This bell is a nice vintage yellow brass Conn 4D from 1965; serial number E62336. It has been delacquered, cleaned, and fitted with an Alexander ring. Seven planets, one representing each movement of Gustav Holst's The Planets, have been created and soldered onto the outer bell surface: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter (including 4 Galilean moons), Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The planets are made out of various alloys, including Nickel Silver, Red Brass, Copper, and Yellow Brass.
The bell with Alexander ring weighed 383g before the planets applique. It weights 433g after the planets were applied. Like all Conn 4Ds I have worked with, it produces a nice soft resonant sound.
bell height: 5-3/16 inches
bell throat inner diameter: 2-27/32 inches
bell rim diameter: 12-1/4 inches
This bell was used in two recent performances of The Planets and was very popular with hornists as well as other musicians (who wished they had wonderful bells to embellish).
