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copper director price range?

Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2018 9:53 pm
by willjones
I got a Conn copper Director in college for a song - and love it so much I got a second five or six years ago. Also for a good price. I'm trying to clean house - what's the going range on a horn like this in good (not excellent) shape?

-Will

Re: copper director price range?

Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2018 10:19 am
by ConnBone18
I have one in very good condition. I bought this from the first owner. I paid 300 euros for it.
Photos here:
https://www.facebook.com/luc.vanbouwel/ ... 873&type=3

Re: copper director price range?

Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2018 7:25 pm
by willjones
wow- It looks fantastic!

Re: copper director price range?

Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2018 11:43 am
by doctortrombone
They're all over the map on Ebay. Do a search for "copper trombone" and "sold listings" and a lot will show up. Parts horns for $40, fair original for $50, good original for $125, refurbished for $750 :o good original in the $250 to $350 range. It's hard to say why there's so much variation. When I've bought them in the past, restorable examples seldom topped $100.

Re: copper director price range?

Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2018 6:55 pm
by PaulT
Is there a difference in sound between a copper Director and the regular Director (brass alloy?) If so, how would it be described? Player noticeable? Audience noticeable?

(I have the 'standard' Director)

Re: copper director price range?

Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2018 8:28 pm
by BGuttman
Conn used to call this material "Coprion". It was used on a ,485 bore (12H), a .500 bore (10H), the 16H Director, and a few other models (I remember a 76H).

We have had discussions about Coprion bells. They were reputed to have a nice warm tone at low volumes and get really strident at louder volumes.

For beginners, there is no practical difference between Coprion, gold brass, or yellow brass (you probably sound just as bad on all of them). I like gold/rose brass myself and think a Coprion might be a good choice for me. But that's just me.

Note that Coprion was not used on Medium Bore and larger trombones. Probably because they did not have mandrels to electroform them.

Re: copper director price range?

Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2018 5:14 am
by afugate
BGuttman wrote: Sun Nov 04, 2018 8:28 pm Conn used to call this material "Coprion". It was used on a ,485 bore (12H), a .500 bore (10H), the 16H Director, and a few other models (I remember a 76H).

We have had discussions about Coprion bells. They were reputed to have a nice warm tone at low volumes and get really strident at louder volumes.

For beginners, there is no practical difference between Coprion, gold brass, or yellow brass (you probably sound just as bad on all of them). I like gold/rose brass myself and think a Coprion might be a good choice for me. But that's just me.

Note that Coprion was not used on Medium Bore and larger trombones. Probably because they did not have mandrels to electroform them.
I had a coprion bell director for a short time. For me, yes, it was warm at low volumes and could turn into a laser beam at high volumes. I wouldn't recommend it for a beginner. But only because the bell was so easily damaged. I wish I had kept the horn. It was fun to play.

--Andy in OKC

Re: copper director price range?

Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2019 3:37 pm
by ToneBone
To WillJones, I've no desire to hijack your thread, but as it's on the same trombone, I don't want to start another thread for the sake of it.

An opportunity has come up to buy a copper Director for €250 in what the seller describes as 'perfect condition'. There is the added advantage of being able to offer the asking price, with a caveat of it being 'subject to inspection', with no obligation to buy it if it's not as described, or it doesn't play well etc. It comes with a Kosikup 1 1/2 mouthpiece, but I don't know if that's good bad or indifferent.

This would be my first trombone, so, Afugate, I take all your comments on board, with regard to easily damaging it, but more so, your description of its sound characteristics and that it was fun to play.

My interest is in jazz, and as a beginner, my intention was to get a pBone, to start with, as an inexpensive bit of fun, and see how I get on. The Conn would be double that cost, but it's bound to be a better instrument, and also relatively inexpensive. I'll be learning from YouTube and various resources for at least a couple of months, and then if I'm making progress, hopefully proper lessons after that.

What years were they made, and where can I find the serial number? Does the serial number include the date in some form? Anything else I need to know about them?

All advice would be appreciated.

Re: copper director price range?

Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2019 3:58 pm
by BGuttman
The serial number is usually on the slide. There were several different numbering systems, one of which will actually give you the date. A Conn from the Abilene TX years (about 1972 to 1985) may not have an intelligible serial number (one I had didn't).

The serial number will usually have the model number followed by (usually) 6 characters; the first of which could be a letter. Another system will have two letters followed by 6 digits. This one actually translates to the date (I don't remember the exact formula).

Coprion Directors (the bell material was called Coprion by Conn) date from the mid 1960s to the 1980s (at least). There were two model numbers: 14H and 18H.

The Kosicup mouthpiece is not considered premium, but may serve for a while as you learn. Once you begin lessons your teacher may have good guidance on what to replace it with.

In evaluating the instrument, look at the stockings (wider part of the inner slide) for wear (some is OK; bubbles in the chrome anywhere is not OK). Make sure the slide goes smoothly and doesn't "hitch" anywhere along its travel. Make sure any dents in the tuning slide bow or handslide bow aren't more than 1/4 the diameter of the tubing.

Good luck.

Re: copper director price range?

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 6:12 am
by ToneBone
Thanks, Bruce.

A couple of sites I found list serial numbers for all Conn trombones. The mouthpiece I can take or leave. If it's comfortable to play with and sounds good, fair enough, but I was intending getting a medium sized Faxx or similar, as a proper replacement for the plastic mouthpiece on the pBone, as a minimum.

On the proviso it's in as good condition as described, I feel far more comfortable paying €250 for a quality instrument of good heritage that's stood the test of time, rather than the same for a new Chinese one of unknown quality, which can be a toss-up.