Cannonball big bell Tenor or Selmer

[Saxamaphone]

Which one do ya'll like better?

[Balladeer]

I think you have to give us some factors (constraints) and their respective weight in your decision.

Here are 11 factors. You would need to weight these in importance from 1-11 with 11 being most important and 1 least important. Assign each factor a unique weight. After that we can better help you with your decision, or you might see the answer based on your ranking of the factors.

Price
Intonation
Consistency
Cosmetics (Looks)
Dark Tone
Bright Tone
Volume/Projection
Resale Value
Keywork/Action
Clarity of Tone
Resistant (not as free-blowing)

[Saxamaphone]

I'm sorry man, I guess I didn't word that properly. :oops: Most of what you listed was looking at the sax from a tech point of veiw... not that there's anything wrong with that but what I meant was which one is better musically. Like sound and ease
L8er
M

[Balladeer]

Saxamaphone:
Sound and ease are subjective factors. What you and I like may be very different. I like a little resistance pushing back on my airstream, otherwise, my air is spent much too quickly. To me, the Cannonball Big Bell is very free-blowing with no resistance. Ease of playing...after getting my Cannonball setup perfectly, with normal loving care the Cannonball held its setup and played very easily, especially the low notes. The altissimo was not as easy as with some other brands. The sound is very clear and not stuffy at all. However, to me, the sound is one-dimensional, very American, loud, brash, flashy - great for rock and roll. I prefer a more complex sound that lends itself to a variety of situations. The key work seems to be very sturdy on the Cannonball, but there are several brands with faster key action. Having two necks did not matter to me because the CBall did not sound smooth enough for me with the lacquered neck. So the silver neck rarely got any of my playing time.

[sjabariiii]

I've been playing on a silver neck/bell cannonball tenor that my school owns and liked the big sound and easy blowing a lot. So I went to try out a few others. They all played pretty much the same except the bare brass one which was somehow brighter and also richer (and weighs a ton). Then I tried a stripped old mk vii that they had on consignment. It was like coming home after a long noisy train ride or something. The store owner came in and said, "which one was that you just played? It sang."

bottom line is there is no meaningful comparison. The cannonball yells, the selmer sings. I'm counting my pennies.

-ANDYJ

[Saxamaphone]

Sjabari (or Andy or watever),
Well I guess i kinda know what you mean by counting your pennies, my ax wasn't exactly cheap but well worth it. You are some lucky kid though... your school didn't really cheap out on their instruments, mine did that being the reason I invested in my own. But hey, you know, its my future as a musician so its well worth in.
PeachesandCream
M! 8) :Shocked:

[Honeyboy]

I visited the Sam Ash store in Huntington Beach while on vacation and just played my first Cannonball tenor. It is a new Big Bell model with silver neck. Unfortunately, I played it right after playing a 27xxxx 10M Conn. The Conn had a nice smooth quality to the tone. I was playing on a plastic 110/2 Berg on a 2 Rico which the store kindly provided. The 10 M was the one I would have bought, had I been shopping. The Cannonball was not overly impressive. It was easy blowing in the low end but not much projection or tone quality. It resembled a student model Yamaha, if that good. Certainly not worth the $2200 they were asking. I would get a Yamaha 62 before one of these. And I wouldn't dare try to compare it to any Mark VI I have owned or played. A Mark VII sounds much better. My Yamaha YTS 61 has more of everything. Compared to a The Martin tonewise, it could rightly be called a Cannonnoballs. As previously stated in another place, there is not much character in the tone. Just my opinion.

[Manny]

no projection, huh? wow thats weird most cannonballs are known for their projection...

[colibri]

As much as I don't like to say this, pick a Selmer.

If something goes wrong with your Cannonball that your tech can't fix, the husband and wife team gets all close-mouthed and enigmatic about their "trade secrets" so you actually have to send your horn back to Salt Lake city. You pay shipping.

[Honeyboy]

Saxor: Correct- in comparison to the 10 M I was playing, it wasn't as loud. It was brighter and thinner sounding, but I can't describe that as projection. Maybe it would have done better with a different mouthpiece or reed. I used the same mouthpiece and reed with both instruments. I had heard good things about theses horns, and I was expecting something more in line with the Selmer, Martin, Yamaha quality I am used to playing. Again, This Cannonball was more like an LA Sax or a Grassi I tried awhile back. Maybe a different horn would have been more impressive. I do agree, it was noticeably heavier than a YTS 61 which is heavier than my Martin or Mark VI.

[Manny]

well, the only explanation I could think of is that they have a limon... :roll: May I suggest Milano's Music in downtown Mesa (if you havent been there yet) and to try the cannonball there; I just came back from there (about the 3rd time in a week...) because I'm in the hunt for a new sax, and though I didn't hold up to the selmers, It came close enough to warrent a 1000 dollar less price tag.