Clar-O-Sax
Maker
C. G. Conn, Ltd.
Date1929-1935 ca.
Place MadeElkhart, Indiana, United States, North America
Serial No.none
SignedOn bell: CLAR-O-SAX / MANUFACTURED BY / C. G. CONN LTD. / ELKHART, IND. / PAT. PENDINGMarkingsnone
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.”
ProvenanceArne B. Larson Collection, Vermillion, South Dakota, 1979.
Published ReferencesReeves, Deborah Check. "Cute Yet Practical: Single-Reed Instruments for Children." _National Music Museum Newsletter_ 47, No. 1 (Winter, 2023): 4-5.
Credit LineArne B. Larson Collection, 1979
Object number05026
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