Amazing Silver Clarinet
VINTAGE *CONN 524* PROFESSIONAL CLARINET
CONN serial numbers at BOTTOM OF PAGE
Tunable barrel (And it works!); Light gold plate inside the bell; Smaller diameter fingering provides unique feel--THIS CLARINET IS DIFFERENT-- something a sax player might enjoy (Or a clarinetist with arthritis). Good for a gliss, a slide, or wah--or to make some kind of noise you never expected--designed for the jazz player, and made in 1929 or 1930 this old clarinet still plays. I liked it so much that I bought 9 of them (and they were very hard to find--I bought almost every one that hit ebay in 4 years, and none of the ebay finds worked at all and were Hell to fix)-- IF YOU GET ONE OF THESE THAT DOESN'T WORK, THERE'S A CHANCE IT NEVER WILL. A missing barrel can cost $250 to replace, and a key $100--Really! I'll post a 'trouble' page sometime, and it's worse than any other metal clarinet. Buy this one that works for $770--An investment in something different you can play. SOLDThat was then...For Sale Now...#1: I've bought 27 of these by now, and I've had 7 of them in various stages of restoration for some time with a lot of people wanting to buy them, in fact, the Conn 524N has become the most asked about by pro players, and fastest selling metal clarinet. People have got to wait, because I have to evaluate them after they are restored before I can talk about them--I ended up with 5 restorable...they are done and now's the time to talk. So many people asked to buy my best one that I decided I'd sell it--The best out of 27 of them and they took me 7 years to find, but I'll sell it because I don't need to keep one near mint. I just need a good one to play, and any of the 5 that are ready now will do--They are all great. But if you want the best it will cost you $1270. Plating near perfect, no dings, dents...the best case I've found, and a genuine Conn crystal mouthpiece to go with it. It's worth the price....pictured below. SOLD
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#2 for sale now comes with a Brilhart Tonalin...and I'm really impressed with this clarinet, so you should love it at $880 SOLD
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#3 comes with a vintage Woodwind Steel Ebonite mouthpiece which was popular with this model. The gold inside the bell is lighter than the others, but the engraving is deeper, larger and more ornate than all but one I've seen. Another great one...$795 SOLD USD
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#4 has a richer gold inside the bell than any I've seen, and like all of these it plays well with new white leather pads, but this has some issues to mention: The post to attach a Lyre is broken off, so I can't march around my living room with sheet music clipped to my clarinet, and the screw on bell won't screw off of this one (so?), and one of the rods won't come out, but the key works, and there are two tiny ding on this one (maybe three and a scratch). Well, when it seems that I might talk bad about it--this was the one I was going to keep (maybe I will), but you can have it for $735 with a clear Bilger mouthpiece, case, new old vintage reeds....everything, ready to play. SOLD
If what I'm saying about this one seems bad maybe you can look at another picture of #4 and decide for yourself...it's not
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#5: Something close....? Similar to the 524N except that the bell is not a screw off, doesn't flare as wide, and has more engraving... The middle joint doesn't come apart, and the silver plating is not as thick, and shows plenty of wear. The cheaper Pan American version is still a pretty wonderful thing, especially with this interesting looking Vandoren mouthpiece. Comes with 524 straight case, and other accessories. Has new brown leather pads (and rivets). Play it wild for $525 SOLD (take off $70 if you don't want the $120 mouthpiece).
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Armored Conn for Sale...$1250
Compare with other metal Conn Clarinets: See another Armored Conn or...More metal clarinets for sale
Above is a 514N - The last of the metal Conn Clarinets .
********************************** SERIAL NUMBERS:
Conn got their metal clarinet patent in 1889 , with clarinet No. 1 being attributed to 1895. And in that first year there are 2,000 serial numbers attributed to reed instruments, with an average of 500 added each year until 1902, i.e.: 1895....#1; 1896....2000; 1897....2500; 1902....5000. Then production increased to a little over 1,000 a year so that by 1909 the serial number was 15,000. By 1913 the number of reed instruments produced totaled 25,000, and then 5,000 a year were added. By 1920 the serial numbers had gone over the 50,000 mark, but by 1923 they topped 100,000. Mid 1925 saw 150,000, and before the dawn of 1928 -- 200,000 reed instruments had been produced bearing the Conn name. Despite the depression the 250,000 mark was reached in 1932. But in 1941, just before the serial #300,000, Conn switched its operations to making armaments for war. Although the company continued, they never recaptured the status that they once enjoyed in producing some of the finest reed instruments in the world. To this day there is little to compare to the quality that Conn once produced, and some of their instruments made in the 1930s that have survived, are still considered among the best ever made. Bear in mind that we are not only talking about clarinets, but saxophones, etc., as well. Note that serial numbers started over later, and to make sure you are getting the right vintage--The serial numbers for Conn saxophones in the late 20s through the 30s should start with the letter 'M', and usually Bb clarinets start with 'B'. Don't just look at the number--look at the instrument to be sure you have a vintage model. The very early models just have numbers, but they are obviously very old antiques.
... Conn 514 ...
