Expert: Kenton Scott - 10/26/2007

Question
I bought a trumpet some twenty years ago. After my daughter took it to school and was teased about the tarnish and dents I want to show her that the horn has character and history. I can't clearly make out the serial numbers, but the engraving on the bell says Made by C.G. Conn Ltd, Elkhart Ind., USA. Approximately how old would that make it? Have you seen/known of many trumpets with the C.G. Conn on them?

Answer
Conn was one of the major manufacturers in the USA, so there are many, many of them out there. Without a serial number, I couldn't give you any idea how old it is.  But, tarnish is not something that hurts the performance of the instrument.  Dents on the other hand, can impair performance.  But, an old Conn - depending of model - is likely to out perform many of the pretty new instruments out there.