Hey all,

I`m kind off torn between repairing my old Conn 88H F trigger or buying a new Yamaha Xeno.
Those old 88Hs are selling like hotcakes on Ebay, and I know why (I played one for several years in high school).
Anyhow, I heard "Blue Bells of Scotland" on classical radio the other day (probably by Lindberg) and felt the desire to grab my horn (which is in the States; I live abroad right now), which I haven`t touched in 12 years.
I have fond memories of practicing "Blue Bells" for All-State back in the day.

Anyhow, I saw an 88H sell for about $1400 last week on Ebay. Another one sold after that and then some instrument store hopped on the band wagon and decided to sell their 88H as well, which they had retuned to "mint" condition.

The Yamaha Xeno Trombone is currently on sale at 123music.com for roughly $2000.

Anyone played the Xeno? I visited their website and it certainly sounds nice. Of course, my Conns absolutely gorgeous. I never felt jealous sitting next to a row of Bach Stradivarius-lovers in high school band.

i feel that the Xeno is a good horn, but i would never play one. I just dont like how the feel ON ME. I dunno you might want to pick one up and see how it plays on you. But if you are a conn lover you might like it, personally though conn 88s are awesome... i think old horns usually play better than new ones..

I was really lucky when I picked up my Conn. This guy had a surfeit of them and was doing anything he could to sell them and put food on the table. I got an nice 1970s Conn 88H with a complete tune-up for $250 from what I remember. My band director and trombone teacher could never stop talking about the "steal" that I got. At one point, I saw the same model selling on Ebay for $3,000 (that`s the highest I ever saw). Yep, Conn`s are really good at keeping their value. If only used cars kept their value as well...

Some guy named "nurseplayer" is buying up all the Conn 88Hs on the net. I`m excited to see how the mint condition Conn is gonna sell for.

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