Super clean, overhauled example of a Conn New Wonder II Tenor saxophone ‘Chu Berry’ in original nickel plate. Nickel Conns don’t get as much attention these days, but they tend to be excellent players. I think this is partly because the finish is just so tough and durable, that the nickel examples are always original finish. I don’t make any finish/tone claims on the site, but I’ve noticed these to be consistently beasts in the playing department over the years.
This is a nice later style New Wonder II tenor with the updated palm key design, and it was overhauled by another dealer a couple of years ago. The overhaul is good, but maybe not amazing, so you should plan on spending at least a little on setup to get it feeling how you like. It’s on consignment, so I can’t spend money on it myself. However, it is priced low, and someone will get a great deal on a very clean Conn Chu Berry from the best serial range.
There are very few past repairs on this. I keep going over and over it, and I don’t see anything at all! Which is remarkable for an 84 year old instrument. Maybe the octave saddle on the neck is resoldered, but I think it may not be. The nickel is so durable that you can’t see a tidy solder repair at all. That’s nice if you are one of those people who wants to play a Conn but doesn’t want to be able to see any repairs. You can get things fixed on this as needed, without leaving a trace, if your repairman knows what he’s doing.
