Conn 1920's New Wonder I vs. New Wonder II

Here's what I've noted in terms of differences between the Conn New Wonder Series I alto and Conn New Wonder Series II alto.

In the photos below, the horn with the heavily pitted brass lacquer (a lre-lacquer) is a 1921 New Wonder Series I. It’s unrestored and unplayable. The silver plated horn is an overhauled 1930 New Wonder Series II that plays wonderfully, and has a wicked fast key action.

My 1930 New Wonder Series II (top) has a microtuner. My 1921 New Wonder Series I (bottom) does not. Many, perhaps most, NW1's do have one though. (So do most Conn C Melodies.)

Above, the side keys are shaped differently. Note the "ski jump" contour on the uppermost side key of the NWII (the key used for high E and F). It’s not a great photo, and the slope is probably more pronounced in real life than it looks here, but it gives the NWII a very slight ergonomic advantage.

The pinky tables are different. The NWII has the "nail file" G# key, as folks like to call it. The NWI’s G# key is smooth and rounded. (Sadly, all of the pinky table rollers are frozen on the NWI.) While neither is great from a playability perspective, I prefer the NWII version.

Here are the upper palm keys. You'll note the key surfaces are shaped a little differently, especially the high E in the middle. Subjectively, it feels as if the NWI keys project a little bit higher in general.

The octave key shapes are quite different. The NWI has a full teardrop shape while the NWII’s key is sculpted around the thumb rest.

Speaking of thumb rests, the pearl surface of the NWII is a more convex shape that feels nicer.

Both my NWI and NWII have rolled tone holes (RTH). The NWII’s “rolls” may be a little more pronounced. As you can see, the NW1 pads are crying out for an overhaul. As RTH were introduced about 1920, early versions of the NWI may or may not have them. They’re universally present on NWII’s.

Pressing G# on either horn activates the G# trill key. On the NWII it also activates (opens) the larger key cup a couple of places down (in the photo above, it’s the lower-most key cup that’s visible).

On the NWI, though, pressing G# activate the two smaller keys -- those beneath the one my fingers are barely touching in the photo below. It makes for zero difference in playability. But it’s a difference.

That's it. There may be things I’ve missed. Some things — like a slight difference in the shape of the octave key lever — aren’t really worth mentioning.

I consider the differences between these two horns insignificant. Given a choice between an NWI and NWII — if both horns were otherwise identical — I’d buy the cheaper one. If they were the same price, I’d buy the NWII — mainly because of the G# key.

Review of 2 Alto Sax Bags for Thrifty Players

This photo shows the Rexmica bag (bottom), the Yuedong bag (center), and a ProTec PB304CTXL (top - not reviewed; used in the photo for size comparison).

I’ve benefited a lot from gear reviews in the past. So here are a couple for those who appreciate low-cost alto sax bags. I have found both to be useful, to varying degrees. I hope this is helpful for the bargain hunters out there.

Shown above is Rexmica's official product shot from their Amazon product page. All other photos used in this post were taken by the author of this post.

The REXMICA Bag ($60, subject to change)

This bag holds much of what you’ll need, if you’re willing to accept some major compromises. It can be hand carried, slung over one shoulder, or worn as a backpack. All straps for doing so are included. I’ve been able to fit the following into this bag:

• Modern and vintage alto saxophones with split-, left-, and right-side bell keys
• Neck, reeds, cork grease, neck strap, mouthpieces, and other stuff I carry
• Sheet music, method books, folder, spiral notebook, writing instruments, etc.
• I didn’t test this, but you can likely pack a flute or other smaller instrument inside.

Here's a photo of Rexmica's outside storage pockets. The lower pocket holds U.S. letter-sized sheets, folder, notebook, etc. The upper pocket is for the neck, mouthpiece, and other items.

Rexmica has a main compartment for the body of the sax, as shown in the photo below. The lower portion of the sax fits into a pouch that snugs itself against the sax with an elastic band. A Velcro strap inside the compartment secures the top of the body tube.

The neck and mouthpiece can be stored in a separate compartment on the other side of the bag, or you can use a bell storage bag. The Rexmica doesn't provide a fitted storage space for a neck or mouthpiece.

The Rexmica has a Velcro strap to hold the upper body. The lower body is snugged in place by the elastic along the top edge of the pouch.

The upper storage compartment is for the neck, mouthpiece, etc., or you can use a bell storage pouch. There is room in the main compartment for other stuff, but anything you put there risks getting squished; the sax body tube is also there and it can shift easily.

The lower compartment on the outward-facing side of the Rexmica will hold sheet music, folders – exactly the feature that made this bag useful to me. Based on my measurements, it should hold A4 sized sheets (this is untested as I have no A4).

Detail of the Rexmica's construction.

After a few months of use I consider this an intolerable bag. YMMV.

1.    On the plus side: it has a lot of flexible storage space. The minus: it’s unstructured space with little padding. The body of the sax fits in a pouch with the top secured by the Velcro loop, but the lower body can still shift. The elastic across the top of the pouch is holding up well, but it doesn’t feel that robust.

2.    Years ago, as a train commuter, I broke a plastic buckle on my work backpack. Well, it's happened again – this time with Rexmica. The first time, my dry cleaner sewed on a replacement, so I guess that’s an option. But even with a broken buckle, the Rexmica is usable; it can be slung from a single shoulder or carried by hand.

Rexmica Bag Summary

I used the Rexmica bag for a couple of months but have retired it. I appreciate its utility, but couldn’t get comfortable with it’s poor security: minimal padding for the sax body, and no fitted storage for the sax neck. Aside from that, this bag is versatile, cheap, and will also carry your papers.

Yuedong ($50, subject to change)

"Yuedong" is the bag's brand name; it's currently offered by Chehery. It's a compact bag that works great for simple transit needs.

This bag was sold to me in August 2024, via Amazon, by a company in China called Flexzion. When I received the bag, it had a large “Yuedong” logo on the side (which Google Translate says means “Joyful"). The Joyful bag is now available from a seller called Chehery. Whatever the company, it’s a good case — maybe a very good one, if it happens to fit your needs.

There are two large plastic feet on the bottom plus one on the side where the bag rests when stood on its end.

This bag is a minimalist design that will fit modern or vintage altos snugly. In my photo below, the blue, anti-tarnish sack (not included with the Yuedong bag) contains a silver-plated 1930 Conn New Wonder Series II alto with split bell keys. The bag is made of thick fabric that I've clumsily wrapped and tucked around the horn; everything fits comfortably. The bag can be hand carried, shoulder slung, or worn backpack style (all the straps you'll need for this are included).

The Yuedong bag with a 1930 Conn alto inside an anti-tarnish sack.

A close-up showing how the saxophone body is secured once inside the bag.

There’s a generous pocket outside the bag. The maker says it will hold a flute. I don’t own one, but it shouldn't be hard to fit one into the roughly 14” x 7” x 2” space. The pocket isn’t padded though.

The outer pocket on the Yuedong bag has plenty of storage space but no padding.

The sax body fits neatly into the main compartment and the neck, mouthpiece, etc., will fit into the outer pocket or a bell storage bag. Given the outer pocket’s lack of padding, I mostly use the bell bag.

The Yuedong is compact and well put together. There isn’t a lot of padding in general, but it holds the saxophone snugly. Two thin, movable pads inside the main compartment can be repositioned with Velcro to slightly improve protection for the bell rim. But padding isn't this bag's strength.

A photo showing the inside of the bag. You can see the two movable pads that attach to either side of the main compartment.

According to the product video on the Amazon page, the bag NOW includes a pouch for the neck and mouthpiece. And it's available in two other colors: black or gray.

The opposite side of the bag from the storage pocket has a flap where the backpack straps can be tucked when they're not in use. On the other side of that flap is an ID slot where you can slide a business card.

The bag's other side has a simple, Velcro-attached flap to keep the built-in backpack straps out of the way when they're not being used.

After 9 Months of Use, I Have a Nitpick

The top has two zipper closures for the main instrument compartment, but they can’t be operated in tandem. You either slide a zipper all the way around in one long motion, or slide each zipper partway around in separate motions. I’d like to yoke the two zippers together with a strap to make it one convenient tandem pull, but the pulls don’t have open tips.

A close-up of the zipper closures. The tips are sculptured, but are not pierced to permit the attachment of a yoke.

Yuedong Bag Summary

This bag is compact, lightweight, and can pack any alto sax I own.

The good-sized side pocket has ample storage room for extras, such as reeds, cork grease, cleaning kit, etc. It has no space for packing sheet music or other papers, unless the sheets are folded or rolled.

In a photo below, I’ve set this bag beside my ProTec 304XL so you can better see it's greatest virtue: size. While the 304XL offers much better protection, it’s also much heavier and bulkier.

The Yuedong bag is my “go to” for carrying my sax from home to a music lesson and back, or to visit my tech if a horn needs service. If I were to travel by air, bus, or train I'd use something else because of the bag's minimal padding. But as a compact and lightweight point-to-point transit bag, the Yuedong is hard to beat. I recommend it joyfully.

Typing class from the 1970's at Stepford High School. This is an AI-generated image directed by the author of this post.

I almost missed celebrating World Typing Day. That would have been sad, as typing has been important to my life and career. But maybe how I became a typist is a story worth telling.

104x Around the Sun

The frame was produced by the author using AI. The photographs are real.

June 2020, and the world had become dangerous and different. The global pandemic lockdown was in full force and Father-in-Law was turning 100. Like every family, we were coping as best we could with new social constraints – but a 100th birthday was too big a milestone to miss, even as the world slip-slid its way to Hell.

A Great Business Story — And An Even Greater Prop

 All photos are by the author.

"Great stories happen to those who can tell them."

That quote is from Ira Glass of National Public Radio, and I’ve taken those words to heart — even including them in my one-page career profile. (This storyteller, btw, is happy to talk to you about a consultative engagement.)

I love telling stories and have accumulated many over a career spanning decades in business, working with start-ups, private equity companies, turnarounds, and well established industry leaders — many of them caught up in the throes of business transformation. Here's an example of a story I've carried with me for many years.