Conn 88H bell marked with a ‘9’

[atopper333]

Hello all, got a question regarding a Conn 88H bell. This bell looks to be from the 90s? I see a marking on the steam of ‘9’ and was wondering what that might mean? Any information will be much appreciated and thanks much for taking a look!

[NotSkilledHere]

might have been part of a set of bells made in the late 90s for the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra. That's all I personally know about the 88H 9" bells.

I saw a delalcquered one of these bells on reverb sell for like $300 not too long ago
edit: here's the listing https://reverb.com/item/83022308-conn-8 ... rce=google

[atopper333]

Thanks much for the lead! I’ve been looking into that and can’t find much information on the Cleveland Orchestra’s trombone section which used these bells. I’m trying to see what the difference between this bell and the standard 88H bell would be. I was originally thinking it may be a 9 inch bell, but it measures in at 8 1/2 inches…

[harrisonreed]

Engraving looks the same as the early 2000s Gen IIs, but never saw that "9" on one. If that is from the 90's, that's awesome-- that bell looks brand new.

[atopper333]

It’s it pretty good condition. It has some signs of repair on the flare. It is not lacquered. Those pictures are the final product of a little bit of time with 5000 grit wet sandpaper and Wrights brass polish…wanted to disturb it as little as possible….

[Tbarh]

Conn 88HK (K for Kofsky) is 9” and also has a bit larger taper(really a King 5B taper)..

[atopper333]

I originally thought it was going to be one of the those HK bells, but when it came in, it measures out at 8.5 inches…

[tubaductilis]

I remember there being a couple of 88H 9 bells around the Oberlin trombone studio circa 2001-04. My teacher Jim DeSano, Steve Witser, Alan Kofsky and Tom Klaber were all working with the UMI factory testing prototype symphonic horns - my own gen2 88 was originally built for Witser, oddly enough with a heavy, annealed gold brass bell. I recall the 9 bell playing a bit fatter and more projecting than the standard 88H, perhaps more towards the Conn/Benge hybrid Jim used in the orchestra than the normal 88. Some players sounded fantastic with them, others lost a bit of center to their sound. I found them a bit inflexible compared to my Elkhart, if I recall correctly; it was a bit later that I found my Gen2. YMMV.

[atopper333]

I remember there being a couple of 88H 9 bells around the Oberlin trombone studio circa 2001-04. My teacher Jim DeSano, Steve Witser, Alan Kofsky and Tom Klaber were all working with the UMI factory testing prototype symphonic horns - my own gen2 88 was originally built for Witser, oddly enough with a heavy, annealed gold brass bell. I recall the 9 bell playing a bit fatter and more projecting than the standard 88H, perhaps more towards the Conn/Benge hybrid Jim used in the orchestra than the normal 88. Some players sounded fantastic with them, others lost a bit of center to their sound. I found them a bit inflexible compared to my Elkhart, if I recall correctly; it was a bit later that I found my Gen2. YMMV.

That’s some really awesome information, thanks much for sharing it! The bell does feel a bit heavy when held. Feels definitely heavier/thicker than the Elkhart, 8HT and Abilene bells. Looking forward to giving it a go.

[Matt K]

Is it a one piece or a two piece bell?

[atopper333]

I’ll make sure to take a look when I get home…I believe it is a one piece, but I do want to double check.

[atopper333]

Is it a one piece or a two piece bell?

It took quite a bit, but I was able to see the seam on the flare…it does look like it’s a two piece bell.

[Matt K]

Hmm. I was wondering if from previous comments here that it was a one piece. Maybe it is just slightly different weight distribution. The only other thing I can think of is that Elkhart bells were typically unsoldered and at some point Conn started doing soldered bell beads on the 88. If this was from a time where that was standard maybe that being unsoldered was part of a special configuration to something

[atopper333]

Maybe so, I’ll be comparing it when I get my Elkhart bell back in. I’ll probably check weights on each as I am rather curious. I know it’s completely unscientific, but it just feels…different in the hand, like the brass sheet is a thicker gauge.