Conn New Wonder II Transitional Alto Silver Plated 235xxx

Description

This is a beautiful Conn New Wonder II Transitional Alto with silver plate finish and a fresh overhaul. The ‘transitionals’ are altos that share some features of the New Wonder II and the later 6M Artist model. They begin to show up in this serial range This horn is mostly New Wonder II, with a raised high E key like the 6M.

This horn has just received a fresh overhaul and has brand new pads, corks and felts and a thorough setup. It is totally ready to go right out of the case, and it should be great fun to play. It has a big, vintage Conn sound. These transitional Conns are the best of the vintage Conns in my experience. They have a big, warm tone that is perfect for a wide range of playing. You really can’t get a tone even close to this from any modern horn. When you play this sax, the whole body tube shakes in your hands – you can feel the horn resonating with you! It’s a great experience, and it shows how special these horns are. The intonation on this horn is good, and it’s one where you can bend the notes easily, so if you have a decent ear, you should be great in any register.

One interesting feature of this horn is that the neck is stamped ‘NM’ on the back. I’m curious to learn what this means, as it is not commonly seen. It may be a short-run transitional neck used only for a few horns, or it may be the first of the transitional neck tapers and is stamped “NM” for “New Model” to set it apart from the New Wonder II necks that would have also been around.  In terms of wear – you can see that the silver has begun to wear from normal use; there’s evidence of a small dent having been removed on the side of the neck; and the key guard has been reattached on low Eb and low B. There’s also an extra number engraved by the serial stamp. That’s all pretty minor stuff, so this is a solid example of a New Wonder II. I think this horn should make someone really happy. It’s priced to be a super deal for an overhauled golden age Conn.