TromboneChat

Hello all

First-time poster from Belgium here looking for a bit of help with my Conn 73H. I bought it second-hand in the U.K. in 2005 through my tech, and he had it cleaned up a bit and made a D slide for the second valve.

Unfortunately though I cannot find a serial number anywhere on it. I’ve checked the usual places and absolutely no sign and nor is there any indication it was deliberately removed. This makes me think either it’s had some work done before I bought it which led to the serial number being removed; or maybe it just wasn’t stamped? Has anyone heard of a Conn with no serial numbers?

Also - does anyone know where you can find an original D slide for the 73H? I know a few years back someone on here posted they were available in the US on eBay but I’ve not found them from my searches. My custom D slide is fine but a bit of a problem with the original case as it is on the other side to the F slide (on the original 73H d slide you could buy I think it went on the same side as the F). I use a custom case so it’s not a problem, but just interested in if original parts are still out there somewhere.

Thanks everyone!

Nothing on the slide?

The receiver might not have been stamped, but that area can also get covered by the second valve saddle if the triggers have been split...

Mertelstein wrote: ↑Fri Oct 13, 2023 2:19 pm Hello all

First-time poster from Belgium here looking for a bit of help with my Conn 73H. I bought it second-hand in the U.K. in 2005 through my tech, and he had it cleaned up a bit and made a D slide for the second valve.

Unfortunately though I cannot find a serial number anywhere on it. I’ve checked the usual places and absolutely no sign and nor is there any indication it was deliberately removed. This makes me think either it’s had some work done before I bought it which led to the serial number being removed; or maybe it just wasn’t stamped? Has anyone heard of a Conn with no serial numbers?

Also - does anyone know where you can find an original D slide for the 73H? I know a few years back someone on here posted they were available in the US on eBay but I’ve not found them from my searches. My custom D slide is fine but a bit of a problem with the original case as it is on the other side to the F slide (on the original 73H d slide you could buy I think it went on the same side as the F). I use a custom case so it’s not a problem, but just interested in if original parts are still out there somewhere.

Thanks everyone!

I think those eBay D slides were for a 62H.

ithinknot wrote: ↑Fri Oct 13, 2023 3:33 pm Nothing on the slide?

The receiver might not have been stamped, but that area can also get covered by the second valve saddle if the triggers have been split...

Thanks for the quick reply. Absolutely nothing on the slide that I can see. And I believe (going by photos of other 73Hs and the Conn Loyalist) no alterations have been made. Certainly the triggers are in the same configuration as new (I.e. not split).

The only unusual thing I can think of is that the bell inscription (which is the much more basic “C. G. Conn Ltd. Artist Symphony USA) is on the underside of the bell (facing the ground when playing) as opposed to the outside (as it is on my 88Hs). Always thought that was unusual and wondered if it could have been a “rush job” at the end of the production cycle for the 73H.

Sorry - I am trying to work out how to put pictures on, but new to this board and haven’t figured it out yet (I know, I’m an idiot!).

Mertelstein wrote: ↑Sat Oct 14, 2023 12:44 am I believe (going by photos of other 73Hs and the Conn Loyalist) no alterations have been made. Certainly the triggers are in the same configuration as new (I.e. not split).

The only unusual thing I can think of is that the bell inscription (which is the much more basic “C. G. Conn Ltd. Artist Symphony USA) is on the underside of the bell (facing the ground when playing) as opposed to the outside (as it is on my 88Hs). Always thought that was unusual and wondered if it could have been a “rush job” at the end of the production cycle for the 73H.

Yeah, sounds a bit "Monday morning"... or, as you say, clearing the parts bins at the end of production.

The D extensions are the same part for the 62H and 73H. https://www.ebay.de/itm/256195579375 if you want to pay a criminally insane price... otherwise they do show up from time to time on eBay, or someone here might offer you one.

You can post photos once you've made three posts here, hence the confusion.

Love that description…“Monday morning”! It does play well, I just guess it’s going to be a nightmare dating it if I ever sell it (although I think from what I’ve seen there’s not much variation in the prices of second-hand 73Hs).

That’s a fantastic find on German eBay - although I have to say the idea of dropping €500 on basically a variation of the current slide just so it fits neatly in the case seems somewhat…foolhardy…

Thanks for all your great help (including on the photo issue)!

As far as I know, the standard 73H was equipped from the factory with a stubby E attachment. Shortly after purchasing my Elkhart 73H new in the early 70s, I ordered a D attachment, which mounts "outboard," on the same side as the F attachment loop. It fit in my case without modification. The bend in the D attachment would not permit it to be mounted on the inside, tho I have seen that on some pictures of other 73Hs. That D tuning slide can be pulled to a Db, but I never saw the need for that. I ordered that first D attachment from a local music shop in Glenview, IL and the fellow, I assume, acquired it from Conn. I just did what my trombone teacher Ernie Passoja told me to do and that always worked out pretty well.

A few years back I bought a more open wrap D slide, which has to mount on the "inboard" side. I was seeking less stuffiness on the second valve. That benefit seems, for me, more psychological than real, but it freshens up the look of the horn and it is a bit lighter (less tubing without the pull and the tubing is noticeably thinner). The lightness proved a bigger benefit than was apparent at first and I got older.

I modified the case to accommodate the newer D attachment. I think I have attached a picture of the case and the first D attachment.