Vintage Conn New Wonder II Bass Saxophone – Lady Portrait Engraving 1926, Serial #187901

Our Price: $ 10,900.00

Product ID: 187901ConnBass

Chu Berry Vintage Bass Sax

This is a vintage C.G. Conn New Wonder II bass saxophone in lacquer finish, serial number 187901. An exciting item and extremely fun to play, this is one of the only Chu Berry vintage bass saxophones we have seen in a long time. The instrument has standard “Chu Berry” key features including finger nail file G# key and key work from low Bb to high Eb palm key. These horns also showcase alternate D# trill mechanism, usually these are called the 'back door' Eb trill, but this one is plainly right below the D-key tone-hole. There is a bis-Bb key-touch. The bell keys have cage style key guards, all the tone holes are drawn and rolled, the key action is driven by blued-steel needle-springs. The most standout area of the saxophone is the portrait engraving of the woman on the bell. This portrait is further complemented by a backdrop of decorative foliage. The portrait depicts a woman with short hair, short dress, two-inch heels, fabric draped over her arm. A beautiful “Jazz Age” depiction of the 1920's.

Considering the horn's vintage, its body is physically in very solid condition. At some point in the past someone had the finish on the sax re-lacquered. The sax does show history of past body and solder repair since being re-finished. Several of the posts on the sax have been re-soldered along with some repairs to the key guards. A few of the posts on the horn around the lower stack area and Low C and Eb keys look like they are very slightly pushed in at this time. This saxophone is with the original neck crook. The crook is currently in good shape and perfect working order. In the past a previous tech added a supportive brass patch to the crook in the water key area. This protective patch looks to have been professionally added before the horn was re-lacquered.

Conn made quite a few horns with a particular institution or artist in mind over their long history. This one in particular was stamped “Senior Class 1918”. We are sadly not aware of any specific history on this sax but the actual manufacture date on the instrument was closer to 1926.

The American vintage bass saxophones from this period play with a very spread and punchy quality. This one in particular is no exception and features an ultra robust character. The saxophone came into our shop playing on an older set of leather pads and Noyek resonators. The key work has a smooth feel from top to bottom. At the moment the pads are covering the tone holes decently with some leaks, allowing the horn to respond across its entire range. As the pads are on the older side and it has been some time since the sax has seen any attention in a shop, it is ultimately going to need some service work in the near future in order to keep it in playing condition. You might be able to get by with more minimal service if you are going to be only using the sax around your home. But if you are planning on using the sax for professional performance you will want to keep future service costs in mind when making this purchase.

In order to offer this item at the best price possible we are selling it in as is condition. It includes a good wood hard case.

Note to buyer:

Due to the size of this instrument and the high cost of shipping we heavily recommend picking it up in person if you are within a reasonable driving distance. If you are considering having the item shipped please contact us by email to get a shipping quote. Because of size limitations and high costs in shipping there are some international locations that we will not be able to provide service to.