Conn Naked Lady 3-Valve Euphonium

[B3ard.Man]

How good is a Conn Naked Lady 3-Valve Euphonium for about $350 with minnor dents

[MarChant]

Just as good as any vintage Conn 3-valve euphonium, but with a nice engraving.

http://forums.chisham.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=64647

Personally, I think if you are looking for a vintage 3-valve horn, this would be a very nice price if it is really in good condition.

[davewerden]

Agreed - that is a good price, assuming the valves are good and you don't see evidence of any tubing damage (other than minor denting), such as holes, really bad soldering someplace, etc. Even those may not be dis-qualifiers, but you'd want to move cautiously.

[davewerden]

If you don't mind a uniformed man engraving instead of a naked lady, this Pan American 3-valve is an outstanding buy at $250:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1939-Pan-Ame.../322123494900?

[daruby]

Without more detail, I have a hard time answering the original poster. The "Naked Lady" is just an engraving used over a certain period of years. It was applied to a number of different models. If the horn in question is a 4 valve, with good finish, good compression, and has a removeable bell, then $350 is a good price. If it is a 3 valve with solid bell (front) and worn valves, then it is not so much.

I agree with Dave that the Pan American is exceptionally nice. I had a 1932 Pan American 56I (bell and valves up) that I donated to Charley Brighton, in the UK. It was an old beater that I had fixed up in 1974 when I got out of college. It had metal patches, replated valves of questionable quality, and lacquer finish that had quite a bit of wear. Notwithstanding, the horn played well, in tune, and had a wonderful singing sound.

Doug

[B3ard.Man]

1937, 3 valve, removeable bell, original valves

[iiipopes]

From the Conn Loyalist website,

https://cderksen.home.xs4all.nl/ConnArticle43.html

"Naked Lady. There is no Naked Lady model. "Naked Lady" refers to the style of engraving that often appeared on the instruments. In spite of persistent rumor to the contrary, Dr. margaret Downie-Banks, an acknowledged expert on all things Elkhart-Conn, insists that the presence or absence of a so-called "Naked Lady" engraving or the degree of naked-ness has absolutely no relation to the instrument in terms of quality or otherwise. These "Naked Lady" engravings are usually found on "Standard" series saxophones, hence the incorrect idea that the engraving signifies that model and/or a better built instrument. The Naked Lady engraving can also frequently be found on Conn euphoniums and sousaphones, but only very rarely on Conn cornets, trumpets or trombones of the same period."

[Richard III]

Greetings all. I just purchased one of these and am curious about the best mouthpiece. Any ideas? Thanks.

Richard

[davewerden]

Greetings all. I just purchased one of these and am curious about the best mouthpiece. Any ideas? Thanks.

Richard

The go-to mouthpiece for instruments like this would be the Bach 6-1/2AL. If you want a little larger mouthpiece, I would not go larger than a Bach 5G.

[Richard III]

Thanks. I just want to get the correct shank and corresponding best response out of the old horn.

[davewerden]

Thanks. I just want to get the correct shank and corresponding best response out of the old horn.

Ah, then you want a small shank (i.e. "tenor trombone") mouthpiece.

[Richard III]

I thought I would give some feedback on mouthpieces. First let me say that I've played trumpet and french horn for a long time. I stumbled on a euphonium video and was fascinated. I have a friend with a vintage Conn 64I baritone with the "naked lady." So when one popped up on Ebay for cheap, I bought it. Mine is from the middle 1930's and needed a tremendous amount of repairs. My friend plays a Schilke 42 mouthpiece on his so I ordered one and began using it. I also ordered a Bach 6 1/2AL clone (Blessing) from WWBW. That started a very long process due to it getting lost in the male. I also ordered a Steven Mead Wick SM9 baritone mouthpiece. Now keep in mind I've been playing this horn for one month approximate.

So here is the initial report. The Steven Mead baritone mouthpiece is somewhat like a Wick cornet mouthpiece. Similar design with a V shaped cup. It is slightly smaller in diameter than the Bach 6 1/2AL clone and has the same bore. Interesting that they both have longer shanks than the Schilke 42 that I've been using. The Schilke is 2mm smaller in diameter and has a smaller bore also. Its cup shape is also more V shaped.

Playing the Steven Mead. It is very sure footed and makes transitions easier. But it is a little woofy in sound and much more work to play in the upper range. The Schilke is also a little woofy in sound. One of the things I've had issues with when playing it. The smaller bore makes upper range easier but lower range can get blatty in sound. The Bach clone has a more bowl shaped cup. Its sound is mellow but not at all woofy. Pretty comfortable rim and it sounds the same low to high. I think I'm going to stay with it for a while and see how it goes. Interesting is that though the bore ties for the largest of the group, air management is not a problem. The Steven Mead sucks it out of me. I think the cup shape is the factor in this. The Bach clone is also quite a bit cheaper than the others.

I just spent a practice session playing only the Bach clone. I must say thank you for the recommendation. Runs from the bottom of the range to the top are much easier and the sound is exactly what I was hoping for. It is much more resonant than the other mouthpieces and is clearly the winner.