BEST Cannonball Tenor saxophone.

[Saxaholic]

Hi there,

I was looking into the process of acquiring a Cannonball Tenor saxophone. I currently own an alto Big Bell in Nickel finsih, and this baby screams. I am excited about trying the tenors, which have received rave reviews whereever I've asked.

So I'm asking you guys, what do you think of the Cannonball Tenors and which do you think sounds the best? I know the finish will influence tone and that tonal preferences occur, in which do you honestly believe plays the best? And why?

Any opinions on Cannonball's tenors are appreciated, thanks guys!

Walter

[Knight Ender]

My experience with Cannonball tenors only includes the one I own. It is a Royal Crown, laquered finish. It plays very well. The feel is great, my hands fit very nicely with it. I have been using my tenor mostly for Big Band, and it has a big sound that I need to balance with the rest of the band. When I was shopping for a tenor, I tried a few, but for me the CBall had the best sound. It doesn't have any intonation problems or weird defects. It has been playing solid for a year and a half now without any trips to the tech. After we get back from our week long cruise, I'll get it in for a few pads and maybe some tweaking. Overall, an extremely nice horn.....and the fact that it was less than a student model Yamaha makes it even better. I would really like to try a Big Bell, but I haven't been able to go to the dealer.


As always, they say to try a bunch out and find what works for you, but CBalls are great IMHO.

Hope that helps.

[CashSax]

I A/B/C'd the bare brass Mad Meg model against the silver and black nickel versions..the bare one blew the others off the map real quick..even the bare nekkid neck on it sounds better to me than the pretty silverplate 2nd neck that came with it..it depends tho, the bare one is an UGLY spit-stained devil and rather crude feeling with its sharp edges and no plating on it..but man the SOUND is something to behold.. :twisted:

[Matt Curtis]

I just played a Cannonball big bell tenor in the black nickel finish. It played very well with a nice fat core to the sound. I preferred the black nickel neck to the brass neck as it was slightly darker. This horn comes with 2 necks- one brass and one black nickel.I thought the horn played well with either neck. I think the neck option as a standard feature is a good idea- how many horns can you buy with 2 necks as standartd equipment? The horn has adjusting screws on the stacks a double g# spring and double arms on the low c b& b flat keys. This horn belonged to a friend of mine. He said it didn't play well until it was set up by a repair tech. He said the tech spent 4 hours on the horn levleing pads and regulating. This horn I thought sounded about as good as my mark 6 tenor. I was able to play them in the same room one right after the other. It certainly is a horn worth considering. The down side is if it needs a lot of setup? :)

[Balladeer]

Like Matt, I had to take a new Cannonball BB Globalizer tenor to a tech 3 times - total of 7 hours on the bench - before it was properly setup. However, once setup, it was effortless to play top to bottom. I just sold that tenor to a 9th grader, and I hope it arrives in the same condition it was when I shipped it.

[Shaun SS]

I guess I got lucky then.. The CB's I test drove when I went tenor shopping a month or so ago played great. The one I went home with played the best, the reason it went home with me, but all of them played great.

I have let a couple of the local pro's here play on it against their 6's while at their house working charts out and they were shocked. When I told them what I payed their reply was something like, "Man I should go pick one up.." Both of them thought the bottom end was solid and the high altisimo range was very easy to execute.

The only complaint they both had and I agree with is the weight. This things is heavy. I played my first 4 hour gig on it last weekend and boy oh boy, I got a work out.

[frankt]

My experience with Cannonball tenors only includes the one I own. It is a Royal Crown, laquered finish. It plays very well. The feel is great, my hands fit very nicely with it. I have been using my tenor mostly for Big Band, and it has a big sound that I need to balance with the rest of the band. When I was shopping for a tenor, I tried a few, but for me the CBall had the best sound. It doesn't have any intonation problems or weird defects. It has been playing solid for a year and a half now without any trips to the tech. After we get back from our week long cruise, I'll get it in for a few pads and maybe some tweaking. Overall, an extremely nice horn.....and the fact that it was less than a student model Yamaha makes it even better. I would really like to try a Big Bell, but I haven't been able to go to the dealer.


As always, they say to try a bunch out and find what works for you, but CBalls are great IMHO.

Hope that helps.

[CashSax]

Some guys get lucky, my Mad Meg Tenor hung on the wall for a yr before I got it..Over a yr later it's still effortless to play..and still never seen a tech. :wink:

[Saxamaphone]

BLACK NICKEL PLATED CANNONBALL ALL THE WAY!! I guess that if you're more into the classical side of music it wouldn't be the right thing for you but if your a jazz cat/kitten its all for you! I really don't get you people who are knocking this sax! Its got a nice mellow sound and in my opinion it sounds better than the tinny Yamaha