The Conn 48A has an artistic, Art Deco design concept. Every part of the horn incorporates Art Deco details, from the mouthpiece receiver to the rimless bell. The key difference between the 48a and most modern instruments is the tubing wrap; the third valve slide is on the right of the tuning slide rather than on the left. The design concept continues through the recessed water keys, faceted valve casings, bracing, and valves caps. The bell features more engraving than many horns, but it's the rimless edge that steals the show.
Is this not the coolest horn you've ever seen?
This one just came back to the shop and plays fine although it's a bit of an ugly duckling due to a great amount of lacquer wear. The valves have great compression. There are signs of previous repair on the bell rim. Own an Art-deco treasure for a great price!
Jump to 9:29 for a playing demo of a similar cornet:
All slides and valves move freely. The valves are bottom spring style valves. They feel amazing!
The horn has some small dings on the bell bow and pings on the valve slides as well.
Please note this older conn takes an older Conn shank for the cornet. There is a Conn 4 mouthpiece included with the instrument.
This Conn is a great player, and has excellent compression with thicker valve oil. This vintage, art-deco trumpet will not last long at this price, so check it out today, only at ACB!
From the Conn Loyalist site:
This is the cornet version of the 48B Connqueror Vocabell trumpet. The main difference between the 48A and 48B is the mouthpiece receiver. The 48A takes a cornet mouthpiece; a trumpet mouthpiece won't fit. Also, the mouthpiece receiver on the 48A doesn't come out as far as it does on the 48B; on the 48B is comes out beyond the bell crook, on the 48A it comes right to the bell crook. The 48A doesn't have a third slide finger ring, the 48B does.
The 48A had a #2 (0.467") bore, bottom spring valves and was produced from 1938 to 1951.
I have learned that the third slide without the finger ring to adjust the pitch of a low D and C# is slightly longer than it is on modern instruments. On modern instruments the low Eb is in tune, but the low D and C# are quite sharp. On these older cornets with the longer third slide and no finger ring the Eb is a bit flat and the D and C# are slightly sharp, but not as sharp as they are on later instruments. It was thought that the flat Eb and slightly sharp D and C# were within the abilities of the player to lip into tune.
As far as I can tell at this point, all Conn cornets built before 1958 take a short shank cornet mouthpiece as opposed to the 2¾" "Bach-style" long shank cornet mouthpiece. The long shank cornet mouthpieces won't properly fit a pre-1958 Conn cornet and won't give the proper intonation or playing characteristics of a short shank cornet mouthpiece. All of Conn's "Connstellation" cornet mouthpieces are long shank mouthpieces. The "Improved Precision" Conn mouthpieces such as the Conn 4 are long shank if there is a "ridge" halfway down the shank, and short shank if there is no ridge (in which case it is a "Precision" mouthpiece). All Conn cornet mouthpieces built before the "Improved Precision" series (ridge), such as the "Precision" series (no ridge) are short shank mouthpieces.
What Conn said in 1938:
New, shorter and wider model for better balance. Easier response, distinctively mellow, true cornet tone. Medium bore, Bb and A.
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