Conn Director

[John]

hello.

I recently bought a conn director trombone model 18h and I'm a little confused because the slide dates from 1952 - 53 (according to serial number)but the slide is 0.500 bore and the bell is 8'' and it's yellow brass and it says director and then c.g Conn ltd usa

but according to the sources an 18h director of this era must have a 7 1/2'' coprion bell and a 0.484 bore

this is the source: https://cderksen.home.xs4all.nl/Conn18H1958image.html

Can you help me please?

Thank you

[Dennis]

Conn serial numbers got messed up in the move to Abilene, and the bell being marked "CG Conn, Ltd, USA" smacks of an Abilene horn. I had a friend who played a Conn 8D (horn) in a quintet we played in. It was an Abilene horn, but by serial number it appeared to be a very early production Elkhart 8D. It's also possible (but I'm not sure how probable) that you have an Elkhart slide and an Abilene bell.

Also, Conn trombone model numbers are a mess. Early in the XX Century, the numbers had some meaning: a 4H had a #4 (0.485 inch, I think) bore, a 24H was a 4H with a ballroom bell (set back slightly to facilitate mute changes), an 8H had a #8 bore (0.547 inch), etc. Later on, I think they just pulled numbers out of a hat. I think there are three different 18H models. The first was a pre-war instrument, then Coprion belled Director of the 1950s, and a different Director in the Abilene era.

Noah Gladstone is one of our resident Conn experts, maybe he can clarify things.

[hyperbolica]

Sounds like you may have a mismatched slide. Is the 18h stamp on the slide or bell?

[John]

I think is a Conn 18H director trombone from the mid 80's - the early 90s with a weird serial number

serial number: 415187

[John]

I want to know where it was made and when.

If you can tell me it would help me a lot.

[ricksvintage]

I have a Conn Director
18H serial # 513067 and I cannot accurately guess the date, any input is appreciated

[ricksvintage]

Mine also has the serial # on the slide which dates it to 1955-56,Bell and Engraving looks more modern,1980's maybe ? , Yellow brass,Not Coprion 7.5" bell, 8 " Bell, anyhow, nice sounding horn! I was Hoping for a Coprion Bell, but the 1955 Slide is to Die for! SOOOOO smooth, after a little massaging, cleaning and ultra light lubing, the horn is dark and warm at lower volumes, slide is effortless, yet has pretty nice projection and snarl when you give it some air
So, maybe an old Killer slide mated with a newer Bell ? Looks like there was some work done, a lot, but clean, I'm a guitar guy for 50 years, , we do this ALL the time lol, swapping parts, upgrading, resoldering, etc...If the end result is Better, More Musical Tone,and Inspiring, I agree. These Instruments are Tools, Use them. Thanks for letting me be involved in Trombone Chat

[OneTon]

Also, Conn trombone model numbers are a mess. Early in the XX Century, the numbers had some meaning: a 4H had a #4 (0.485 inch, I think) bore, a 24H was a 4H with a ballroom bell (set back slightly to facilitate mute changes), an 8H had a #8 bore (0.547 inch), etc.

cderkson shows a 4h with a 2 1/2 (0.485) bore and an 8h with a 4 1/2 (0.547) bore. I am not sure anyone has succeeded in figuring out how the fractional description maps to the decimal description. Conn catalogs are probably the source. Some model descriptions have loose correlation between other model numbers. 2h, 4h, 6H, 7h, and 8h models can be found with linearly ascending bore sizes. A 78h is medium bore and 88h is large bore. The more models that get thrown in the pot the more confusing it gets. Conn also recycled model numbers and mis-marked horns. Serial number SNAFU’s were common as well.

Occasionally an 18h would get a coprion bell but there isn’t an obvious distinguishing model number for it. Kids beat and bashed them. Fewer survive than the yellow bells.

Tubing sizes have a tolerance variation. People think that dial calipers or the rod tools used to take dents out of slides provide accurate measurements. It is surprising that we can figure it out to the extent we have.

[BGuttman]

Conn bore sizes explained:

https://cderksen.home.xs4all.nl/ConnBoreSizes.html