Conn 72H or 71H

[bigbandbone]

For those of you that have played both the 71H and 72H bass bones, which do you prefer for big band work?
I'm playing a 72H now. Have never had the opportunity to try a 71H. Looking for a second horn.

[Finetales]

I bought a 71H once...it only lasted a day before I sent it back. It was a very dead horn. I'm sure there are much better 71Hs out there, but every 72H I've tried has been lovely. I've owned two and still use one (modified with independent valves) as my daily driver. Still, you'll probably be able to find a 71H for less money.

If I was looking at getting another horn specifically for big band, I'd just buy a stock 72H, or an Olds P-22/P-24.

[Elow]

I haven’t tried a 72H but i have a 71H and i absolutely love it. I would choose it over my edwards if i were to play it in a big band.

[imsevimse]

I have both a 72h and a 71h. For the 72h I have two slides. One is in original and the other accepts removable leadpipes. For the latter slide I have a Bach 50 leadpipe at the moment. All combinations are good for big band. If I compare: The 72h with the Bach 50 leadpipe gives the deepest sound, and the 71h gives the most tenorish sound. The 72h with the original slide is in between. To have a more tenorish bass can be a good thing in a big band. The 71h blends very well with the small tenors.

/Tom

[mrdeacon]

The biggest thing to watch out for with 71h and 72h horns is that they aren't completely trashed. It seems like back in the day these horns were the go to budget bass and the majority of them are pretty beat up. If someone coddled or at least attempted to take care of the horn it's a good sign they liked it and it plays well.

Which ever one is in the best shape is probably the best big band horn!

[Thrawn22]

The biggest difference between the 2 I've found is bell weight. That's probably because 71Hs were mid to late 60s made vs. 72Hs having a longer Elkhart pedigree. I'm on my 3rd 72H and have a 71H i pieced together and made into a dependent system horn with Olsen valves. Every one I've owned i had a Bach 50 pipe put in and have used in both bigband and classical settings with no problems. Lately, if i wanted to change to tambor i would change mouthpieces. Since acquiring my recent 72H, it plays darker than my 71H or so I have been told.


As mrdeacon pointed out, 72Hs, unless they've been loved, are rescued horns making them a crap shoot playing wise. I love 70 series bassbones and when buying one i always going in with the mindset I'll have to have some work done to it.

I don't think you can go wrong with any 70 series horn if you don't mind having to put some work in to it.

[fwbassbone]

Back when I played in the orchestra I had a 71H that I played on lighter stuff like Mozart, Haydn etc. I really liked that horn. With that said I've only played a couple of 72H's and both were nice.

[Crazy4Tbone86]

My adventure with the Conn 72H has been a strange journey. In its unaltered form, the 72H played very bright and I was very insecure with articulations. It felt like a large, loud tenor trombone. I made several changes over time: removable leadpipe, larger bore/wider slide crook, larger bore tuning slide and a rebuilt F-attachment section. Only after the changes, did it feel and sound like a bass trombone for me. Probably the most profound difference was the leadpipe.

I have a friend who felt the same way about his 71H. He thought it played more like a large bore tenor, so he uses it when he plays 2nd trombone in large symphonic works. I have played his horn and it has a similar “tenor sound” for me. Just like the original 72H, his 71H has unpredictable articulations for me. I think there is something unique about those old Conn bass trombone leadpipes that doesn’t agree with me!

I think the 71H and 72H are great horns but you must be the right match for them. 1. You desire a lighter, brighter bass trombone sound. and/or 2. You are a bass trombone player that has a naturally dark sound. In general, they had many similarities for me.

[dukesboneman]

Interesting observation Crazy4Tbone86, A friend of mine recently bought a Conn 72H. I play a Yamaha 321 which was the Yamaha copy of the 72H. We got together with our Trombone Quartet and both brought our basses. Our bass Trombonist tried both and the 321 played more like a good commercial bass trombone, where the 72H felt like the tenor trombone he`s always wanted

[KWL]

... or an Olds P-22/P-24.

Excellent advice for a big band bass trombone. I played a P-22 (a replacement for a stolen S-22) in a university jazz band. Later I played a 73H in orchestras and brass quintets, including a short subbing gig for 2nd trombone in a professional orchestra. With a more centered sound for me, the 73H worked great in that temporary 2nd slot. The Roberts P-22 was definitely more at home in the jazz world. I wish I had never sold it.