Description
This is a beautiful, original gold plated Conn New Wonder 1 soprano. (Like actual real gold – people always think I mean lacquer.) It has medium-old pads, that actually are sealing well and have quite a bit of life left in them. It plays pretty well as-is, but I’m pricing it low so that you can get it either freshly overhauled, or talk to me about adding some setup and playing condition work to a purchase, if you want it to play very well on a mix of pads. So it’s up to you.
Cosmetically, there’s not much to mention – the gold is a beautiful light color, and it has silver plate underneath the gold plate which is beginning to show through in some places. There are no resolders on the horn, and no dents or dings either. There’s a serial number written inside the bell, and the G# touch piece is a wider replacement someone added for extra comfort.
This soprano has a great, warm tone. Even moreso than the beauty of the gold plate, and the excellent Conn build quality (and the low price), the tone is the reason to buy it. Nothing made today sounds remotely as full and big as a vintage Conn. The modern soprano tonal concept is focused and reedy, even oboe-like, but the 20’s American-made sopranos have a completely different sound – full-throated, dark, and lush. Much more pleasant to listen to. I have a Conn soprano much like this in my personal collection. It’s great fun to play. These horns like a large chamber mouthpiece, and you also need to be aware that the pitch is flexible – intonation is good, but you can easily bend notes out of tune, so you have to keep it under control yourself.
This includes the pictured modern case and the horn. If you need a mouthpiece, let me know. I have lots of options.
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