When did Conn end trombone manufacturing…

[Bach5G]

In Abilene and where did it go after that?

Always lots of discussions about the demise of the Elkhart facility and the move to TX, but when did Conn leave Abilene and where did it go? What happened between Abilene closing and the new Gen (Eastlake?) horns of the early 90s?

[GabrielRice]

I don't know exactly, but I think they were in Eastlake by 1987. I have a memory of Per Brevig saying the new 88H he kept in his studio at Oberlin was made in Ohio and that he liked it pretty well.

[GabrielRice]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._G._Con ... 69_to_2003

Company from 1969 to 2003
In 1969 C. G. Conn, Ltd. was sold under bankruptcy to the Crowell-Collier MacMillan Company. In 1970, the corporate offices were moved to Oak Brook, Illinois, Conn Keyboards was moved to Carol Stream, Illinois and their piano manufacturing operation sold. The same year, G. C. Conn's Elkhart manufacturing facilities were sold to Selmer (USA) and Coachmen Industries. Brasswind manufacturing moved to Abilene, Texas and woodwind production was moved from Nogales, Arizona to Nogales, Mexico. A precipitous drop in product quality followed those moves, initiated as cost-cutting measures by executives not familiar with instrument production, and destroyed whatever was left of G. C. Conn's reputation in the wind instrument market.[citation needed] Conn introduced the modernized 7M alto saxophone; it soon acquired the same reputation for poor quality as the other "MexiConns," sold poorly, and was discontinued. In 1970 Conn also started the Conn Guitar Division, operating out of Oak Brook, Illinois, contracting the manufacture of a new line of acoustic guitars to Tokai Gakki in Japan. G. C. Conn's acoustic guitar business ended in 1978. In 1979 G. C. Conn tried to enter the highly competitive electric guitar market, introducing a line of some original model electric guitars, and some copies of existing popular brands. (see History of Conn Guitars).

In 1980 the company was sold to Daniel Henkin, who had served the company as an advertising manager during the 1960s. Henkin moved C. G. Conn's corporate offices back to Elkhart and moved to refocus the company on wind instruments. First to go were the failing electric guitar venture, which was discontinued, and Conn Keyboards, sold to Kimball. Henkin hired Tonight Show trumpeter and bandleader Doc Severinsen as Vice President of Product Development, and introduced the Conn Severinsen[7] trumpet and Henkin student clarinet. In 1981 Henkin bought the W.T. Armstrong Company, a manufacturer of flutes and marketer of H. Couf branded saxophones made by the Julius Keilwerth company of West Germany. After that acquisition, the Keilwerth instruments were also sold as "Conn DJH Modified" models. The company introduced a student line of oboes and bassoons under the Artley brand in 1983. The same year, Henkin acquired King Musical Instruments of Eastlake, Ohio from the defunct Seeburg Corporation's creditors.

By 1985 Henkin was seeking a buyer for his companies, first selling the Conn Strobotuner division to Peterson Electro-Musical Products. Peterson continues to service the Conn line of tuners.[8] The Swedish investment firm Skåne Gripen bought Henkin's other companies and merged them in 1986 to create a new parent corporation, United Musical Instruments (UMI), headquartered in Nogales, Arizona. UMI closed the Conn Brasswind facility in Abilene, Texas (1986), moving brass instrument production to the King plant in Eastlake. All operations were moved out of Mexico in 1987. Production of Artley flutes was moved to the W. T. Armstrong facility in Elkhart, and reed instrument production was moved back from Nogales, Mexico to Nogales, Arizona.

In 1990 UMI was sold to Bernhard Muskantor, one of the Skåne Gripen partners. Muskantor, with family roots in the musical instrument business, desired a return of the Conn name to respectability, but its arrangement with Keilwerth had recently fallen apart and the increasingly tough market with new low-cost Asian competitors kept Conn's position marginal.[9] In 2000 UMI was purchased by Steinway Musical Instruments, and in January 2003 Steinway merged the UMI assets with their subsidiary The Selmer Company to create the Conn-Selmer division.

[Bach5G]

Conn electric guitars! Didn’t know that.