Conn 10M Tenor Saxophone 312xxx Silver

Description

This beautiful WW2-era 10M has almost all of its original silver plate intact and has an excellent, recent overhaul. This horn is an excellent value as I’ve priced it lower than a typical silver 10M since it has had a few small dents removed from the bow and bell, and a few posts have been resoldered (though it is hard to tell because of the silver plate). These issues are not that serious and have been corrected now.

I wish I knew who did this overhaul, because I would send him or her some more saxophones to overhaul. It is tricky to do snappy, level pad seats on rolled tone holes, but this horn has it going on. It has firm black RooPads (made of Kangaroo leather that resists sticking) and noyek resonators which add a bit of brightness to the tone. The neck has also had a minor pull down at some point that has been repaired to the correct angle and is hard to spot unless you are used to spotting these things.

Lots of players all over the world seem to be moving from Selmers and various other modern horns to vintage Conn tenors specifically, because they are looking for the bigger, more complex and rich tone that the Conn gives you. The only drawback is that you have to spend a couple of weeks getting used to the non-Selmer-style keywork. It is quite fast keywork once you’re used to it, and it’s well worth the adjustment period.

This horn plays like a good 10M should, with a big, dark, fairly focused core tone that is a joy to listen to. It’s in the prime serial range for 10Ms, and in this kind of playing condition, should make someone very happy for a long time without needing much maintenance at all. This is a solid horn for the money and is totally ready to go, playing condition wise. It is in the original case, so talk to me about swapping that out and getting a great deal on a case that would be better for shipping.