TromboneChat

Edit: corrected typo in year (1967, NOT 1976 as originally posted)

Hi Conn Fans

Is someone able to identify the manufacturing Year (or Years) of the 6H-Bell in the pictures?

It's offered as an Elkahrt 6h from 1967 (K-Serial Number od the slide matches that year). Buuut the bell engraving was different from expected (and from all 88/8H and 60h-engravings i saw from that period...)

Any helpful hints on this question?

https://cloud.felizibilidad.com/index.p ... 7ocRNBcoCY

Thanks you!

Edit: image upload didn't work for me. So I uncluded a link to our nextxloud where I stored the photograph

Try here:
https://cderksen.home.xs4all.nl/ConnTrombone.html

Putting the image here to save others the trouble of downloading:

I checked conn loyalist before asking but didn't find an answer.
Thanks a lot to dbwhitaker for pasting the picture!!

Julian wrote: Thu Mar 05, 2026 7:48 am Hi Conn Fans

Is someone able to identify the manufacturing Year (or Years) of the 6H-Bell in the pictures?

It's offered as an Elkahrt 6h from 1976 (K-Serial Number od the slide matches that year). Buuut the bell engraving was different from expected (and from all 88/8H and 60h-engravings i saw from that period...)

Any helpful hints on this question?

https://cloud.felizibilidad.com/index.p ... 7ocRNBcoCY

Thanks you!

Edit: image upload didn't work for me. So I uncluded a link to our nextxloud where I stored the photograph

Elkhart only goes to ~71 maybe 72, but 6h were made into the Abilene era. Serial # is best way to tell. That engraving could be an Elkhart. I'm not saying that it's not Abilene, but it could be Elkhart.

Julian wrote: Thu Mar 05, 2026 7:48 am Is someone able to identify the manufacturing Year (or Years) of the 6H-Bell in the pictures?

It's offered as an Elkahrt 6h from 1976 (K-Serial Number od the slide matches that year). Buuut the bell engraving was different from expected (and from all 88/8H and 60h-engravings i saw from that period...)

Conn "K" serial numbers are from 1967, not 1976. Still in Elkhart.

Ask for a picture of the Serial Number then look at this page which is slightly better than the Conn Loyalist page for this sort of thing:

https://www.horn-u-copia.net/serial/Connlist.shtml

I have the horn at home for testing. Serial is K3.... making it 1967 Elkhart, that's clear. (76 in OP was a typo, sorry for that!)

My doubt and question was whether the bell section is from another period and if someone could tell from the engraving

Thank you!

Hard to tell, since Conn serial numbers are just on the slide. They used that engraving on 6H's from the early 60's through until they left Elkhart. Then they had Artist in script sideways on the bell (etched from the direction of bell flare to cross brace). Earlier horns had the same half moon (art deco) logo that you see on pre-letter 88H's and many of the basses (70H's and early 72H's for instance). That engraving would fit with a K serial number, but would also fit with some earlier and later series.

Jim Scott

I own a vintage Conn 6H, with its original bell / slide.
The serial number on the slide is L458_ _ , which is one of the years when Conn put that slide on 6H's. The engraving on my horn's bell perfectly matches your photo, so you have two "correct" pieces for that horn.
You have the proper combination of parts for the trombone, but there is no way to guarantee that it is THE original combination, as that bell was also used on 6H slides from other years.
But, why does it matter ???

I have an early 70s Texas horn...has a different engraving altogether.

I believe this is 74. before they did the "artist" thing.

I never understood why 6hs didn't say "elkhart" like other models.

I think in 1974 they also changed the shape of some of the braces on the bell section - round instead of diamond shaped for the one near the bell locking nut.

https://www.thebrass-exchange.com/conte ... ntage-1973

https://www.thebrass-exchange.com/conte ... ntage-1974

My 1961 6H has the same, or very similar, engraving. Since I bought it used, I can't 100% say the bell and slide went together, but I have no reason to believe they don't.

Julian,

You have an authentic Conn 6H, made in Elkhart, Indiana in 1967. Bell engraving is identical to DBWhitaker's - and to my wonderful, pristine closet case 6H, SN K678xx (thanks greenbean!). This was the standard engraving at that time for these trombones. As noted, engraving changed later in Abilene. Your 1976 typo was a red herring.

Much ado about nothing.

Enjoy playing this excellent instrument.

Posaunus wrote: Thu Mar 05, 2026 4:58 pm Julian,

You have an authentic Conn 6H, made in Elkhart, Indiana in 1967. Bell engraving is identical to DBWhitaker's - and to my wonderful, pristine closet case 6H, SN K678xx (thanks greenbean!). This was the standard engraving at that time for these trombones. As noted, engraving changed later in Abilene. Your 1976 typo was a red herring.

Much ado about nothing.

Enjoy playing this excellent instrument.

The thing is that it's almost impossible to tell if Elkhart Conns' have the exact slide and bell that was sent from the factory. Before horns were modular, and when there were lots of fairly large music stores who had a good amount of best selling instruments in stock, people used to routinely swap bells/slides in the store to find the horn they liked best. It's likely that your horn was a "matched set". but it's also possible that one component is slightly newer that the other. No matter what, they are from the same era, when Conn's products were pretty consistent. Companies like Bach and Conn also used to routinely sell bells or slides separately, whether to replace something damaged badly, or in the case of large bores, people might buy a straight bell to pair with their slide from their trigger horn (or vice versa). My 2nd trombone colleague is "rocking" a great old 6H on tonight's Pops concert - great horns!

Jim Scott

There have been many players over the years who have collected a bunch of 6H’s, then swapped bells & slides to find a “magic” combination.