For years I've been thinking of getting a C soprano. Why? Not really sure. I thought it might be good for the occasional oboe parts in pit work that I do, when it only calls for a bar here and there. In January this year I picked up a Conn New Wonder Series II from my vintage sax buddy Paul Lindemeyer. Sadly, that was right before COVID hit, and now who knows if and when another pit job will come along... But I digress. 
So the horn likely started out as a bare brass one. It does have a coat of lacquer on it now, and it is a very old job. Factory job perhaps?
The little horn was not playable when I got it, and needed a full overhaul. David, who owns Matterhorn Music, did a full overhaul for me. The photos here are the "before" shots. I will have to do some "after" ones still. I opted for flat, metal resos with a rivet and Pisoni pads. Where we had difficulties was with the key heights.
David put everything back the way it was when he took it apart, but the little horn was horribly out of tune. Fortunately I had play-tested another Conn C soprano at Bellingham Windworks in February while trying out mouthpieces, and theirs was nearly perfectly in tune for me. So I called the shop, and as luck would have it, they hadn't yet sold the horn. Their tech was kind enough to measure all the key heights for us, and David then set mine the same.
SUCCESS!! My little Conn C soprano now plays almost perfectly in tune as well. It has a couple of notes that tend to blow about 20-30 cents sharp, but as long as I don't overblow the horn, it's not bad. I am gradually developing the muscle memory in my embouchure to play it in tune over its entire range.
I have 2 original Conn C soprano MPs for it. One is a no name blank that clearly is made by Conn, and the 2nd is a Conn Eagle. The Eagle gives the horn a more open sound, and is the one I use.
So the horn likely started out as a bare brass one. It does have a coat of lacquer on it now, and it is a very old job. Factory job perhaps?
The little horn was not playable when I got it, and needed a full overhaul. David, who owns Matterhorn Music, did a full overhaul for me. The photos here are the "before" shots. I will have to do some "after" ones still. I opted for flat, metal resos with a rivet and Pisoni pads. Where we had difficulties was with the key heights.
David put everything back the way it was when he took it apart, but the little horn was horribly out of tune. Fortunately I had play-tested another Conn C soprano at Bellingham Windworks in February while trying out mouthpieces, and theirs was nearly perfectly in tune for me. So I called the shop, and as luck would have it, they hadn't yet sold the horn. Their tech was kind enough to measure all the key heights for us, and David then set mine the same.
SUCCESS!! My little Conn C soprano now plays almost perfectly in tune as well. It has a couple of notes that tend to blow about 20-30 cents sharp, but as long as I don't overblow the horn, it's not bad. I am gradually developing the muscle memory in my embouchure to play it in tune over its entire range.
I have 2 original Conn C soprano MPs for it. One is a no name blank that clearly is made by Conn, and the 2nd is a Conn Eagle. The Eagle gives the horn a more open sound, and is the one I use.
