Silver/gold Conn C Melody sax, New Wonder II Chu Berry 1925-restored, pro.

Description: Dean Sanford Music, LLCVintage Conn Saxophone SpecialistKalamazoo, MI 49048Another beautiful restoration:Silver/gold Conn C Melody, straight neck saxophoneNew Wonder series II, Chu BerryRoo pads-white leather, flat metal resonatorsBeautiful Silver plated body and gold plated keys, gold wash bell and engravingBeautiful condition with few blemishesSerial M159067LPManufactured 1925 Restored by Dean Sanford MusicSaxophone, silver plated end plug, and original case are included in this package.Accessories like mouthpiece and neck strap are not included.Four corks are added inside the bell and bottom crook to enhance the acoustics.Protec (model A352) key risers are added to palm D and D#, and side high E keys to improve the ergonomics.Play tested with a Buescher C melody mouthpiece (not included) and LaVoz MH tenor saxophone reed (not included). The Buescher C melody mouthpiece (not included) seems to perform better than the Conn C melody mouthpieces (not included) that I tested.This is a remarkable saxophone. The silver and gold plating is in excellent condition. There are blemishes, but those blemishes are few.Blemishes to note: Slight plating wear on the keyguard corners. Small scratches in the gold wash bell and misc. other places. There are some faint lines in the gold wash engraving.The case looks great on the inside; the handle could use some tender loving care. The middle latch does not work.There is a slight groove worn in the neck strap ring- barely noticeable.Under the right neck post is a small dimple.Part of the rim of the neck tip is missing; it has been repaired and reinforced. Now it is stronger than when it was manufactured.Not only is this saxophone in a beautiful condition but carries with it the performance quality for a professional player. This saxophone appears to have been resting quietly in the case for decades with only a moderate amount of playing time. The Conn New Wonder saxophones are noted for their big, beautiful tone and accurate intonation. This New Wonder exemplifies the big, beautiful tone and accurate intonation. It is a professional player’s horn.All new Roo pads, corks, felts, and replacement necessary springs have been installed. Special attention is given to producing a light nimble, quiet action while at the same time maximizing intonation accuracy. This is not an eBay “all ready to play" listing where you pay a high price yet have to take it to a repair shop when you receive it. The work is already done on this saxophone. You will notice the difference even before you play the first note when you run your fingers up and down the keys. Then, when you play, you will experience the joy of what it can do!Specific areas I address when I restore a silver or gold plated Conn saxophone:Loose play is removed from the key mechanism while keeping the mechanism moving freely.In addition to the loose play being removed, the palm F key, octave mechanisms, and side Bb keys are stabilized with corks on the guide braces.Appropriate corks are waxed, maximizing the fluid movement of the mechanism.High quality cork is used.A special brace is added under the neck cork tip to give the neck tip more durability. This is especially important with the weight of the micro tuner.Tarnish preventative silver polish is hand applied on the plating to give a longer lasting shine.An anti-tarnish strip is also included in the case to extend the shine of the plating.Traditional shellac is spread over the entire back of the pad, ensuring that the pad will be anchored all around the cup, stabilizing the adjustments.Pad adjustments are made over a period of days with many visits to compensate for material memory.Play testing is thorough, in an artist’s hands.The saxophone will be packaged very carefully to deliver it to you in exactly the same condition as it is leaving my repair shop. To build your confidence in this purchase, you may have seven business days from when you receive it, to evaluate and return it. I have confidence that you won't want to return it. However, if the need arises, please follow these requirements, to qualify for a return:Communicate with me about your concern before you ship; give me 24 hours to respond back.You have seven business days only, to return.Keep the instrument in its original condition.Repackage exactly like received.Pay for return shipping and insurance like I did in sending it to you.Note all the positive feedback left here on eBay prior to the last 12 months. Also note additional feedback from very satisfied customers from prior years, below.Thank you for your interest in my saxophone and taking time to read the details.Dean SanfordNotice that many eBay buyers have been very pleased with my restoration work-pleased enough to give additional feedback:Mike from AustraliaHi Dean ,The sax looks great and sounds great! Great restoration work and attention to detail. I really appreciated your honesty and the way you were willing to answer all my queries and send the sax so quickly. I will happily recommend your service to any instrument lover. Additionally your pricing was fair and reasonable. Thanks again!Mike from Australia [quoted with permission] Christoph from SwitzerlandHello deansandfordmusicresumed: the saxophone plays great.more detailed: As I am new to vintage horns, I took the horn to my ordinary sax-doctor. He raved about the quality of the restoration and made no further adjustments.The sax has the great sound I was hoping for. I heard a lot about intonation-issues with vintage instruments in general and c-mels in specific. Not this one. Intonation is on par with the one of my "modern" yanagisawa alto.Also the micro tuner-neck has no play or leaks - another thing I was concerned about.Action of the keys is free yet precise.deansandfordmusic, you did a great job on this saxophone.sincerelychristoph [quoted with permission] Tony from the United KingdomHello Dean I am just back from the Post Office with the sax - and have been playing it. It is terrific. Exactly what I wanted - it looks and sounds great [I have a custom Gloger neck on it now - producing a darker tone]. It is in the top 2 of my C melodys [I have 5 - the other choice one is a Selmer modele 26 which is great but not so versatile on stage as it's tenor neck pushes it higher on the neck strap] The Conn is all that I hoped that it would be, and more, and the condition is a joy - Thanks very much - I just about to post 5 stars best wishes Tony [quoted with permission] Almost a month later Tony writes:Hello Dean i just wanted to say that I absolutely delighted with the C Melody - it's intonation is better then the other.s that I have…. best wishes Tony Jay from Rogersville, Tennessee,USADean, I love the Conn. I can't seem to put it down…. Later....jay [quoted with permission] Willard from Houston, TexasHello Dean: Here's what Lloyd …, the owner of the local music store said on my Facebook page: " That sax is the most beautiful C Melody or any other type, silver plated horn I've ever seen!!! What a great job of restoration the previous owner did!!!! [Dean Sanford Music] Premium shape!!! Can't wait to hear you play it!!!! Thanks for bringing it by the studio!!!" Lloyd has two C melody saxes that are almost identical to mine.Willard from Houston, Texas [quoted with permission] Matthias from GermanyHi, I´ve got your sax yesterday. I had then a double surprise: First I had to pay another 300 € (about 22% tax on the buying and shipping price) on the instrument, that I didn´t really realized before. (So in future I have to be more careful buying in the US :-).) Then I opened the package and the case. Wow, what a lovely horn! It´s light as a feather, it looks amazing and is in an absolute top playing condition. Very good overhauling work. The handling is a little bit unusual (compared to a modern horn) but the sound is great and I think it will be worth working with this great Conn-Chu Berry-Alto sax. Could you tell me; how do you polish the horn? Do you use silver polish? Which brand? And these anti-tarnish strips? Do they work well? But only when the horn isin the case? Well, thanks a lot for that international eBay-deal. Regards to the US.Matthias from Germany [quoted with permission] August 8, 2012Dear deansanfordmusic, once again I would like to give a feedback to the Conn Chu Berry that I recently bought from you. You have made a really perfect job in reconditioning this horn. It's in a perfect shape. It's a great pleasure to play on this horn from the twenties. I could almost feel this long gone time while playing this horn. I've also found a mouthpiece that goes very well with it. So, now I have almost an early Lee Konitz sound, my favorite alto player… You can have a look to my homepage, if you want to know where your sax is gone to. Many regards from GermanyMatthiasMatthias from Germany [quoted with permission] Sept 1,2012 Jon from LondonJon from London is an example of a buyer who is delighted with his purchase of a silver Conn New Wonder series II (often called Chu Berry) alto: Hi Dean, All safely received today - what a beauty!! Considering it is 1920's, the condition is outstanding. It plays great but I'll need a while to get fully familiar with the pinky ergonomics as I'm used to a modern Yamaha & Yanagisawa.You've done a fantastic overhaul job.....just a shame you're so far away otherwise I'd use you for all my repair work.Thanks again for a great deal & shipping so quickly. All the best,Jon [quote used with permission of buyer]Jon from London [six months after the sale!!]:Jon,Good to hear from you. I need to get follow up feedback from my customers several months after the sale so I can continue to improve my restorations. Thanks for your help in that regard. Can you think of any other improvements that would have been beneficial to your purchase? Were there any problems even though small that you had to overcome? What are some things that stood out to you as being very well liked?Dean --August 30, 2012Hi Dean,There's nothing else I can really think if that could have been improved with my sax.....my tech looked it over whilst I was in there to get some work done on one of my other saxes and there were just a couple of really minor leaks where a couple of pads had shifted a little, but that's only to be expected after an overhaul anyway as things settle down. I mainly play solo sax gigs for wedding receptions on tenor & alto, but the majority is on alto so it gets plenty of use.What I did like was that my mpc fitted perfectly without any adjustment (I use Lawton mpc's), there were no issues where any corks were missing or not properly fitted as I've had sometimes before on other saxes, it just felt great from the start. As you run down the keys one by one, it was a perfect sound as the pads closed, just like a new sax, with no rattles. When you deal with someone new you don't really know the quality of the work until you see it, bit all in all it was a top job that you did on my sax.I've got a great tech over here that I use for any vintage work& he's just done my '33 transitional with new resos - as it's a tranny, a couple of pads were odd sizes so he had to make the two new ones using the metal rings from the original resos on Pisoni pads, but it can be hard to find someone who really knows what thy're doing!…Thanks again,Jon from London, August 30, 2012 Heike from GermanyHeike from Germany is an example of a buyer who is delighted with the purchase of a silver 1929 transitional Conn New Wonder series II (often called Chu Berry)Dear deansanfordmusic, Goodmorning, The instrument is great, soft & round sound, very good intonation! I’m happy. The only thing is that I have to get used to the slight difference of position of some keys as all my others are Keilwerth. The instrument is so well maintained and serviced - I was really thinking of sending one of my Keilwerth instruments over to the US for a full service! All the best Heike [quote used with permission of buyer]

Price: 2199 USD

Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan

End Time: 2024-11-05T21:55:18.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD