Conn Coprion Bell

[dwcarder]

The guy beside me in one of the bands I play in has an 18H. Its a good sounding horn but with a focus I interpret as designed to cut through more than others. Likewise, if it gets pushed too hard it will totally peel paint off the wall.

[biggiesmalls]

[ I'd take an 18H over a 12H any day.

Why? I LOVE my 12h. Now I wonder if I’m just dumb.

There's nothing wrong with loving a 12H; it's a fun horn to play, and it has a good vintage vibe. But the sound in front of the bell is antiquated. Playing a 12H as the only trombone in a Ska or Dixieland group? Might work fine. But try playing a 12H in a section, and I think that most players would agree that it just doesn't blend well at all. Been there, tried that. Too dark at piano, too bright at forte. YMMV.

The 18H produces a sound that at least has a chance of blending in a section in spite of it's Coprion sound signature, and that's the primary reason why I would choose one over a 12H: it's just a more versatile horn.

[biggiesmalls]

The guy beside me in one of the bands I play in has an 18H. Its a good sounding horn but with a focus I interpret as designed to cut through more than others. Likewise, if it gets pushed too hard it will totally peel paint off the wall.

All of these qualities are exaggerated in the 12H versus the 18H.

[captain]

I surprised to hear anyone preferring the "student model" to the "pro model".

From the picutres in Mamaposaune post_id=231039 earlier post, the 12H appears to have more "bling" too. I'd kind of like to see what it looks like all cleaned up and polished to shiny new condition.

[biggiesmalls]

I surprised to hear anyone preferring the "student model" to the "pro model".

In many instances, the distinction between a "pro" model and "student" model horn means very little, if anything, when it comes to the way the horns actually play, which is how most players judge a horn..

For example, the original Bach Mercedes student horn was identical in every way to the pro model Stradivarius 12, just lacking the 12's nickel trim. Same goes for the Bach Mercury student model, which was just a Stradivarius 6 without nickel trim. Same tooling, same craftsmen.


Doug Elliott won his Airmen of Note audition playing a Yamaha student horn; certainly no bling factor there.

The 12H premiered in 1938, while the 18H made its debut in 1954. A lot of things changed regarding both horn design and musical tastes over the course of those 16 years. In particular, the small diameter bell and the sound it produced fell out of favor. Note that the 12H was discontinued the year after the 18H was introduced.

The 1960's Directors I've owned were built to the same high standards as the Conn pro horns from the same era, minus the bling factor.