TromboneChat

A friend asked me about the 4H, what players used it, etc.

Sy Zentner maybe.

I was once told that Tommy Pederson played the Conn 4H during his long career in the LA studios.

I think Sy Zentner played the Conn 24H; I was told that by a guy who played in Sy’s band way back in the olden days.

There are some videos out there with Jack Teagarden playing what clearly is some version of the .485 bore, 7-inch bell Conn; I can’t tell if it’s a 4H, 24H, or a 12H.

4Hs are quite nice but just like the Holton 65, Olds Super, Bach 6 etc were likely outsold by the King 2B. Even though the 4H (and 2H!) had probably been around longer than the 2B (Bach being the "youngest" of those brands). The rest is history...

The 24h is called the Sy Zentner model, but he probably had to play something before he got famous. The 24h is the ballroom successor to the 4h.

https://cderksen.home.xs4all.nl/Conn24H1940image.html

I remember seeing a picture of Zentner on a record album holding a King 2B.

Jack Teagarden played just about everything over the years. And he managed to sound great on all of them.

According the the C Derksen Conn Loyalist Website:
". . . there is a 24H model which was built between 1958 and at least 1966 ... Conn reinstated this model in 1958. Apparently Si Zentner played the 24H a lot."

The father of a local salesman here used to drag his family all over the country in the family station wagon to listen to Sy Zentner’s band. I doubt if it was air conditioned. The salesman inherited a horn from Sy Zentner’s estate. I always assumed it was the last horn Sy Zentner played on. I don’t know how many horns Sy Zentner had.

It is a King 2B. The salesman always sounds great on it. He says it may be a King 2B or some King 2B that got hot rodded at the King factory. You never know.

None of this contradicts evidence that Sy Zentner played Conn trombones and/or had relationship with Conn. I can only hope that I won’t be accused of making this up since it is in fact hearsay: I have no signed affidavit, filmed documentary interview, or photograph to back it up.

Most pros that played the small Conn played the 24h, not the 4h:
Sy Zentner:
https://youtu.be/EgDLzDRfInE,

Tricky Sam Nanton https://youtu.be/qDQpZT3GhDg

Tommy Pederson played a 24H from what I can see in this video:https://youtu.be/GFbSHWBjuuQ

As far as Teagarden, he changed trombones whenever he changed his socks, so he’s not a good one to point to, although I have seen pictures of him with both a 24h and a 4h.

In addition to being ballroom model, there is something more rarefied and special about the 24h, it plays much bigger than it’s size, bigger than a 4H. Something about the longer gooseneck and Conn treating it like a little more of a deluxe model makes them all special. I’ve never played a 24h that wasn’t fantastic, but I’ve tried some 4H’s that weren’t as good than some others.

Si Zentner played a 24h and Tommy Pederson too... For few years also Herbie Harper too... Also Dick Noel... I think Tricky Sam Nanton...

Very underrated horns for sure. Thanks for the links!

Tommy Pederson and Dick Noel played only 24h not 4h and mostly,I think ,like Si Zentner played 24h

On big band lead I recently switched from a 1966 48H to a 1946 4H. I tended to overblow on the Connstellation and have better control in the upper range with the 4H.