Conn 66H Trombone c.1939/1940
One of my main instruments, the Conn 66H is an interesting trombone.
According to the Conn Loyalist (one of my favorite sites) the 66H was
produced from 1920 and discontinued in 1925. The specifications are
.547” bore medium bass with rotary valve to F, tuning in the bell. My
instrument was built in 1939/1940 and is marked 66H Spec on both the
bell and slide section. The entire instrument is built from either red
brass or gold brass and you will see the variations in material in the
photos. The instrument is nearly identical to the Conn 88H in every
way. The tuning slide, hand slide and bell taper is the same as my
later examples of 88Hs (and are even interchangeable), leading me to
believe that this instrument is perhaps one of the earliest examples
of the 88H. As the 88H was not produced officially until 1954, perhaps
the 66H was the closest thing to these specifications in the Conn
archives and this instrument was stamped as such. Some interesting
features of the horn: the bell flare is made in two pieces, but the
flare has a seam in it, with a cross of the seams. The rim wire is
stainless steel and the rim is soldered. The rotary valve stops are
unique (I haven’t seen another example like it), The valve wrap,
tuning slide bow and hand slide bow are all hand bent. A variety of
materials were used on this instrument.
One of my main instruments, the Conn 66H is an interesting trombone.
According to the Conn Loyalist (one of my favorite sites) the 66H was
produced from 1920 and discontinued in 1925. The specifications are
.547” bore medium bass with rotary valve to F, tuning in the bell. My
instrument was built in 1939/1940 and is marked 66H Spec on both the
bell and slide section. The entire instrument is built from either red
brass or gold brass and you will see the variations in material in the
photos. The instrument is nearly identical to the Conn 88H in every
way. The tuning slide, hand slide and bell taper is the same as my
later examples of 88Hs (and are even interchangeable), leading me to
believe that this instrument is perhaps one of the earliest examples
of the 88H. As the 88H was not produced officially until 1954, perhaps
the 66H was the closest thing to these specifications in the Conn
archives and this instrument was stamped as such. Some interesting
features of the horn: the bell flare is made in two pieces, but the
flare has a seam in it, with a cross of the seams. The rim wire is
stainless steel and the rim is soldered. The rotary valve stops are
unique (I haven’t seen another example like it), The valve wrap,
tuning slide bow and hand slide bow are all hand bent. A variety of
materials were used on this instrument.
