The Clarinet BBoard

Re: Conn 424 Albert Clarinet ?

Author: ghoulcaster  Date:   2024-02-26 01:33 Attachment:  14N v1.png (1201k) Attachment:  My 14N v2.jpg (122k) Attachment:  14N v2 announcement 1926.jpg (785k) If your Couesnon is the common configuration of 4 rings and rollers, a Conn may not be a great upgrade. Those should be pretty good. I have what I think could be a Couesnon stencil Albert System in C. However, Conns do seem to be the cheapest way to get a horn with extra keys. A French Alberts with extra keys are significantly more rare, and expensive. There are 4 eras of Conn Albert clarinets from what I've seen: 1. Turn of the century: often two rings, made of metal, or "wonder model" a unique Conn system. Often high pitch. Sometimes wood, sometimes hard rubber. 2. 1910ish-1926 most Conn Alberts I see are from this period. Occasionally wood, mostly hard rubber. 3. 1926-1929 refresh that didn't last. Rare. Always hard rubber? 4. 1930-1940? only one basic model, the 344N with 4 rings. Uncommon. So concerning period 2 the main LP Bb models are: 4N: 5 rings (for fork Bb) 14N: 5 rings, LH Eb/Ab and a fourth trill key for Bb Period 3, there was a refresh, keeping the model numbers, so I call them v2. They seem to be discontinued around the onset of the depression. Conn even made Albert system Basses and Altos. Saw an alto on ebay last year, sold for around 300 if I remember correctly via auction. v2 Changes: 1. register key like a Boehm clarinet, not wrap around 2. The fork Bb has an extra adjustment screw 3. The trill keys are constructed like a Boehm clarinet. 4. LH rings mounted on the left 5. some posts are moved for better leverages 6.The A and Ab key work together with an adjustment screw like a Boehm 7. On the 14N v2, a new fork F/Bb vent mechanism 8. Supposedly redesigned tone holes, etc. The v1 looks more like the stereotypical Albert, with the wrap around, trill keys mounted like the Albert company in Belgium mounted them, and RH rings on the right side. The v2 was marketed as being more symmetrical and closer in appearance to the Boehm system. If I were you, and I wanted a Conn for playing, I'd look out for a 14N of either generation, if only for the sake of having more keys. The Bb trill key is somewhat useful if you get into the habit of using it, the Eb/Ab key can be nice, but the fork Bb ring is super useful and I use that all the time when I have it on an instrument. A really nice, wood 14N v1 sold for about $130 on an ebay auction this week. Last year, I won a 14N v2 in need of a complete overhaul last year for around $60! My Conn hasn't been attended to yet, so I can not speaking to playing characteristics... Keep your eyes peeled, the models with less keys but still 5 rings often go for peanuts. Serial numbers for reference (shared with saxophones) mine is 1926 I believe. The 14N v1 that sold on ebay this week is 1919. 17,800 1910 21,200 1911 22,500 1912 25,000 1913 30,000 1914 35,000 1916 40,000 1917 50,000 1919 58,000 1920 64,000 1921 83,000 1922 101,775 1923 124,600 1924 145,400 1925 167,900 1926 193,450 1927 209,250 1928 224,600 1929 237,800 1930 244,700 1931 249,230 1932 256,501 1933 260,000 1934 263,500 1935 271,000 1936 278,000 1937 284,000 1938 285,000 1939 288,300 1940 Post Edited (2024-02-26 01:46)

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