We're very excited to start listing some treasures from my good friend and trumpet buddy Brad Goode's collection! If you don't know Brad was the one that inspired me decades ago to start collecting vintage trumpets and I am thankful for his incredible knowledge and advice throughout these past 30 or so years. There's some incredible players in this collection, some VERY rare instruments, and some of his workhorses. Now that he's working with XO Brass on a fantastic modern instrument he's decided to find homes for some of these treasures.
Here's another horn from Brad's collection the famous Conn 56B (what Pops played most likely on the hot 5-7's recordings) before he switched briefly to a Martin Handcraft Troubadour and then the Selmer Balanced models he favored the rest of his career.
This one is in fair condition overall. You can see it's missing the cap for the quick change rotor (the rotor works well actually) and has some obvious wear points on the horn overall.
The horn would most probably benefit greatly from a valve rebuild but the horn does play decently with a thicker oil like Berp Bio #3.
What the fabulous "conn Loyalist" page says about the 56B
Notice the position of the third slide ring. Perhaps not obvious from the picture, but the third slide ring is actually a mechanism which when pulled automatically extends the third slide. Also note that the position of the third valve slide and the tuning slide on the third valve casing are reversed from the usual/modern way. There is also a rotary knob near the first valve which changes the tuning from Bb to A. The 56B New Era had a #1 bore (0.438") and was built from 1928 to 1932.
This picture: Louis Armstrong with 56B proves that Louis Armstrong at one point (early, by the looks of the picture) in his carreer played a Conn 56B New Era. Apparently he later switched to a Selmer Balanced.
What Conn said:
In harmony with the modern vogue for smarter lines, greater beauty, lighter weight and higher efficiency, Conn has manufactured the New Era trumpet. Besides the features of general appearance, the New Era possesses greater brilliancy of tone, velocity of performance, facility of control and ease of blowing which are equalled by few trumpets and surpassed by none.
Although built with the same bore, same taper and of the same gauge and quality brass as the famous New York Symphony trumpet, 22B, the New Era possesses a scintilating brilliancy and carries power never achieved in any of our trumpets.
The 56B and 58B models are alike as to general construction, except that the 56B has a rotary change to A and automatic third valve adjusting mechanism, while the 58B has plain A slides and the adjusting third valve mechanism is climinated - perfect balance on both models.
The New Era is fully one inch longer and one inch narrower than the older trumpets. Both features lend grace and charm to its appearance. The valves are of new and fool proof design. The New Era is unquestionably the instrument for the modern trumpet player.
If you have additional questions, please send us an email!
Prior to ordering please check our Shipping and Returns policy.
Also note weight indicated in the ad is shipping weight not actual weight of the items.
