This is a Conn New Wonder II Soprano saxophone from 1928 that has almost all of its original silver plate intact. The finish is satin silver with bright in the engraving, and a thin gold wash in the bell. The New Wonder II version has the better intonation and build quality compared to New Wonder 1, but the main reason to buy one of these is the warm, full vintage Conn tone. Modern sopranos are almost all based on a different bore design that sounds fairly nasal like an Oboe, where vintage American sopranos have a sound much more like other saxophones, which is darker, fuller, more complex and much less nasal. I personally have always played Conns and Martins on soprano for this reason. And of course, Sidney Bechet had a gorgeous big tone on his Buescher True Tone soprano, which is the other excellent vintage American soprano sax. If you want a big, warm tone, and you want to get a pro soprano for a great price – less than an intermediate Taiwanese soprano or a used Yamaha intermediate soprano in fact – then this would be an excellent option. It also comes in a leather Reunion Blues padded gig bag that is coveted by lots of gigging musicians. The pads are older, and still sealing pretty well, so you can play it on the existing pads, but plan on getting some or all of them replaced within a few years if you plan to play this every day. For casual use, you can get it tuned up periodically and play it on a mix of pads with no problem for the near future.
