I heard Cannonballs are no good. What do you think?

[Samer]

I heard tha cannonballs are no good. Im looking for a tenor sax and somebody offered me a cannonball. Somebody else told me not to get a cannonball because their value would drop $400 the first time you played. I didn't know if that was true or not. Somebody else told me they don't put any coating on them. (I need one for a marching band) Didn't know if I should get one for these reasons. I checked with my band directors and none of them had ever heard of them. I would like some opinions. Thanks.

Samer

[silverghost]

Well, first of all, almost any instrument's value will drop dramatically the second you play it. Same with antique G.I. Joes. Anyway, Cannonballs seem to be pretty good for people I know who have them and myself, but I am not sure that they would be a good choice for Marching Band. They are not meant to take quite that much abuse. Also, one more little pearl of wisdom. If you are looking at a Cannonball, look at the Big Bell Global Series, NOT the Excalibur series. Big quality difference. Hope this helps!

SilverGhost

[Samer]

thanks silverghost you have helped me some

[Jerry K.]

I have no personal experience with Cannonball but I do know they are offered with a number of finishes to include lacquer, black nickel, silver plating, unfinished and others. Some players like unlacquered horns as they are thought to be more resonant and have a vintage look.

[Stacey]

Samer,

The ones with "no coating" are the unlacquered (obviously) and the silverplated (nothing over the silver to prevent tarnish, that it). Their lacquer finish, and their black nickel (like mine) should hold up very well to most environments.

As far as "no good" - I firmly believe my Cannonball Big Bell Global Series tenor is the best value for the dollar of any sax I've bought. Play one before you let someone tell you "it sucks". You need to make that decision for yourself.

Have a look at www.cannonballmusic.com for more info.

Stacey

[Samer]

Thanks Jerry K. and Stacey. Do either of you know if a black nickle one would be good for a marching band? Thanks agian.
Samer

[Dr G]

The only thing "good for marching band" is a drum. I would never march my tenor. I played bass drum from high school through college.

As far as devaluation - any new horn looses value when it is bought.

Cannonball tenors, in general, I think are a good value. I've played several of the Big Bell series that belong to various students and consider them acceptible for gigging. Not my preference but I could certainly use one and have it meet my needs.

As far as what color is best for marching band - well, some schools like all silver plate but it's a maintenance headache. Black will show scratches most easily. Good ol' lacquer has been a preferred finish for, oh, several decades (more like 6 or 7 decades).

Your money, your call. 8)

[Nefertiti]

Get the cheapest used yamaha or bundy sax you can find. Use it for marching. Then get a good horn for playing in a safe musical setting.Don't buy a horn as an investment buy it to play. If you do buy a horn and want it to keep it close to it's value don't go and play it in the marching band.

[10mfan]

samer,
you've emailed me, and dozens more here, over the cannonball tenors. you've beat the cannonball topic into the ground for a month now, asking for EVERYONE'S opinion on these horns. how many responses does it take before you get to a store and try one for yourself? 50,100,500? i sent you pics, answered all your emails, and even offered to send you my new black-nickel tenor to try out...and now this NEW topic from you today,
"I heard Cannonballs are no good. What do YOU think?"
i think its time you use your own ears, and formulate your own opinions based on what YOU THINK. you've received probably 100+ responses in the last month, yet you've started a new topic here today, showing you havent moved from where you began. there's a difference in educating and helping someone out, to being part of a soap opera that never ends.

:shock:

[Martin63]

10m Fan- you are spot on here. I've also been following this along since it's inception, and I believe Samer should by now have plenty of information. By the same token, these horns aren't cheap by any standard, and each of us have our own "comfort level" of what we are able to risk. Having said that, Samer, take my advice,(I have Black nickel/gold tenor and soprano, and a Mad Meg alto.) All are great horns, will keep up with just about anything out there if you have the chops. Get out and play, and don't look back. The eternal perfect horn is all-elusive. Regards, Martin63

[10mfan]

"10m Fan- you are spot on here"

what does this mean?
anyway, you couldnt believe all the emails, and the dozens of absolutely crazy questions i got about my black-nickel cannonball from Samer. not to mention all the pictures i sent, and offers i made to comfort her, including asking her parents to talk to me, so i could answer their questions and ease the process of getting a horn. everyone does have their own comfort level, i agree, but at some point, one has to base their own conclusions from their own experiences.
i see that you own several cannonballs, and i dont blame you, theyre really great horns. for the money, theyre untouchable compared to all the other new horns out there. i sold my new black-nickel for $1400!!!!!!!!!
i was simply trying to offer a great deal to the smart buyer. a guy came over my house 2 times to play this horn, just to make sure he loved it. i fully understand that you must be a smart buyer, but after dozens of people give you THEIR opinions on a specific horn, what then do you use to measure your findings?
after all the clutter is cleared, you need to get your own soul and make your own decision based on your own findings.
example: i'm a scratch golfer, which less than 1% of all golfers in the world are. i'm often asked which golf clubs are the best...callaway,ping,taylor made, etc...
i use the clubs that i tried out myself, which suited my swing the best. most everyone hates the clubs i use, but they fit me like a glove. you have to make your own decisions.
i offered to send her the horn to try?! what more can one do?
i sell alot of saxes and mouthpieces. when someone asks me my opinion, i give it, and always say , "but, you need to try it and decide for yourself". i dont believe in having to "sell" something. come over, relax, and try out my stuff. if you dont want to buy or trade...no problem.
this Samer thing was past the point of trying to educate someone, it got to the point of juvenille, and thats why i posted that response. did you see her question on the link mouthpiece???
we all have to learn things at different times, but enough of my time was spent answering questions that she was just going to continue to ask everyone elses opinion on, till eternity.

[Martin63]

10mFan- "spot on" is another way to say Exactly right. I agree with all of your comments. Just trying to lend a little support and comfort to the indecisive one. Dan

[10mfan]

thanks for the explanation. i really have never heard that before. i like that phrase!
thanks for your support too. i wasnt trying to be an ***, and i hope no one would take it that way, so thanks for your kind words and new phrase!

[michaelbaird]

I played a CB global series big bell tenor today at Sam Ash in Nashville. It played great for the price. It changed my opinion. Do the big bell altos play as well as the tenors?

[awholley]

Pretty much the same. I liked the altos better, but then I am an alto player.

[Jon B. Bop]

I just came back from Vail CO, where I heard a guy named Tom Kirk playing a Cannonball tenor. It sounded fantastic.
He told me he got it a few months ago when his Mark VI went to the shop.
Of course the Cannonball was set up by one of the top techs in the country (someone in Iowa who allegedly does Breckers horns). He loved playing it, FWIW.

[CashSax]

I would never swap any of my CBalls for my pro quality horns..I play an older Royal Crown Sop in silver, big bell Tenor and Alto MadMegs's. For comparison my pro tenor line-up includes a Silverplate VI & a mint '49 Super Balanced Action, a beautiful TH&C, a Super 20 SilverSonic and a Chas Fail re-silver Conn 10M..My pro Alto of choice is a silverplate VII. My Sop is a silver Series III Selmer, and for quality Bari jobs I use a Super 80 series II (guess what?? in silver of course)..I use a 'new" Buescher Bari for the questionable gigs..IMHO these Asian horns can be a great bang for the buck I have no complaints about any of them..they'd be great horns for marching gigs (or bar gigs)..and I've made plenty of dough on them when I don't want to risk the real deals..

[Mike W]

Cash, how does the tone of your Mad Meg tenor compare to your Super 20?

[Dr G]

Of course the Cannonball was set up by one of the top techs in the country (someone in Iowa who allegedly does Breckers horns).

Randy Jones (aka TenorMadness)???

[CashSax]

Hi Mike, the Super 20 has it's own thing, more focused and it can be very big and bright.The Meg is a more well rounded horn and with a voice that could rival any horn..altough the tone isn't what I get from my vintage horns,I've had some good opportunities to compare my tenors live lately And I confess to neglecting my own Meg.. if that tells you anything. 8)

[CashSax]

Oh yeah Randy did my Super 20..you know the rest.. :mrgreen:

[Mike W]

Hi Cash, Thanks! Yes that rivals my own experience. I tried a Mad Meg tenor a while back (and the all silver version which was too tame for me and I was playing a Dukoff D at the time) and it was very nice and a good player. It just lacked something in the tone complexity and range of expression when compared to the S20. Those Cannonballs sure are pretty horns though. Perhaps if I had never played the S20, I would be happy with one. I am going to visit a music store in a week or two that has the silver bell and neck Cannonball tenor. I think I'll give that one a blow just for fun.

[BayviewSax]

Samer: I play a SerieIII and previously played a Zephyr tenor. I was caught off guard with a chance to play while travelling in December and rented a CB for the night. It was the no lacquer model, which is ugly as sin. I find the engraving on the CB very distracting. Now that that's out of the way, I was playing a Vandoren Trad 3.0 reed (not my usual) and the stock CB moutpiece (I play a Link STM 8*). This horn flat-out blew! I love my SerieIII, but I certainly would not be complaining to be playing a Big Bell. The CB is about $1200 less than what I paid for the Selmer, and in all honesty, I think the quality of the Selmer is superior. But bang-for-the-buck, the Cannonball is the best NEW horn I've played. If you don't mind forking over for a used horn, I think the Super 20, and early Zephyrs are probably better sounding horns, but ergonomically, the CB is far superior.

[saxmasta89]

i have a cannonball...i was wondering if anyone has enjoyed the cannonball mouthpiece....it really didn't work that great for me, so right now i'm playing a yas-23 mouthpiece(its doing better than my cb mouthpiece)...i was wondering if anyone thinks it is my reed setup(vandoren 3.5)..i never changed the reed sizes when switching mouthpieces....please let me know your experiences with the cb mouthpieces.