Wanted: Information about Conn Instruments

Information is requested concerning musical instruments and related items manufactured by the C. G. Conn Company of Elkhart, Indiana (1874-present), for inclusion in a research database, the results of which may lead to a revised serial number list. Instruments may be of the brass family (from cornets to sousaphones, etc.), woodwinds (from piccolos to saxes to contrabass sarrusophones, etc.), strings (violins, guitars, mandolins, banjos, etc.), keyboards (pianos, organs), percussion (from drums to xylophones, etc.), accordions, electronic equipment (Strobotuners, etc.), and even items produced for military use during World War II (compasses, altimeters, etc.).

Please send the following information about your Conn instrument for inclusion in this research study:

  1. The serial number.

  2. A careful transcription of all text and any numbers stamped, lettered, or engraved on the instrument. For example:

    Engraved on bell: Made by / C. G. CONN / Elkhart, Ind. / and / Worcester, Mass. (use / to indicate words on separate lines and indicate upper or lower case letters, as appropriate)

    Stamped on 2nd valve: 2 [valve number] / 12345 [serial number] / 1 1/2 [bore size]

  3. Information about any distinctive characteristics of the instrument

  4. Description of any engraving, particularly on brass instruments (for example, is it floral; is it geometric or in an Art Deco style; does it include 5-petal flowers; does it include depictions of people, American eagles, villages, etcs.; how extensive is the engraving, and so on)

  5. Your name and address

Due to the large number of e-mails received daily, I am not able personally to answer every submission of data. I do answer e-mail message about Conn as time permits, although I cannot do this on a same-day basis. I do not answer research inquiries by telephone. If you want to date your instrument, please go to the following website: http://www.musictrader.com/serialnos.html. I thank you for your help and participation in this research endeavor!

Dr. Margaret Downie Banks
Curator of Musical Instruments
National Music Museum
The University of South Dakota
414 East Clark Street
Vermillion, SD 57069-2390

E-mail: mbanks@usd.edu

Link to Electronic Version of Essay, "A Brief History of the Conn Company (1874-present)"

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This page updated April 5, 2000.
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