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Clar-O-Sax
Maker: C. G. Conn, Ltd.
Date: 1929-1935 ca.
Place Made:Elkhart, Indiana, United States, North America
Serial No: none
SignedOn bell: CLAR-O-SAX / MANUFACTURED BY / C. G. CONN LTD. / ELKHART, IND. / PAT. PENDING
Markingsnone
DescriptionOne-piece body and bell. Metal body, keywork, and thumbrest. Seven fingerholes, including a raised thumbhole, and one register key. Bottom two fingerholes are elongated and set at a diagonal. Includes an original Conn cast metal (aluminum?) mouthpiece. Features characteristics of U.S. patent 1,855,248 A (1932).
Patented in 1932 by Allen Loomis, a designer at C. G. Conn, Ltd., of Elkhart, Indiana, noted for his innovative ideas, the “Clar-O-Sax” had many features that would have been ideal for those players with small hands. According to an ad in Conn’s "Musical Truth," "the Clar-O-Sax is the ideal instrument for elementary training on saxophone or clarinet . . . Extremely easy to play, but in spite of its simplicity, offering unlimited possibilities to the experienced player.”
Patented in 1932 by Allen Loomis, a designer at C. G. Conn, Ltd., of Elkhart, Indiana, noted for his innovative ideas, the “Clar-O-Sax” had many features that would have been ideal for those players with small hands. According to an ad in Conn’s "Musical Truth," "the Clar-O-Sax is the ideal instrument for elementary training on saxophone or clarinet . . . Extremely easy to play, but in spite of its simplicity, offering unlimited possibilities to the experienced player.”
ProvenanceArne B. Larson Collection, Vermillion, South Dakota, 1979.
Terms
Credit Line: Arne B. Larson Collection, 1979
Not on view
Published ReferencesReeves, Deborah Check. "Cute Yet Practical: Single-Reed Instruments for Children." _National Music Museum Newsletter_ 47, No. 1 (Winter, 2023): 4-5.
Object number: 05026