I play a Conn 28D, made in 1970 just before the Elkhart plant was moved to Texas and the quality took a nose dive. I found it in a local music shop basement and bought it for $600. An $1,100 overhaul by Paul Navarro made it as good as new. It fits me physically (ergonomically) better than any other Horn I've played. It takes a lot of air which means I need more work on breathing technique.
My mouthpiece was custom made for me by Tom Greer at Moosewood Horn Requisites. Because of crooked teeth, I needed either 5 years in braces ($6,000) or a few hundred dollars worth of custom mouthpiece. You know which I chose.
The Underpart is an A12. That was Tom's standard back in 2000. He now makes it as an A11. The rim is custom made to my needs. It took us only three tries to get what worked for me. The OD of the rim is 1 1/4". That's huge. Almost all Horn experts will tell you that's not a good idea because it tends to hinder lip flexibility. It probably does but without it I can't play. I'd rather play with limitations than not play at all.
I play in the Elmhurst College and Community Band. In the 5 years I've been playing with them, the band has grown from one to three different ensembles.