 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Rev. Avery
Date: 2004-01-25 19:15
Hi,
I'm listening to a cd I just got by Kenny Davern called Smiles. On the back of the booklet it says he's playing a Conn 16 Plastic Clarinet. What is that? Is it really a "plastic" clarinet?
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-01-25 21:31
Rev. Avery wrote:
> On the back of the booklet it says he's playing a Conn 16
> Plastic Clarinet. What is that?
A vintage clarinet from the 1920-1930 era.
> Is it really a "plastic"
> clarinet?
Yup ...GBK
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Author: magritte
Date: 2004-01-25 22:33
A Conn 16 just sold on ebay a few minutes ago for $72. May be a great instrument. However, if you look up Conn in the archives , there a lot of negative reviews. At least, that's what those of us who missed the bid can tell ourselves...magritte
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Author: paulwl
Date: 2004-01-25 22:59
The 16 is no 20s-30s instrument. They were made in the 60s (and maybe 70s). Ie: Kenny was playing a student horn! Which is no big woop, if that's what he likes and it works for him...
In the 20s, Conns were mostly hard rubber and had "N" model numbers like 24N, 34N, etc. They very in playing quality – I have a 1919 17/7 (no model number) that I quite like and a 1927 17/7 (34N) that's nowhere near up to it in intonation or playability.
About 1932 Conn brought out a line of highly re-engineered grenadilla clarinets that are by far their best. These had a gold-tone medallion inlaid in the bell and were known as 444N, 446N, etc. Later in the 30s Conn improved the old 24N model in grenadilla as the 424N (no medallion). They're also excellent.
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Author: SVSorna05
Date: 2004-01-26 22:57
yeah... don't trash Conn too much, I played on a 424N for several years and really enjoyed its larger bore and "fat" style sound, granted the intonation takes a good ear, but all in all I miss it.
-Dain-
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Author: SVSorna05
Date: 2004-01-27 11:59
yeah thats pretty much it, granted Buffets are still better all around :(
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Author: Geogio
Date: 2013-09-11 16:51
Played one in the 60's and into the 70's (Band). It served me well, the intonation was a bit flat. I still have it but started playing wood about 1972 or so. I took it out recently and was comparing the build to my niece's student Yamaha. The Conn is sturdy, I'll give it that, the metal is good quality and the nickel plating is a bit worn, but that adds character. Right?
I should have it serviced and take it out camping or something!
Retired electronic engineer, multi-instrumentalist, technical writer.
Post Edited (2013-09-11 16:56)
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Author: BobD
Date: 2013-09-11 20:26
Kenny put out some good music with Bob Wilber when he was playing soprano sax. His sop sax playing is IMO even better than his clarinet. Check out one of the "Soprano Summit" albums. I have his Infinite clarinet.
Bob Draznik
Post Edited (2013-09-11 20:48)
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Author: Rezzie
Date: 2013-09-13 00:04
I started on a Conn 16 in 1963 or so. I remember it much as Geogeo describes it above. It was stolen in a break in at the bandroom when I was in tenth grade, and my father let me know that if its replacement (a Bundy) didn't go home with me every single night thereafter, a thrashing was likely.
I can think of nothing else that proved to be as important in my growth as a player. Can't practice if it isn't there, y'know. The next one we bought was a Buffet after I got good enough to make all-county band.
There's a lesson here, youngsters...
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Author: BobD
Date: 2013-09-20 22:45
I just received the dvd "The Kenny Davern and Bob Wilber Summit" as part of the 1994-96 "March of Jazz". I must say that Kenny's clarinet playing is second to none when it comes to Jazz.
Bob Draznik
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2013-09-23 18:07
Hi All;
Kenny was my friend and he is greatly missed by all who knew him.
A giant talent, Kenny could play any clarinet. He preferred his Conn to all the Clarinets we offered him to try, but he sounded great on any one of them.
The last concert I played with Kenny was at the 92nd Street Y, run by Dick Hyman.
Kenny played a great Dixieland solo piece that blew us all away.
I later asked him how he got such a great sound and warmth from his Plastic Conn.
He said, try it! A week later he gave me one of his old Conn's, I can't play it, but Kenny sounded great on it! He is missed for his music, his humor, and his generosity.
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
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Author: gkern
Date: 2013-09-30 14:03
Being a Kenny Davern fan, I saw this thread a while ago, and was lucky enough to find a Conn 16 on that auction site for a pittance (<$20). I must say it plays rather well with a good tone and has remarkable intonation (pulled out 2mm, so it does not play flat) for a plastic student horn, but this might well be the exception.
This horn has some of the features of the Noblet/Leblanc horns such as inline trill keys mounted on individual posts, so Conn did not cheapen these as much as they could have back in the 1960s. Might this have possibly been considered a "step up" model in that era, somewhat more refined than student models?
I have both read and heard many negative things about the old Conn clarinets, and do not completely understand this. Is it a bum reputation or did I get lucky with this horn and my 424N, which is a fair player, as well as a 1937 PanAmerican hard rubber, which is a rather good player, at least, with a Selmer Series 9 barrel?
Gary K
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Author: clonestar
Date: 2013-12-10 22:00
I restored a Conn M16 a couple of years ago (1968 model according to the serial #) and yes, it is a plastic body instrument. The tenon rings have a distinctive bulge whereas, on most other clarinets, those rings are usually flat. When properly sealed, it was an extremely easy-to-blow instrument and my grand daughter's favorite.
Don
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