I bought it a 16M: it was a tenor one, from Nogales, Arizona, 1968, built during last "good years" for the Conn american production. This one, probably, were a "transitional product" between the american and the mexican style: the sound was dark and warm...when all the keys and spring were doing their work! They often cracked or they easily missed every regulation 'cause their weakness. Not a good item. It would be a deal if you buy it at low cost and, in a second time, you take it from a technician for a general restoration. It would be a very good horn for a long time,in this case, with its vintage warm sound.
Decided to buy it for price and description and brand name. Turned out to be a "mexiconn," made in Nogales, Mexico, even though etched on the bell is "Conn USA." Horn's full of leaks and squeaks. To be fair, it isn't a new horn but even used it should be of decent enough construction to be playable with just a few adjustments. It isn't! Pre-1960 Conn's are good horns. After that, junk. Now they're made in Taiwan rather than Mexico. Hard to believe there's cheaper labor there! It was my error in failing to ask for serial number so I could research it. I wanted the horn for a grandson to play. Too bad its junk and not worth paying to have it rebuilt. What I have is a $300 wall-hanging or a huge paperweight. I strongly recommend anyone buying a Conn or any other sax to get the serial number and do a search on the 'net to find reviews and where it was built before buying. Caveat Emptor - Buyer beware!!Read full review
This is a great horn if set up correctly and fitted with a Conn Chuberry or Conn Pan American neck. The keys should be set high to improve intonation and prevent a stuffy sound. Once set up correctly these sing with a lovely tone. Best examples are from 1955 - 1965 pre Nogales mexiconn era. Very mouthpiece friendly especially with metal otto links. Has that great American tone and key layout close to modern sax compared to a Chuberry or 10m. Conn advertised these as a solid semi pro horn with a pro sound. Super value and much underrated. Please note these have the same tube as the Chu and 10M's just different post and key set up.
Verified purchase: No
16M's were basically Conn's second-shelf Tenor behind the reputed 10M's. They evolved from Conn's older second-line horns, the PanAmericans. These are solid horns, producing a big ol' american Tenor tone which is NOT far off from what a 10M sounds like, at all... A lot of VERY BAD information out there on the 16M. Please note that the negative reviews which have been posted here are the result of the horn NOT being in GOOD PLAYING CONDITION... not because of the model itself. One has to make such a distinction (....what horn performs well if it is received damaged or neglected ?). The Made in USA ones are the preferable models because they were made either in Elkhart, or Nogales AZ (not MX). If it says USA on the bell, it's a US-made horn...period. No exceptions. The Mexico-produced ones (this started in about '62) do NOT read USA on the bell. They MAY or MAY NOT read "Mexico" at the serial #. These, by today's standards, are still pretty good horns...much better than 90% of the current offshore-produced student horns being sold today. But they are a bit inconsistent in construction and ability to hold regulation. It seems as time went on...they lost some quality (thus a '63 Mexico-made one is gonna be a better bet than a '71). Nevertheless, the body tube never changed so even these still sound HUGE. An old 16M, setup to play solidly, is a heckuva good sax on a budget, and a heckuva good deal and should be considered an 'intermediate' level horn by today's standards. Just make sure it is in decent playing shape...or if not, expect to invest around $250 to get it there.Read full review
I got a Conn Tenor Sax because after some research I thought it´s be the best choice, and I still think the same. Mine is a Mexican-made one but looks well made anyway. What I didn´t like: The sax was not in complete working order. I had to spend extra money to have it repaired by a professional. Still, I got it for a deal and I saved a lot of money!