10M Tenor on the way

[CashSax]

Got a '48 coming, after looking many mos I decided on an Anderson re-silverplate that looks pretty good..total fresh rebuild & quality resto..I had one yrs ago and loved the sound and light action..hoping the replate added metal enough to keep the great Conn tone. It's got smaller metal dome resos so it should pop OK..All the origs I've seen have been pretty tired, needed O'haul or over 3K so I'm kinda wondering if this one will make it. The price was right :roll:

[Mike Cesati]

Cash,that should play great. does that have RTHoles ? I love the silverplated Conns. I still try to play all my reeds but some I don't like and give up on. You Da man. I like your website.

[paulwl]

Whoa, you DID get a great deal! (I was following that auction myself just for a laugh.) Congrats, Cash!

[CashSax]

Thanks Paul, I just recieved it and spent my first hr with it at home..well the verdict is in..it PLAYS..!!! whooee..Just a beautiful fat warm Conn sound even with a big Guardala on it..pulled out the rest of my tenor rack just for comps, and in it's own way the horn gives no ground to the others..although the tone is more spread than my 2 Selmers (VI&SBA), my TH&C or my Super20 SilverSonic.. the 10M's really got BALLS aplenty..!! the intonation is dead on the money too, without emb adjusts at all..subtones like a mutha and blows real easy..I'm real pleased..the price was really good, and Charles Fail did a great set-up with the orig Conn reso-pads..the satin-silver&gold-wash bell finish is incredible..it's stunning to look at and of course every spring, cork & felt is new..the action is stiffer on the top stack than the lower tho and not as feathery light overall as some Conns I've played, but that's a simple adjustment for sure. I think it's a keeper can't wait for the first session on it.. :mrgreen:

[CashSax]

Hi Mike, no RTH.. it's #3317XX.. a '48 I'm told, first yr without them I think, but from what I've read on the forum from guys who played both, it seems to make no diff whatsoever in the tone..The price is much higher tho these days for the RTH models. Thanks for the comp on my site glad you enjoyed it..

[Mike Cesati]

Let us know how you like it. I'm also curious what mpc will be your favorite on that horn.

[super20dan]

cash -yours is the same year as mine.-just after the rolled toneholes stopped. i have not found any sonic diff but find the rth models seal better and make them blow free-er .glad yours has the correct conn -resopads as does mine.believe it or not mine is my beater tenor. i had my neck extended so i can use high baffell mpcs and not play sharp (a big problem on 10ms)

[BATMAN]

I didn't catch the auction....I'll do a search for it some time. But conn-gratulations! A good working Conn is really a beast of a horn. And if anderson did the plating, then I'm sure it looks stunning. Is yours satin silvered, like mine, or is it bright silver? I always loved that satin silver with the gold bell. Since Charles Fail did the setup, I would assume everything is in top shape. I hear ya on the new adjustments....my 30M was kind of stiff when it was new also. Get that action lightened up and the key heights set open (if they're not already) and prepare for some big Dexter Gordon sound.

Anyway, RTH should be no big deal. I can verify that it helps keep the seal longer, ie less leak adjustments, but I don't think it will affect overall sonic characteristic. The pad/reso combo would do more than the RTH as far as that is concerned, but since your horn has the right setup, then you should be all set! For even more of a sound....check out some solid silver flat metal resos (regular or slightly oversized) on that 10M. My 30M has them and they really help the horn resonate like nothing I've ever felt!

Enjoy!

[Mike Cesati]

The only problem with a high baffle mpc on a 10M is the high baffle mpc.There are many mpcs that work on the 10M .The 10M puts out so much tone you really don't need a high baffle unless you want a thin ,bright ,sharp tone. If thats what you like don't get a 10M in the first place.

[retread]

Amen, Mike C.

[CashSax]

Haven't had time to really break this beast in yet..but my DG seems to be really fat full and bright..more on this as time goes by..intonation is really good on this horn..

[ferrari]

Cash; Welcome back to the magical land of the 10M! Pop an old STM on that baby and you'll never look back. Have fun.

[CashSax]

Hello Ferrari, yeah threw my old HR Lakey on it and man it's SMMMOOOOOthhhh..blows real easily and a BIG-A** tone, I'm really diggin' it

[CashSax]

First gig on it tonite,.....DAM* the thing kicks BUTT... :twisted:

[Bear]

Hi Cash! Wow that is something. Question. I'm probably going to start sounding repetitive around here but WTH. Doesn't it seem that the Conns are a bit "big bored" (and thus darker/deeper) compared to other saxes? I tried Onysax's Conn tenor a while back (10M?) and it was like, as they say... butta...

[CashSax]

Hey Screech wassup..my Conn is a real free blowin' tenor and the sound is just very large. It has a quality I can't really define very well..but this 10M has a beautiful rich tenor tone (overtones) and overblows easily too for a great modern sound..fantastic Alt..

[Bear]

Not much Cash, getting my fair share of "screech" with an infant in the house :) Anyhoo, I got a similar feeling, too. The real test is on a gig though, let us know how it goes.

[CashSax]

Yes the true test always comes under fire..on the first R&B gig last nite the thing proved to be just a killin' horn.. I'm keeping this one.. :twisted: BTW, the DG-SKRB mpc I used on that job has an extremely high baffle and works beautifully with my 10M.. NO intonation issues at all, in fact just the opposite..dead on the money with normal neck-cork placement..not shrill either just a very full tenor sound.

[Bear]

Wow Cash that's great! The other thing I noticed about Onyxsax's Conn tenor was that the bottom end was effortless.

[super20dan]

mike c-i would like to see if you could be heard in my 9 peice r&b band on a link!

[Mike Cesati]

Dan,I would probably need a microphone,I play with a 6 pc(2 horns)rock/funk thing now and its been going great with the rubber Link and a Chu berry.Of course I use a mic. These guys are hard hitters too.I go for tone,the correct mic setting gives my the cut.
Cash, thats great you're able to blow that baffled mpc,the Ponzol ML I used for a while had a baffle and played pretty well in tune on the 10M but for MY taste it started to feel too bright. it did play in tune without any chop manipulation. You must have nice relaxed chops, thats great.

[cfile]

Hello folks. Though I occasionally check out some of the forum info, this is the first time I've been on since the old board was archived. The occasion is that I just received an old 10m off of ebay and I love it. According to the serial number it's a late '47 but it doesn't have RTHs. It was repadded before I bought it with plastic resonator pads, but still has a powerful deep voice. It was supposed to be original laquer (none to speak of left on the bell), but I think it's an old relaq. I am having some intonation issues in that from Bflat3 up through C3 is flat to the point that I can't lip it up quite enough plus the lower notes from C1 down require a looser embrochure to be in tune. I think I need to adjust the key heights which are set at about 5mm on the upper stack keys and from 5-8 on the lower stack keys. I'm looking to you guys to tell me if this sounds too low and to offer suggestions. I am still trying out mouthpieces and have not had an opportunity to check things out against a tuner, but I have practiced with the band a couple nights and these notes are definitely out. Currently using a 5*3 Lackey HR and no problem with it being too far out on the neck. I get the same results with an old vandoren and an old bamber classical piece, neither of which have a high baffle. Mouthpiece suggestions are welcome and I'm sure I'll eventually have to get a Link which seems to be the favorite for the 10m.

[Hurling Frootmig]

It's a shame they didn't use the flat metal resonators. I just picked up a Kohlert that has had most of the resonators changed over to plastic domed. I told my tech to just change the rest and make it consistent. If I end up not liking it I'll probably end up putting flat metal in down the road.

[retread]

Les Arbuckle (lesax on this forum) told me he was taught that a 10M's key height should be just enought to slip a ball point pen into the opening. That's the way I remember it. If that's wrong maybe Les will see this and correct me. I don't know if the reso change would affect this.

[les]

Not a ball point, (there are too many different sizes) but a "Papermate" black plastic, felt tip pen that can be bought at any Staples or Office Max. The butt end of the pen should be able to touch the back of the "F" tone hole on the right hand stack, while the top front of the pad toches the side of the pen. On the LH, the pen should go in till it reaches the middle of the "B" pad and no further. The rest of the stack keys should be brought in line with the "B" and "F". the low notes should accept the pen to the back of the tone hole like the RH "F". OR......... You could measure the way I have below which is about the same thing:
High B (1st finger left hand) .30" or about 8mm
>> middle F(1st finger RH) .39" or 10mm
>> low C .48" 0r 12mm
>> low Bb .48" or 12mm
I didn't think of this OR discover it on my own. I learned it from Jerry Bergonzi who is VERY particular about key heights. He is not ,however, rigid about it. If his ear(HUGE) tells him a key needs to be higher or lower to vent properly and maintain maximum intonation and tone possibilities, that's where it goes! These heights I have shown are a good place to start on Conn and Selmer, BUT they are only a starting place. On King and Buescher and other horns all bets are off. You just have to experiment and work with it for awhile. BY THE WAY... I'm talkin' TENOR here. If you use these suggested key heights on alto,sop. or Bari, it could be hideously bad!

[kennyj]

Great to see 10M fans. I love my 10M. I first got hooked by a 1950 without rolled tone holes, but then I fell in love with a 1939 from Bob Ackerman in Jersey. I noticed no discernable tonal difference between the 2 horns, the feel was pretty much identical, but there was just something about the '39 that made it "my" horn. I have since sold the 1950 to a very fortunate college-bound young man, who will love it like he should. The only differences I found between the two horns were the rolled tone holes, strap hook placement, archaic forked E flat, and the '50 was bodily perfect, original laquer, and my '39 sort-of looks like a rat--but a beautifully aged rat. I've since swapped out to a better (for now) mouthpiece, a Morgan 7M, which helps me achieve a larger better vintage sound, more even tone between all the registers, and just feels and blows right!

ii-V-I
kenny j

[cfile]

Thanks for the info. I worked on it a little over the weekend and it's pretty close after raising almost all the keys a little. Still having to lip up for Bflat3, and can't quite get there when I play it with using the B and F keys. But the sound is great all the way from Low Bflat to F3. Having a little problem with altissimo, which I was never great at anyway. Anybody know any good fingerings for these on the 10M?

[Mike Cesati]

Try not using the octave key when playing the altissimo on the 10M.