1972 Conn Mellophonium 16E - Satin Silver!

[@JohnMichaelBradley]

I call mine The Dying Elephant. My dad saved it from being turned into a lamp and gave it to me with a cornet mouthpiece, and that’s when it earned its name. I used it to keep the cat from running outside when I left for class in college. It got a little better when I bought a mellophone mouthpiece and had some dents and damage repaired, but even after I scored a Conn 1, it deserved the name I gave it. Now I keep it in the office as a conversation-starter and a warning that, yes, this guy you’re talking to is an uber-nerd. Great video, man.

[@asterlb1885]

my mellophonium came with a mouthpiece that just says "coast made in western-germany." as far as i can tell, its a deep 19.5mm or so cup and it plays really well and has a nice dark tone which i really like.

[@veiledzorba]

I now have one of these "assemblies of magnificence" as Trent Hamilton says. Trent doesn't like the location of the thumb hook, you don't like the location of the pinky hook, and I find that both are located just fine - different hands and preferences. But you're absolutely correct about the Bach mouthpiece in this horn - I have a Bach #6 (mellophone) MP that sounds WONDERFUL in my 1911 Conn classic, but the results with this horn are pretty abysmal. As I have about zero chance of ever finding the Conn MP that came with this thing, I'm going to try a Scodwell MP which is reported to be even better, but its pricey!

[@veiledzorba]

I now have a Scodwell MP. Its better than my Bach #6 above G in the staff, but abysmal at G and below. It is obviously an upper range MP.

[@veiledzorba]

What happened to that conventional mellophone? Looks like somebody fixed it with JB Weld - "The bigger the glob, the better the job!"...

[@Markworth]

What happened is that the lead pipe was very worn when I got it and it eventually snapped. The rest is exactly as you described. 🤷‍♂️

[@veiledzorba]

@@Markworth Ugh - please get it fixed correctly! Poor thing... ;)

[@Markworth]

@@veiledzorba It's capable of playing in tune. Not half bad for some fudd fix that I did like 20 years ago.

[@bennycreeper5720]

i got board and wanted to see what other people think of the mellophonium and i just watched a video that had almost nothing good to say about this. i agree with almost everything you have said and its much better than a Yamaha mello, i got lucky with buying a Cornett it had a conn 4 mouthpiece and it works best for me since mine had a custom mouthpiece with too small of a shank.

[@veiledzorba]

Hmmm - as a owner of a 1911 Conn mellophone, I think I need one of these as well. Just because. Have you thought about having a brass shop move the finger hook to a better location?

[@Markworth]

I don't have the time to mess with shop work. My schedule is generally incompatible with that sort of thing and I have little faith in any shop that is reasonably close. The last time I wanted a horn worked on, the place I went to tried to upcharge me a full disassembly just to pull some slides and clean some silver. I assumed that meant they weren't interested in my business.

[@alexmorris886]

Is there a link to a mouthpiece like this?

[@Markworth]

I don't know of anyone making a reproduction of this mouthpiece or anything that's particularly similar. You can still buy Bach mouthpieces that will fit, but I make no guarantees of how they will play. A Bach 12 Mellophone mouthpiece is probably the closest in overall size, but I'm sure the rim and cup shapes are drastically different. The rim shape being different might be a good thing, depending on how much you like Bach rims. The Conn mouthpiece has a very classic flat style rim of the sorts that I really like and most people hate.

[@shellydennis6734]

How much did you get it for? Can you tell me what it says on the mouthpiece? I’m trying to find one.

[@Markworth]

I got the horn for less than $150 on ebay. No one should ever expect to pay that little. I pretty much won the auction by bidding first and extremely early. Even then, I had to fight off a couple of nibblers. The only marking on the mouthpiece is CONN 1. It's an interesting design. Pretty shallow for being so funnel shaped. Roughly 18.3mm wide cup, maybe 18.5mm or so deep. Wide flat rim like old timey mouthpieces. If you just need a mouthpiece, there's probably companies that could make something usable, but good luck finding any that are actually willing.

[@veiledzorba]

BTW, I'm building a database of these horns, do you mind sharing the serial number?

[@Markworth]

@@veiledzorba sure, what the heck... R15516

[@veiledzorba]

@@Markworth Thank you kind Sir. Horn-U-Copia does indeed confirm it as 1972. Do you have the Eb crook and case? I'm jealous of your Conn #1 MP!

[@Markworth]

@@veiledzorba I have the case (poor condition) but not the Eb crook, unfortunately. A real shame since the slides are really too long for F. Then again, you can bend notes like crazy, so it's not the end of the world.

[@veiledzorba]

@@Markworth Mine didn't have the Eb crook either, but I was able to buy one online. Seems to play a bit better in Eb perhaps...

[@jazzyginger5279]

You have any advice if where to look for one of these? Ima huge fan of Kenton's stuff with them and I haven't had much luck in my efforts. There are some in disrepair on ebay right now but the seller seems shady.

[@Markworth]

You might try a saved search or just look frequently, and definitely don't expect a bargain. Sometimes, you find them listed when you search for "Mellophone" rather than "Mellophonium".

[@Markworth]

There's one on right now listed as Conn Mellophone. It's brass and seems the mouthpiece has disappeared, but it's cheap and has the Eb slide. Might be worth the fight.

[@jazzyginger5279]

@@Markworth Im pretty sure i've seen the one you're talking about. The serial number indicates that the instrument came from after conn moved to texas so the quality isnt as great. The seller also seems shady, in the description of the mellophoniums (there are 2) they will say its playing condition but then go on to mention flaws that would severely effect the playing.

[@Markworth]

@@jazzyginger5279 I've ordered from that seller before. They're alright, just very lazy about their listings. This is the seller I got the Trombonium from. They had it listed as an Alto Horn because...I guess they don't care? You are correct that the quality of the brass on that horn won't be great.

[@jazzyginger5279]

@@Markworth Yeah I appreciate the vouch for them. They have alot of listings that look perfect for technician projects but It just really rubs me the wrong way that they are often listed in playing condition. Either way, Im gonna hold out for a mellophonium from the good conn years.

[@jobelthecoolkid]

sounds like a kinda airy trombone in the lower range

[@lorihaun9956]

For those looking for an original mouthpiece, look up Tony Scodwell. He makes new ones.

[@Markworth]

The Scodwell Mello is $125 for what is described as a 5C rim on an MDC cup. Dunno what sort of throat it's running, but I'll take his word for it that it's playable. My JK EFL 1C 4.8 A2 8.8 was 140 Euro (~$154). 17.6mm cup diameter, and the cost of custom cup size, throat, and shank. The stock Conn 1 is wider and deeper than this, though not by a ton. There's enough room in the shank to go a couple cup sizes deeper, at least. Might have taken me a couple tries (and many years), but I think I might got this one beat.

[@lorihaun9956]

@Markworth I have one and happen to have the oldest mellophonium in existence. It was made in 1956 and the 3rd one made. I have videos of my playing it on KZbin, also. 😊

[@brushstrokemedallion]

no you the man!