Conn Bass Clarinet

Conn Bass Clarinet with a great, big resonant sound. I play more Bb than bass (I don’t play much bass at all) so I’m not very well-versed on bass clarinet specs, but this seems like it’d be a good backup for someone who is very into bass clarinets, or a great beginner/intermediary option for someone.

It has a lot of vintage wear throughout—tarnishing, scratches (no cracks, pads seem to have life left in them, corks get the job done), discoloration of the plastic finish, lots of oxidation on the inside of the metal pieces. It could greatly benefit from a professional cleaning/tune-up, but as is it certainly got the job done for me. I never used the mouthpiece it came with, but unless you already have your own I would recommend getting a rubber pad to apply to the top of the mouthpiece. I find that makes it a lot easier/more comfortable to play a mouthpiece. Synthetic reed included—it gets the job done but a legere reed sounds much better with this horn.

Upper register is a bit more difficult to play than the lower register. I’m not sure if this can be mitigated with a tune-up, or if I just don’t have the technique for bass (ha ha). It could be that a better mouthpiece is in order, or that I just don’t have the chops, but playing with consistent intonation between the two registers was on the more difficult side for me, without having to adjust the neck.

Overall, this horn has been very well loved but with some TLC I’m certain it’ll sing like a bird once again. Even as it currently stands, it’s a very playable and musical horn. Case has that classic vintage instrument smell. Please reach out with any questions. Thanks for lookin’!