Tell me all you know about the Conn 35H

[SwissTbone]

I have a Conn alto 35H that was rarely played...

This one is special as it has TIS. What else do I need to know about this horn? It is in beautiful condition and merits to be played...

Are they discontinued? Any ideas on the value?

[harrisonreed]

Not made. Very similar to the 36 or 34H, minus the TIS.

https://cderksen.home.xs4all.nl/Conn35H1966image.html

[timbone]

I have one from '66. Its a beautiful instrument in its red brass outfit. It is one of 8 TIS horns I own. When I saw the little black case I GOT REAL EXCITED because it was exactly the same as my '59 8H case only smaller. Bought it home to the family and bought the Bennie Sluchin book and went to work. One of the things on mine is you really have to learn the positions as they are their own beast. I found that out while playing a Courtois alto how well their positions line up compared to the Conn but oh well. Shires TIS guys can eat their heart out!

[CalgaryTbone]

I had a 35H. It was a beautiful-sounding horn, and on some level, I regret selling it. The problem with the horn was that it was tough to play in tune. The bell came further down the slide, so that it was closer to 4th position than 3rd. Also, the harmonic series had some significant quirks as well. The newer Conns (34 & 36H) share a lot of design elements with the old 35H, but when Lindberg got Conn to start making altos again they decided to make the horns more "proportionate" to a tenor trombone, and they decided to do traditional bell tuning. I played a 34H for some years, and liked that quite a bit, although I missed a certain special quality in the sound of the 35H. For quite a while now, I've been playing an Edwards that I found at an ITF at their display. I tried every alto there, and that was the best playing horn there (including blowing away the other Edwards that were there). It was the best combination of sound and "user-friendliness" for me.

As on orchestral musician, I may not need to play alto for a couple of months at a time, and then may sometimes have something come up that needs it on short notice. The quirky tuning problems on the 35H could be worked out, but they added extra preparation work for everything I played on it, and an extra level of stress. 7th position was also "iffy" on the 35H. but Conn fixed that as well on the newer models.

I loved my old 35H, and would consider owning one again for occasions where I could have lots of prep time to get comfortable with the tuning. Others might find that to be an easier adjustment, bit that was the deal breaker for me.

Jim Scott

ps - Mine was in yellow brass, but I did see one in red brass (it was a prototype that the owner bought at the factory).

[SwissTbone]

Mine is in yellow brass too.

I don't seem to have those Tuning "issues" you mention on this Conn. And yes, the Sound is Special.

[westcoastbone]

I also have a Conn 35H in yellow brass(1967 Elkhart) . When I first got it, I experienced all the tuning issues that Calgary Tbone describes. I found it easy enough to get around the bell being in the "wrong" place, but having the harmonics not line up properly was a real show stopper. I was using the Conn 3 mouthpiece it came with at first, then switched to a Wick 9BS which provided similar horrid tuning. Then a colleague suggested trying a Bach 12C. Eureka! The harmonics now lined up in the expected places consistently. The only significant reason I can see for the difference is that the 12C has a much narrower throat than the other mouthpieces I had been using. I have not experimented further with mouthpieces, but Bach lists a 12E and a 15E for use with alto trombones. If anyone has tried either of these with a Conn 35H, I would be interested in hearing about their experience.
I find it to be a great orchestral alto as it has a somewhat larger bore than some of the European Altos making it easy to put a lot of air through it without having the sound break up. I have used it on Schumann symphonies, Brahms symphonies, and even on Berlioz Symphonie Fantastiqe.(works great for the March to the Scaffold!)
As a further note, the former principal trombonist of the Vancouver Symphony also played a Conn 35H for many years. He too found the Bach 12C was the only mouthpiece which gave him satisfactory results. ( he did switch to a Yamaha alto later in his career though)
So, if you decide to get another 35H, give a 12C a try. You might like it.

[dukesboneman]

When I got my 1st Alto in the `80`s (Grad school) I tried a Bach 12E. It was easy to play but it was sooooo bright sounding.

[hyperbolica]

For my brief stint into alto, I used a CL15. I really think the alto-that-sounds-like-a-tenor syndrome is from using equipment that's too big. The 15 really gave it that distinctive alto sound. Never played a 35h, but it sounds like it's my kind of thing. Is there a modern equivalent?

[paulyg]

I use a Schmidt Bambula AP 2 on my alto. Great match for the German alto design- basically eliminated the tuning problems I'd had with American mouthpieces of any size.

[harrisonreed]

The intonation problems no longer happen on my 36H after I did two things:

1: I chopped the tuning legs quite a bit to put Db right at the bell. Now I can play long on the slide, just like all my other trombones, with the tuning slide pushed all the way in, or nearly all the way in. I think reducing the total length of cylindrical section in the bell helps with the partials lining up.

2: The Doug Elliott XT B cup, with the standard Alto shank (not alto S) got the sound right and further solved the intonation quirks. I did have an alto S shank that works brilliantly on Shires altos, but wasn't a good fit with my conn, intonation wise. I may have messed up the leadpipe on mine over the years, so a normal shank now works better. I don't know

[Thrawn22]

So i just git a 35H yesterday frim the help of Noah Gladstone. So never owning an alto bone before i know i need to sit with it to get used to playing it right.

Firstly, it seems impossible to get the E in 7th in tune the A plays great but i have to lip down to get the E anywhere near A440. I'm using a Mt. Vernon 9 on it and it seems to play well with the other postions sitting well harmonically. I'd hate to have to switch to a 12C but it seems like that yields better results for some of you.

Secondly, i was wondering if the standard moc taper Bach mouthpieces have is a tad larger than the leadpipe reciever allows for. Am i correct in thus observation?

The 35H certainly has a nice sound when i play it delicately and not like a jazz tenor. This must be what trumpet players go thru when they play piccolo trumpet for the first time.

[harrisonreed]

The new Conn altos have a slightly narrower leadpipe receiver. Check out Doug Elliott's "Alto S" shank, or the 15CL. Maybe the 35H is the same.

The 35H certainly has a nice sound when i play it delicately and not like a jazz tenor. This must be what trumpet players go thru when they play piccolo trumpet for the first time.

You need to just reduce the volume of your mouth. Bring the jaw up a bit, and the tongue more forward.

[CalgaryTbone]

The CL15 is not that small a mouthpiece, by the way. Check out the specs on Hickey's site (they have a mouthpiece comparison chart). The cup is relatively shallow, but not as shallow as Bach E cups, and none of the Lindberg rims are as small as a Bach 12. The numbers don't correspond to Bach numbers at all.

The 35H receiver did seem to want a slightly smaller width of shank than the standard Bach - not sure if it's the same as the newer Conns or not (likely is the same), but mine played better with a custom shank from Doug Elliott and also with a Greg Black mouthpiece where Greg turned down the shank for me. I've found that a few mouthpiece makers have backbones that are designed for alto, and all of those have played better for me in any alto I've owned. Also, while rim size may be an issue for some, I've generally found that the cup, throat, backbore part of the mouthpiece has always been what affected the sound and pitch the most. That's why so many players like Alessi and Nova are able to play alto so well on quite large rims. Some others may feel better with a rim to match the smaller dimensions inside the mouthpiece.

Jim Scott

[harrisonreed]

The 15CL shank is a narrower taper though. It goes further into the receiver than a standard small shank. It also has alto friendly bore dimensions, despite the wide-ish cup. The 10CL goes in even further but the bore dimensions are not right for most alto playing.

I play alto on a 1.06" width rim. It's all about the cup and bore dimensions with alto.

[Thrawn22]

Thanks harrison and calgalry. What you guys have said is certainly something to consider. I'll have to size up my options and save up some moola for an alto appropriate mouthpiece. I have a retired symphony buddy that has a 36H who's been helpful as well.

In the meantime I'm incorporating alto into my daily routine so it becomes second nature. It certainly is a different animal.