some were made in Arizona and some in Mexico - since Nogales straddles the border, maybe Conn had two places in Nogales. Or moved south of the border in the early 70's..

 

[Ads]

Sounds like a plausable answer .. the other funny part was that it stated that the really bad ones were made in Texas . So it seems that it`s Texiconns which must be avoided ?

 

[DavidUK]

Another, may be Shreskami, as he has a few locations in London!: http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/c...lattransitional-horn/1033864543#photo-content