conn guitars Unofficial web site©
CONN ELECTRIC GUITARS
Unofficial Conn Guitars Web Site 2007-2025 ©
This is the Conn Electric Guitars unofficial web site page. C. G. Conn Corporation entered the booming guitar market in 1971, and had their own brand of mid- to high-end acoustic guitars. But Conn discontinued acoustics after 1978, and launched their first electric guitars to capture part of the booming electric guitar market. Other manufacturers had already become established (popular brands such as Gretsch, Fender, Gibson, Rickenbacher, etc.) and although Conn's electric guitars were high quality, they suspended manufacruring of electric guitars by late 1980. Remaining inventory was distributed to dealers, sold off, and no others were made.
We don't know why Conn discontinued the guitar business, speculation is that Conn, under new management in 1980 didn't see the guitar business as one that they could realistically compete in, since their real knowledge and expertise was in orchestral instruments (brass, woodwinds, etc), in which,
they were the world leader. Under their new management at the time they likely recognized that unlike their USA-based orchestral instruments business, they were reliant primarily on their Japan contractors engineering, technical, and manufacturing expertise as opposed to having the knowledge and expertise under their own roof. The new management moved their corporate headquarters back to Elkhart, Indiana where their manufacturing facilities, and their technical and highly experienced engineering personnel were located.
If you're interested in learning more about C. G. Conn history, you can find a lot of information on other sites by searching the company name. Some of the history is located on the home page of this site, but is primarly limited to the guitar business under the Conn brand.
What You Will Find On This Page
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Photos
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History and Facts
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Statistics
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Models
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Wiring Information
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Links
COPYRIGHT® NOTICE
All content on this site is copyright 2007-2025, but is free to download except if otherwise specified, and as long as acknowledging this site as the source. HOWEVER, no information from this site can be redistributed, copied to a sales or auction listing, or sold, or placed on a site that charges a fee for accessing it.
PHOTOS
PHOTO ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Individuals have submitted photos or links to photos of their Conn electric guitars. All photos were either sent in by the listed owner, were used with permission, or were extracted from public domain sites, where no copyright notices were invoked.
Click on the above "Full Photo Library" link to see the entire Conn Guitars library (acoustic and electric) where you can actually browse through and see every instrument that owners have submitted. Of if you prefer, you can simply click on an owner's name below and a new window will open showing only that owner's instrument photos.
Individual Owners' Photos
BASS
CSB-1 Bass
CSB-7 Bass
SIX-STRING GUITARS
CSE-1
CSE-2
CSE-35
CSE-4B
CSE-4V
CSE--5
CSE-7
CSE-??? (Unknown Model)
CONN DID NOT MAKE ANY ELECTRIC
12-STRING GUITARS
Conn's electric models were mostly unique. Some resembled other famous maker brands and models. But there were subtle differences to avoid lawsuits. Conn's models were well made and of good quality. Most owners today keep their Conn guitars for that reason. Communication from owners, comparing their Conn models to their counterparts, is consistently positive.
MODEL INFORMATION
Known Models
Model Numbering
Model numbering was not always consistent, as can be seen in the below examples. The first set of three letters is the series. Examples are CSB or CSE. CSB stands for C-Series Bass, and CSE stands for C-Series Electric. The second set of letters and numbers are the body style and color--with some degree of overlap or inconsistency.
EXAMPLES:
-2V = BODY STYLE #2, "VIOLIN" COLOR
-4M = BODY STYLE #4, "METALLIC" PAINT;
-7M = BODY STYLE #7, "MAHOGANY"
-7N = BODY STYLE #7, "NATURAL" FINISH
The below content is free to download for personal use only. It is not acceptable to download for the purpose of reselling for a fee or to make a profit.
Downloadable Content
Conn Electric Guitars Catalog 1980
Click on any of the pictures in this section to view or save the associated content.
Conn 1980's Magazine Ad