From 1922 to 1950 Conn manufactured alto and c-melody saxophones with a unique tuning device on the neck known as the "Conn Microtuner." Conn's first factory was destroyed by fire 29 January 1883 (his thirty-ninth birthday), and he erected a new building on the same site. C.G. Conn 'Double-Bell Wonder' disc phonograph of 1898, Straube factory in 1922, courtesy of the Indiana Historical Society, Straube player pianos in 1922, courtesy of the Indiana Historical Society, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=C.G._Conn&oldid=991258120, Companies based in Elkhart County, Indiana, Musical instrument manufacturing companies of the United States, Articles using NRISref without a reference number, Wikipedia articles in need of updating from October 2020, All Wikipedia articles in need of updating, Articles needing additional references from January 2013, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2019, Articles needing additional references from July 2017, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, dissolved and name relegated to Brand status after multiple ownership changes and structures, 2003, McMakin, Dean "Musical Instrument Manufacturing in Elkhart, Indiana" (unpublished typescript, 1987, available at Elkhart Public Library), Elkhart city directories (available at Elkhart Public Library), This page was last edited on 29 November 2020, at 03:39. His home at Elkhart, the Charles Gerard Conn Mansion, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.[1]. In 1960, Conn acquired the Best Manufacturing Company of Nogales, Arizona, and moved most saxophone production there, although the “artist” models continued to be produced in Elkhart. [citation needed] Conn introduced the modernized 7M alto saxophone; it soon acquired the same reputation for poor quality as the other "MexiConns," sold poorly, and was discontinued. At sax.co.uk we offer a huge range of saxophones in diverse finishes that are suitable for beginners and professional saxophone players. Conn's second factory burned on 22 May 1910, a loss estimated between $100,000 and $500,000. Colonel Conn also had a love affair with publishing. Conn phased out the Worcester operation (production was ceased in 1898), and Conn established a store in New York City (1897â1902) that sold a large variety of merchandise under the 'Wonder' label, including Conn-made woodwind, brass and percussion instruments, violins, mandolins and portable reed organs. Around 1920 Conn introduced rolled tone hole rims, a feature that enhanced the seal of the pads and extended pad life. By 1969, C. G. Conn, Ltd. was facing insolvency. In 1884 Conn organized the 1st Regiment of Artillery in the Indiana Legion and became its first Colonel, a military title which stayed with him throughout the remainder of his life. it comes with the original case and Bach mouthpiece. In 1970 Conn also started the Conn Guitar Division, operating out of Oak Brook, Illinois, contracting the manufacture of a new line of acoustic guitars to Tokai Gakki in Japan. After that acquisition the Keilwerth instruments were also sold as "Conn DJH Modified" models. Conn's term in the House was one that provided help for Civil War veterans seeking assistance. In 1959 Conn built a new organ factory in Madison, Indiana. The market for student instruments was becoming increasingly competitive, with newcomers from Japan offering products more efficiently produced, with higher quality standards, and more tailored to students' needs. We keep in stock a large selection of brass & woodwind instruments. Lefebre started teaching saxophone at the Conservatory, which provided a boost to the availability of saxophone instruction and the following growth of saxophone sales into the twentieth century. Between 1920 and 1947, all professional-grade saxophones manufactured by C.G. The company introduced a student line of oboes and bassoons under the Artley brand in 1983. Jake Neuman (New Berlin, Ill.) and Robby Spino (Wallingford, Conn.) will each make their Winter Dirt Games USAC Midget debuts in a pair of Jim Neuman owned machinery. From mid-1942 to 1945, Conn ceased all production of musical instruments for civilian use to manufacture flat & mounted compasses, altimeters, gyro-horizon indicators, and other military instrumentation. post. CONN Wonder Improved - Elkhart IND & Worcester MASS Wonder Improved - Elkhart IND & New York Wonder Improved & Wonder Perfected - Elkhart IND New Invention New Wonder -series I New Wonder - Virtuoso Deluxe New Wonder - Chu Berry Conn started production of the first American-made saxophone in 1888, after being shown an Adolphe Sax saxophone by his employee Ferdinand August Buescher and agreeing to produce a copy of it. He founded the Conn Conservatory to train the brass instrument teachers who would be a vital component in the growth of the musical instrument industry. Whether you are a regular or just stopping in, Hair of the Dog will make you feel right at home. Les Arbuckle of Saxoasis.com) report that the microtuner necks lend a different sound quality from those without one. Carl Greenleaf retired in 1949 but remained a member of the board of directors until his death in 1959. The growing popularity of portable electronic keyboards was cutting into Conn's niche of home organs and pianos. The late 1960s saw trends in the keyboard, wind, and stringed instrument markets that were seriously undermining Conn's position. In 1969 C.G. Conn 71H Bass Trombone Vintage Elkhart Era 1970 Amazing Player. He founded a newspaper, the Elkhart Daily Truth, on 15 October 1889. Conn's partnership with Dupont was dissolved by March 1879, but he was successful in attracting skilled craftsmen from Europe to his factory, and in this manner he expanded his operation so that by 1905, Conn had the world's largest musical instrument factory producing a full line of wind instruments, strings, percussion, and a portable organ. Previous Severinsen trumpets were produced by. [3] The loss in sales from those disruptions and increased competition from other manufacturers such as Selmer (Paris) and King (H. N. White) caused a serious decline in Conn's status as a major band instrument manufacturer. The benefits of the microtuner to intonation have been shown to be more theoretical than practical, with the drawbacks that the internal mechanism requires extra cleaning and maintenance and is a potential source of leaks. It also developed the "Vocabell" (1932), a bell with no rim, which Conn described as "vibrat[ing] freely and in sympathy with the vibrating column of air in the instrument,"[4] Conn also developed the "Coprion" bell (1934), a seamless copper bell formed by directly electroplating it onto a mandrel. The concept of the Axos range is to provide a professional-level instrument that carries the same acoustic properties as other Selmer models, but at a more affordable price.… Since the 1950s, all new saxophones use the traditional tuning method of pulling out or pushing in the mouthpiece on the cork until the pitch is correct. In 1892 he was elected to the United States Congress as Representative of the 13th District of Indiana. Conn saxophones had ceased to be competitive in the professional market during the 1950s due to outdated designs and declining quality. GJ-720647 $ The new company was incorporated with public stock offerings under the name C.G. CyberSax Tech Topics . Priorities changed under Gazlay, with the high quality wind instruments on which the company had built its reputation becoming an increasingly marginal interest. Brick-red 'Wonder' records were also pressed for the 'Double-Bell Wonder' talking machine by the Scranton Button Works from pirated Berliner masters. The Saxophone is a unique member of the woodwind family normally made with brass. In 1887 Conn purchased Isaac Fiske's brass instrument manufactory (upon Fiske's retirement) in Worcester, Massachusetts. It bought the production facilities owned by Charles Gerard Conn, a major figure in early manufacture of brasswinds and saxophones in the USA. His collaboration with educators such as Joseph E. Maddy and T.P. Carl Greenleaf was president of Conn from 1915 to 1949. Though designed to fix into key-cups purely via friction, most saxophone repairers glue them in place using shellac or hot melt adhesive. He spent virtually the remainder of his life there and only returned to Elkhart once in 1926 to visit his sister. Conn met Greenleaf during his years in Washington, D.C., and invested in some grain mills in Ohio which Greenleaf owned. After the war, Conn returned to Elkhart and established a grocery and baking business. [10][11] Conn Res-O-Pads have an internal metal reinforcing ring which is hidden under the leather covering around the circumference of the pad. Years of experience in all areas of the music business give Prozone Music’s team the knowledge to guide you in the right direction when choosing your instrument or accessory. Conn divested itself of Leedy and Ludwig in 1955, Carl Fischer retail in 1959, and New Berlin Instrument in 1961. Conn then announced his intentions to build a third factory on the corner of East Beardsley and Conn Avenues. When starting again, I looked for a more open trumpet with a high bore size. In 1904 he constructed a powerhouse and provided electrical service as a competitor to the Indiana and Michigan Electric Company. In his published apology, Conn attributed his aberrant behavior on an addiction to tobacco. Founding and growth of Conn's musical instrument business, Carl D. Greenleaf and C.G. With the outbreak of the American Civil War he enlisted in the army on 18 May 1861 at the age of seventeen, despite his parents' protests. Two years later he was re-nominated, but declined the nomination unless the party permitted him to make the canvass on a "reformed" platform. We also stock a large range of accessories for brass & woodwind instruments such as mouthpieces, mutes & reeds. Its early business was based primarily on brass instruments, which were manufactured in Elkhart… At its height, the operation included a chain of over 30 music stores. By 1958, over half of Conn's sales revenue was from their electric organs. This site uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. (Y or N) If neither: 23. The business also distributed American-made and imported guitars, banjos and zithers. For over 250 years, the legendary brands from Conn-Selmer have shaped the musical landscape. If not, was he at work on, or assigned to, public Emergency Work (WPA, NYA, CCC, etc.) Conn, Ltd., 1915-1949, The Paul Gazlay - Lee Greenleaf era, 1949-1969. In spite of two imaginative and valiant attempts to escape, he was recaptured and spent the remainder of the war in captivity. It is also known simply as a "horn." In January 1876, Conn joined with Dupont under the name of Conn & Dupont, and Dupont created Conn's first instrument, the Four-in-One cornet, with crooks allowing the horn to be played in the keys of Eâ, C, Bâ, and A. Conn survived as a brand of musical instruments manufactured by Conn-Selmer, retaining several instruments for which it was known: the Conn 8D horn, 88H trombone, 62H bass trombone, 52BSP trumpet and the 1FR flugelhorn. In 1928 Conn opened its Experimental Laboratory, which was unique in the industry, under the direction of C.D. Hair of the Dog is South Baltimore’s neighborhood sports bar - our fantastic food and daily drink specials make Hair of the Dog a must-visit in South Baltimore. In 1960, Conn acquired the Art Best Manufacturing Company (Coin Art) facility that manufactured saxophones in Nogales, Arizona. At the age of nineteen on 8 August 1863 he was elevated to the rank of Captain. Construction began 15 August 1910, and by the following 12 December it was fully operational. They divorced, and Mrs. Conn was allowed to retain a house in Elkhart in which she lived until her death in 1924. Conn was divested of its Elkhart production facilities in 1970, leaving remaining production in satellite facilities and contractor sources. "Proper Care of Your Conn Instrument": Original 1958 Conn brochure The complete text of an original brochure Conn included with its instruments. The company has undergone several changes in ownership, and … Rim impressions from Res-o-Pads are minimal and unlike standard pads they cannot be "floated" in. In 1908 he ran for Governor of Indiana and lost; in 1910 he ran for Senator. 2002 – Ludwig is merged with CG Conn and Selmer; 2008 – William F. Ludwig II (aka Jr.) passes; 2009 – Ludwig celebrates 100 years of business with new products, catalogs, collector’s editions. The post-Elkhart years He was re-elected in 1882 but did not finish the term. From 1935 through 1943, Conn produced the 26M and 30M "Connqueror" alto and tenor saxophones, featuring screw-adjustable keywork and improved mechanisms for the left hand cluster. He also published a scandal sheet called The Gossip which, along with the town doings, he used occasionally to attack his competitors and enemies. The 6M alto featured an innovative double socket neck that eliminated the large collar on the body tube at the neck joint for a more positive seal and even response, later adopted for King altos and tenors. The Janssen Piano assets were merged with Conn's organ division to form Conn Keyboards in 1964. In 1928 he founded a Conn National School of Music which trained hundreds of school band directors, and this in turn helped spur the development of music programs in schools and communities across the United States. After he showed his friends his idea, he realized that there was tremendous demand for his invention. This is thanks to their innovative use of bronze which offers classical musicians, in particular, a wonderfully warm sound, dynamic range and excellent response. The feature was devised to allow the saxophone to be tuned while maintaining optimal volume in the chamber of the mouthpiece, thus avoiding disturbance to intonation. His estate didn't have enough money in it to afford a grave marker, and a hat was passed around the horn factory to collect enough money to buy one. By 1920 Conn was producing a complete line of saxophones. [9] In 2000 UMI was purchased by Steinway Musical Instruments, and in January 2003 Steinway merged the UMI assets with their subsidiary The Selmer Company to create the Conn-Selmer division. The device adjusts the length of the neck, controlled by a threaded barrel near the mouthpiece end. [13] To lower the pitch, the barrel was rotated to the left. All in all, this horn is in AMAZING physical condition. Conn's upper lip was severely lacerated, and it pained him so to play his cornet that he thought his playing days were over. First to go were the failing electric guitar venture, which was discontinued, and Conn Keyboards, sold to Kimball. They later developed the "Connstellation" model wind instruments to revitalize those product lines (28M alto saxophone with help from Santy Runyon, 1948, and brass instruments, mid-1950s). Today’s Highlight in History. In 1980 the company was sold to Daniel Henkin (b. Sometime later he disposed of the paper. Conn's company was a source of competitors as well as instruments. (see History of Conn Guitars). The Swedish investment firm SkÃ¥ne Gripen bought Henkin's companies in 1985. C.G. I played trumpet intensively 20 years ago and lately decided to play again. Ten days before the general election in 1888, Conn was drafted as an emergency candidate for the Indiana House of Representatives by the Democrats, and won the election. His career grew far beyond the confines of horn making. Production of Artley flutes was moved to the W. T. Armstrong facility in Elkhart and reed instrument production was moved back from Nogales, Mexico to Nogales, Arizona. Conn-Selmer, Inc. warrants that this instrument is free from defects in manufacturing, material and workmanship for one years. For example, Bonnie Turner, SHRM-SCP, director of HR at Elkhart Plastics Inc. in South Bend, Ind., recalls one case involving a female employee who alleged a male co … . Notable employees who left the firm to pursue their own businesses were composer W. Paris Chambers, the founder of the Seidel Band Instrument Company William F. Seidel, the founder of the Buescher Band Instrument Company Ferdinand A. Buescher, the founder of the F.E. Our brands have provided instruments played by the most exceptional musicians from around the world. Reed, Charles Vandeveer. Henkin moved the corporate offices back to Elkhart and moved to re-focus the company on wind instruments. He was honorably discharged on 28 July 1865. Brasswind manufacturing moved to Abilene Texas and woodwind production was moved from Nogales, Arizona to Nogales, Mexico. During the 1950s the bulk of its sales revenue shifted to electric organs. Both students and professionals often use double French horns. Repairs are carried out on the premises & are normally completed within a week. A "Transitional" Conn New Wonder 'Series II' tenor saxophone made in 1934, Conn 6M "Lady Face"[14] (dated 1935) in its original case, Left side view of Conn 6M "Lady Face" alto saxophone showing distinctive underslung octave key, Right side view of Conn 6M "Lady Face" alto saxophone, Close-up view of neck with underslung octave key mechanism (no microtuner) on a Conn 6M "Lady Face" alto saxophone, Detail of Conn 6M alto saxophone (dated 1935) showing distinctive pre-1947 rolled saxophone tone holes. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. Some repair technicians who have play-tested large numbers of Conn altos (cf. He published the monthly Trumpet Notes which he circulated amongst his employees and dealers. The turning point to Conn's financial affairs and public life took place in April 1911 when he and his wife executed a trust deed for $200,000 covering all their possessions for the purposes of bonding the Conn indebtedness and securing working capital, the longest bond to mature in ten years. 's son Leland Burleigh Greenleaf (Wauseon, Ohio, 12 August 1904 â Leland, Michigan, 29 March 1978). Conn-Selmer remains America's leading manufacturer and distributor of musical instruments for student, amateur, and professionals use. Giddings helped introduce band music into public schools. Conn's marketing included not only sales of instruments but promotion of brass bands. The Musical Courier picked up on the legal problems and reported about how Conn was knowingly making false statements about Pepper. “In our 16th year of recognizing the Top 100, things are certainly different, but one thing remains the same, the dealers on the Top 100 list just keep getting better,” said Top 100 program director Adam Quandt. ... generally start learning on single French horns with the standard mouthpiece and stay on this horn for one to two years. The company was sold in 1980 and then again in 1985, reorganized under the parent corporation United Musical Instruments (UMI) in 1986. Once a very wealthy and influential man, he died almost penniless. He needed a rim with a groove which the rubber cement would adhere to more easily. Conn partnered with Albert T. Armstrong, Joseph Jones, and Emory Foster to manufacture a twin-horn disc phonograph called the 'Double-Bell Wonder' that was produced in two iterations briefly in early 1898 before a lawsuit by the Berliner Gramophone Company caused production to cease. Henkin hired Tonight Show trumpeter and bandleader Doc Severinsen as Vice President of Product Development, and introduced the Conn Severinsen[7] trumpet and Henkin student clarinet. Conn purchased the drum manufacturer Ludwig and Ludwig, the instrument import/retail operation of the Carl Fischer company, and accordion manufacturer Soprani in 1929. Reed, Charles Vandeveer, "A History of Band Instrument Manufacturing in Elkhart, Indiana," unpublished MS Thesis, Butler University, 1953, 90p. In 1898, upon the suggestion of Sousa, Conn developed the first commercially successful bell-up sousaphone ("the rain-catcher"). ... Over the last several years Doug Bert and the Brass Exchange have provided an indispensable service to my teaching studio. A straight-necked Conn C-melody saxophone (New Wonder Series 2 dating from circa 1926) played by Nathan Haines, A Conn 'Pan American' alto saxophone, manufactured circa 1948. The keywork was the most fully adjustable of any saxophone during that period. He was also the first commander of the Elkhart Commandery of the Knights Templar. Follow us on social media: FAQs. The paper still exists as The Elkhart Truth. Conn had rolled toneholes. To diversify their product line, Conn acquired as subsidiaries the New Berlin Instrument Company (1954) of New Berlin, New York which produced clarinets, oboes and bassoons for Conn, the Artley Company (1959), a manufacturer of flutes and clarinets, the Janssen Piano Company (1964), and the Scherl & Roth Company (1964), a manufacturer of stringed instruments. Conn's money problems stemmed partly from failed ventures like his entry into the utilities business, the building of his third factory, and its loss to fire, and his loss of a costly lawsuit filed against him by a former company manager.
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