Conn

Founded in 1876 by Charles Gerard Conn in Elkhart, Indiana, C.G. Conn Ltd. is one of the world's largest and most awarded manufacturers of musical instruments, especially brass instruments. Due to a split lip caused by a bar brawl, Conn developed a brass mouthpiece with a rubber rim, which created a demand amongst musicians. Initially creating mouthpieces with the use of an old sewing machine that he converted into a lathe, the company eventually grew and the rest is history. Today, Conn is owned by UMI, which merged with the Selmer Company to form Conn-Selmer, Inc., which subsequently merged with G. Leblanc Corporation. Conn offers world-class cornets, flugelhorns, French horns, sousaphones, trombones, trumpets, and tubas. Prominent musicians who play Conn instruments include Nathan Haines and the late great Gerry Mulligan and Johnny Hodges.