Posted by Rob P-M on August 26, 2002 at 13:32:47:
In Reply to: Conn 36J posted by Frank on August 26, 2002 at 12:14:13:
Conn made at least two horns with the 36J designation:
1) in the 20's, the Grand Orchestra Bass with a .770 bore, 4 front action normal pistons and a 23" upright fixed bell. 34J was in CC, 36J in BBb. There is a photo of the catalog picture in Lee Stauffer's A Treatise on the Tuba (available on Amazon). There are a few of these in BBb floating around and, I think, one or 2 in (original) CC. Someone had one with a Meinl Weston bell on it.
2) in the 30's, there was a 36J as Lew describes it, a 26" recording bell on a body that had to be pretty much the same as the earlier 36J, with the .770 bore and 4 front action pistons. There are several of these around. I don't know of anyone playing these professionally.
These are large horns, with some intonation quirks it's generally agreed, which speak remarkably easily for their size, but take a great deal of air to play well and effectively. Some of the mid-30's literature from Conn suggests these horns are the same as 2XJ versions, but with normal 'long' valves as opposed to the 'short action' offset valves that characterize the 2XJ series. With the sousaphones, in my '38 catalog there is an explicit statement that the 20K and 38K are the same except for the valves.
Interestingly, while the various 36Js were front action horns, 2XJ front action horns are uncommon, although examples are known. Most of the 2XJs built were 20J (3 top valves, recording bell) or 24J (4 top valves, recording bell), with 21J (same as 20J with upright bell) and 25J (same as 24J with upright bell). 22/23Js (3 front valves, recording or upright) were uncommon and 26/7J (4 front valves, recording or upright) were apparently rare.
Based on my review of Conn literature, I think the main reason for this may have been the increasing need for tuba players to double string bass. A 20J can easily be put in a stand (and they're often shown in pictures in stands) so a player can move quickly between the recording bass and a string bass without having to pickup the horn and situate himself. Conn often touted this feature in advertising. Additionally, for the school market, with a stand, any kid can reach the valves on a 20J, but a smaller kid might not be able to physically handle a 22J, or even reach around to work the valves easily. Hence, a top action horn will be more attractive to a band director.