Conn 44H Vocabell

[greenbean]

I picked one up but don't know much about these - or many of the other older Conns... This one appears to be in excellent overall shape.

What is the current thinking on these? Desirability? Value range?

Thanks.

[hyperbolica]

Some people like them, some don't. I personally have never played one, and I'm not really interested, but I have a friend who says he wants one. I see a lot of them for sale used, but I've never seen one at a gig. Depending on condition, of course, $500-750 ish.

[walldaja]

Those angled braces look pretty cool. There are some nice ones out there. Do they all have the rimless bell? If so, you need yellow tape on the floor to keep guitar players and drummers away.

[BGuttman]

The 44H was a rimless bell. There was also a trumpet version of the Vocabell. Some call it "razor bell", but the edge isn't really sharp.

I played one once and thought it was a nice horn. Didn't seem to blend well in a Concert Band (who owned it) so I didn't bother playing it much.

The trombone player in the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra used one. But as a solo trombone and in a period style, blending with modern instruments wasn't as much a problem.

[dxhall]

Some have pretty elaborate engraving, some are pretty plain. Is your silver?

[greenbean]

Some have pretty elaborate engraving, some are pretty plain. Is your silver?

Silver and heavily engraved. Nice looking horn!

[dxhall]

You should post a photo for us. What are your plans for it?

[imsevimse]

We have used the vocabell trombones in our Basie Band on first and second. They are .485 bore but play large. We have also used Conn 4h, 24h and Bach 6, all are .485. I do think the Vocabell was best as it was more open. Since we now also play music from Johnny Carson "The Tonight Show" band that requires more heavy playing we have turned to .500 bore horns for more dynamics. King 2b+ and Conn 6h. At the moment we like the Conn 6h's better. They can take more air and still sound open while the .485 horns gets to dominant in the brass when we push. Their sound then compete to much with the trumpets. The .500 horns give a fuller sound to the brass section and adds deeper colours to make a fatter brass sound. I have three 6h's from 30's, 50's and 90's. They are all different. We might end up on other horns eventually, but will probably not go back to the smaller horns although they were fun to play and had a good sound too especially the Vocabell. On this clip we are on Conn 6h. If you read this old thread you can see us on older videos where we play the Vocabell. https://www.trombonechat.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=6095



/Tom

[mfellows821]

Plain yellow lacquer in good shape about $300
Nicely engraved yellow lacquer about $600
Silver with gold and great engraving $1000

[greenbean]

...
Silver with gold and great engraving $1000

This describes mine and it is in great shape. If I were smart, I guess I would have my tech go through it and give it a proper cleaning. It has quite a bit of tarnish on it right now.

Dxhall, I was thinking it would look good next to your Burkle!...

Tom

[dxhall]

It would. I’m really enjoying the Burkle. I sometimes play the 30h for a few minutes, and then do the same stuff on my ‘41 24h. The 30h has a more complex, richer kind of tone. It’s fun to compare. How does the Vocabell compare to the Burkle?

[dxhall]

There’s a very nice Vocabell on eBay right now. Brass, fairly eloborate engraving, no dings or visible lacquer wear. Any bets on the final price?

[hyperbolica]

It has a reserve. I bet it doesn't meet the reserve. I'd guess the reserve is outrageous (because it's a nice horn) but the bidders won't meet it. I think the bidding will go over $500 but it won't sell.

[dxhall]

Reserve met at $500. I bet it hits $750.

[JohnL]

Reserve met at $500. I bet it hits $750.

It does look VERY nice.

Certain trombones aren't just musical instruments, they're also pieces of visual art. The 44H definitely crosses into that territory.

[dxhall]

Sold for $520. I would have expected a higher figure. I guess the demand for collector trombones isn't all that great. A very nice horn, though.