Everyone needs to realize that there is no absolute when it comes to the "best saxophone." Let me share my experience. I`ve been searching for the best Tenor I can find. I`ve gone to several music stores to try out different horns more than once. Depending on my reed and mouthpiece, I would have conflicting results. For instance, between a Selmer Mark VI, King Super 20 and Conn 10M, I preferred the Conn over King over Selmer when using a Brilhart Level Air #7 with Rico Jazz Select 3H reeds. When I tried them the next week with an Otto Link 10* with Rico Jazz Select 3M reeds I liked the Selmer over Conn over King (in the King`s defense, the neck was real beat up. The best horn I ever played was a friend`s King Super 20 with Otto Link 8* Rico Jazz Select 3M and the Ultimate Ligature).

As far as my Cannonball experience, I tried a gold laquered with silver bell and neck model and found it to be one of the best horns I`ve played with my Brilhart setup, but wasn`t that great with my Link. I ended up special ordering a "Raven" Straight Soprano for about $1200. The black nickel really darkens the tone. It plays very well. I have a friend who has a Yanagisawa 990 Soprano (990 the same as 991 only 10 years older) and we compared horns. The Cannonball can project better and had a slightly better sound than the Yani, but the Yani seemed a little easier to play. Also, altissimo seemed much easier on the Yani.

A few months after this purchase, the music store got a couple Cannonball Altos in. One was the same style as the tenor, and the other was a "Mad Meg" unlaquered. I used a Meyer 7M HR mouthpiece and compared them with my Yamaha Custom 875. I liked the silver bell model better than the unlaquered, but my Yamaha beat both of them which surprised me after my first experience with the tenor. My friend, however, preferred the Mad Meg over the silver bell which is just another example that different players and different setups produce different results.

I hope this post has been informative. I`ve seen posts that say, "Anyone who says Cannonball sucks obviously hasn`t tried one." This is not true. If my only experience with Cannonball was with my Alto, I probably would have said they suck. I am very happy with my Cannonball Soprano and was very impressed by the Tenor with my Brilhart. Also remember that the right mouthpiece for me may not be the right mouthpiece for you. On a side note, during my search for the "perfect" tenor (which is still ongoing) I have discovered that the Conn 10M is a much better horn than I anticipated and may be worth looking at if you want an affordable vintage horn that plays almost as good as a Mark VI.

Cannonball saxes are good for the price!! Totally disagree with the person who stated Keilwerths are bad....They are great horns with a dark sound. Experiment with different mouthpieces before you put down such a great sounding horn. I have a Black nickel Cannonball tenor that I`m very satisfied with....especially for the price I paid...$1,400.00 (search on ebay).....mint too!!....like new, But I adore my Keilwerth 90R tenor....Cannonball is my backup horn when not doing gigs...to practice home with....Keilwerth...to do gigs with and travel.

Cannonballs are great professional instruments, just not prefered for Marching Band

I think the Cannonball is a very good horn. Like the man said, "it all depends on the artist." I also use an E.M. Winston, NG20 custom pro. I`ve had this sax for seven years, and i`ve never had a problem
with it. Just remember, Jazz artist
Marion Meadows started out playing a
Winston. The NG20`s sound is greatly
improved when using the Otto Link #6
three star metal mouthpiece.

i am 17 and i have been playing a yamaha alto sax for over 10yrs. i have played a yamaha tenor for 4yrs and i have played several soprano`s. i take lessons at the eastman school of music at the U of R in NY. it is the top of the line music school. i have been first chair in band ever since 2nd grade. even as a freshman i was better than all the senors. i recently bought a Cannonball Big Bell Professional Arc Soprano SA1-B. i have tried several sax`s just to find the right one. out of all the sopranos i tried cannonball was the best. yes the selmer sounded pretty good but id have to say i liked the cannonball much more. it had a wholesome sound. lets just say i got goosebumps playing it. i dont really care if u dont like the cannonballs it is your choice and loss for that matter.

Come on. Cannonballs are conceived in Taiwan and end up in Salt Lake city.The workmanship on them can`t compare to a high end Yani,Yamaha,or the like.Comparing them to a good Mark VI is blasfamy!Tell me how great they are 10 or 20 yrs. from now after the finish has flaked off along with the keys!As far as the Yani`s being bright,just what model are you referring to? The bronze is know for it`s dark vintage sound so try again!

I`m first chair tenor sax player in my band and I am going to get a cannonball sax because of sound, quality, and price. I love the cannonballs for their big bell structure and sound.

I have an older cannonball soprano it it sounds really gread. I can easily get that very dark cello-like sound easily (with a selmer E rubber). It is a bit pitchy, but nothing out of control or anything. It doesn`t have ribbed construction, so its VERY fragile, but the metal is VERY THICK, and the rib-less constuction lets the whole instrument resonate. The highs (altissimo) are aslo easy and dark sounding, something that is very rare to find. The price is good, too. I just wish i knew what the model was. (I bought it new in 98, its a pre-big bell).

-Nathan

We have to give the Cannonball a chance. Yes, it is a new horn company, but so was Selma and yamaha
at one point. However, I do believe
that they would gain greater recognition if they advertise their
saxophones over the web.

After checking all the forums and trying several different instruments at several music stores I went with the unlacquered black ice big bell cannonball. The sound is outstanding, very rich and sweet. The cannonball blew the high end yamaha away. The only sax I liked as well was the newer Selmer Reference 54. My sax instructor is regarded as one of the top jazz musicians in the east coast, he preferred the altissimo on my Cannonball to that of his mint condition, classic Mark VI. As for the finish flaking off, it`s solid nickel with no lacquer so I`m not worried. I would recommend trying several different finishes for your sound preference on the big bells if you go to purchase, the sound varies quite a lot from dark to light depending on the finish. I can`t recommend the Cannonball enough - I`m thrilled with it!

A friend of mine recently bought a Cannonball tenor and I got a chance to try it a few weeks ago. The horn was the Big Bell "Super 20" version which is supposedly modeled after the venerable King Super 20. The director of our area jazz band has a nice old King Silversonic Super 20 and the other tenors in our band are a Selmer Mk6 and a Mk7 so we had quite a field to test it against. Also, one of the bari players, mk6, is a doctor and has a obsene collection of horns. So where is this going?....

We all tried the Cannonball and agreed it is a decent horn, it projected nicely and the intonation seemed to be good. However, we all thought the silver plated bell and neck were a very cheesy attempt to imitate the Silversonic. Additionally the laser enscribed engraving also looked very cheap. The keywork on the horn seemed to be set up well but the action is definitely not in the same league as a Super Action 80 or Yamaha Custom. If I was going to drop two grand on another horn I would probably buy a botton of the line Yanagisawa 901 instead of the Cannonball simply because the Yani will hold its value better.

I was recently tracing back through this thread and found someone who suggested buying a Monique horn over a Yani. HUH? That is kind of like comparing a Acura TL to a Chevette. On another note I did some research on the web and from what info I could put together the bodies of the Cannonball horns seem to be coming from the same Tawainese factory as some of the cheaper horns on eBay. Apparently the horns are shipped to Salt Lake City where they are assembled by US technicians. From what I could tell the DC Pro horns are very similar to the Cannonballs...

~Lester (leaps out)

well, for the person who wrote that they should promote cannonballs online, they do have a website with a fair bit of information. http://www.cannonballmusic.com
I myself have tried a few cannonballs and I enjoy the dark rich sound and projection of the altos. A lot of new saxes just dont cut it, but these are excellent.
For all of those who want to hear the balance of all four saxes (soprano, alto, etc.) check out New Century Saxophone Quartet and listen to some samples from their CDs, or buy one. http://www.newcenturysax.com/

I understand that Cannonball has a web site, what I was referring to was promotion on other music-based web sites like "Musiciansfriend.com," and "Sam Ash.com." I think that Cannonball saxophones will become as popular as Selma and Yamaha someday, and if not, well, that`s the way the ball bounces. Good products usually make their mark in time. If the Cannonball creators trully believe in their product, they will achieve their ultimate goal.

I agree,
I have a 1960 mark vi that i just love to death and I just tried a unlacquered big bell cannonball and it just blew me away. In fact I`m selling my mark vi while I can still get great money for it and I`m going to buy 2 cannonballs. Once these horns hit the market for good you will all see more and more mark vi`s for sell on ebay. It is already happening.

Thanks Cannonball

I been fortunate enough to get a monique tenor and it has served me very well so far.