TromboneChat

I have a Conn 88HCL and I can't seem to find a readable serial number on it anywhere. I can find one on the handle of the slide, but its seems to be a code that ends B3520. Is there any way for me to find the serial number? It is post-Elkhart and my trombone teacher seems to think it's 80's or 90's, although I'm not sure why.

CL stands for Christian Lindberg. It's his twist on the 88H. The horns first appeared when your teacher says.

Newer Conn serials are somewhat enigmatic. I hope somebody else chimes in. Some should be 6 digits, but there were 8 digit ones that included letters.

plondoe wrote: ↑Fri Jul 08, 2022 8:37 am I have a Conn 88HCL and I can't seem to find a readable serial number on it anywhere. I can find one on the handle of the slide, but its seems to be a code that ends B3520. Is there any way for me to find the serial number? It is post-Elkhart and my trombone teacher seems to think it's 80's or 90's, although I'm not sure why.

I don’t know how it could be 80 or 90s if it’s a CL conn. He didn’t develop that model until the late 90s

I got mine and at the time assumed it was a very new model in September of 2000

There have been a ton of threads lately with folks trying to date early 2000's 88Hs to as far back as 1919. We should make a new rule: "if you don't know when your 88H was made, the linkage is mechanical, and the bell just says "USA" it was made between 2000 to 2010. Rejoice"

The CL2000 valve has the number "2000" in it because that's the year it officially came out. The prototype was a bit earlier than that, but only Lindberg had that horn.

There was the 88HY artist in the 90s that had Lindberg's name on it in a cursive script. But the 88HCL is from 2000 or later. Here is the UMI catalogue from 1997, with the 88HY listed as the CL model:

https://web.archive.org/web/19970625135 ... #Trombones

The serial number is going to be on the main bell cross brace. The engraving is not deep, so it might have rubbed off.

My 88HCL is from 2000 and it has the CL valve with "patent pending" stamped on it. So that tells me it's a fairly early one. I doubt there were any much before that.

harrisonreed wrote: ↑Fri Jul 26, 2024 4:40 am There have been a ton of threads lately with folks trying to date early 2000's 88Hs to as far back as 1919. We should make a new rule: "if you don't know when your 88H was made, the linkage is mechanical, and the bell just says "USA" it was made between 2000 to 2010. Rejoice"

Can we sticky this somewhere?

tbdana wrote: ↑Sat Jul 27, 2024 11:29 am My 88HCL is from 2000 and it has the CL valve with "patent pending" stamped on it. So that tells me it's a fairly early one. I doubt there were any much before that.

Same on mine! Makes me wonder if the ones from this time period are better or more "special" than one made in the last few years. I honestly have no idea.

I think those have the heavy caps with the old dude's face on em, right? That's what makes them special. Also, I believe that some of the early ones had a slightly different rotor core material.

harrisonreed wrote: ↑Sat Jul 27, 2024 1:40 pm I think those have the heavy caps with the old dude's face on em, right? That's what makes them special. Also, I believe that some of the early ones had a slightly different rotor core material.

Yep. Came with 2 caps, and that big thick one is one of them.

Yeah it still comes with both, but if yours has some guy's face on it, it's relatively rare

It changed to a floral pattern on both.

Yeah I use the heavy cap with the face of CG Conn on it

harrisonreed wrote: ↑Sat Jul 27, 2024 2:17 pm Yeah it still comes with both, but if yours has some guy's face on it, it's relatively rare

It changed to a floral pattern on both.

Mine has "some guy's face on it." (I need to polish it up.) So I guess it's relatively rare.




And the serial number is found on the underside of the brace that holds the trigger.




And my bell has a bunch of engraving on it.

tbdana wrote: ↑Sat Jul 27, 2024 3:05 pm
Mine has "some guy's face on it." (I need to polish it up.) So I guess it's relatively rare.

I don’t know if that valve cap will polish up. But the graham crumbs will come out for sure.

OneTon wrote: ↑Sat Jul 27, 2024 6:11 pm I don’t know if that valve cap will polish up. But the graham crumbs will come out for sure.

LOL! Might have to call Roto Rooter for the graham cracker crumbs, but the valve cap polished up okay. It was just a little oil smeared on there.

Nice. Now that we have a good picture of him, we can put it on a carton if milk and maybe find out who he is.

Legend has it that it depicts either Jigsaw, from the Saw franchise, Hannibal Lector, or Thomas Edison. Or it's a really inaccurate drawing of Christian Lindberg.

Duh. His name is engraved right there. Pat Pending.