Saxophones Cannonball Tenor Saxophone

[IGoddard]

I’ve been in the market for my first tenor for a while now. I’m not an experienced player but I want to stay away from another student model.
The yanagisawa TW01 has been my main focus but I’ve always the look of the cannonballs.
Having never played a tenor I’m reliant on reviews to decide which saxophones are ‘better’ before trying them myself.

I find cannonballs whole online pricing policy a bit bizarre. So, anyway, I went to my local shop who I’m quite friendly with and enquiried about the vintage reborn tenors (their premium model I believe) and was told he could do me one for £2000, I suspect there’s an element of ‘mates rates’ but without an official price list it’s impossible to tell.

What’s everyone opinions or experiences with this brand/model. The reviews appear decent and at £600 less than a TW01 it seems a bargain.

 

[Greg Strange]

No personal experience but UK repair tech and forum member Steve Howard appears to like them...

Cannonball trio saxophone review

Greg S.

 

[jbtsax]

I do professional saxophone repair in an area where there are lots of Cannonballs. The sax "guru" at the local university is an endorsing artist and the largest music store in the area is a big Cannonball dealer. Because of that there are lots of different sizes and models of Cannonballs that come across my work bench for minor repairs and adjustments. In my opinion they are constructed as well as any saxophone made in Taiwan and better than most. They play extremely well as the quality and number of endorsing artists would suggest. The Vintage Reborn are one of my favorite models since I am kind of "vintage" myself. The one that really knocked my socks off the first time I tried it was the Key Artist Series alto.

 

[Colin the Bear]

Apart from any warnings about definite no no's, anyone else's opinion of a saxophone can be quite misleading. We all have different hands and chops and even ears. I don't think you should buy anything without trying it. Yani's are lovely instruments as are the Cannonballs. However, they are very different animals. A saxophone is more than an engineering exercise. It needs to fit your body and your soul.

My advice would be to go somewhere with lots, try them all and one will pick you.

You may even decide that tenor is not for you.

 

[Jeanette]

You may even decide that tenor is not for you.

I decided just that after trying one

Jx

 

[Colin the Bear]

I've tried many, owned many, still not sure 😉

 

[IGoddard]

The Vintage Reborn are one of my favorite models since I am kind of "vintage" myself. The one that really knocked my socks off the first time I tried it was the Key Artist Series alto.

I’d love to be able to give all their models a go, including the big bell but in my area they aren’t stock particularly well. I’ve never seen their Key Artist Series in a shop.

My advice would be to go somewhere with lots, try them all and one will pick you.

I will certainly be trying a few but I need to narrow down the search before I start, otherwise I’ll leave aching chops and a handful of saxophones

 

[Colin the Bear]

Narrowing the search limits your options. The most unlikely instrument may be your perfect partner.

 

[IGoddard]

Small update:
My local shop has ordered me a Vintage Reborn to play on and see if I like it. I will be testing a few others aswell, including YTS62, Yani TW01, Eastman 52nd street and a couple more.
As an intermediate Alto player I’m confident I could judge the quality of an Alto. But I’ve only ever played a Chinese knock off Tenor for a day or so in the past.
What routines do you go through when testing a new saxophone?
As my experience is low on a tenor, I’m not sure what my expectations are/should be. I’m anxious that my inexperience will make each sacophone instrument indiscernible from each other.

 

[Greg Strange]

Small update:
My local shop has ordered me a Vintage Reborn to play on and see if I like it. I will be testing a few others aswell, including YTS62, Yani TW01, Eastman 52nd street and a couple more.
As an intermediate Alto player I’m confident I could judge the quality of an Alto. But I’ve only ever played a Chinese knock off Tenor for a day or so in the past.
What routines do you go through when testing a new saxophone?
As my experience is low on a tenor, I’m not sure what my expectations are/should be. I’m anxious that my inexperience will make each sacophone instrument indiscernible from each other.

if you have a sax teacher perhaps take him or her along for your test playing or another sax playing friend whose opinions you trust - play soft, loud, fast and slow and buy the sax you feel most comfortable with...and have fun...

Greg S.

 

[Karolis]

What routines do you go through when testing a new saxophone?

See how responsive is low Bflat when playing multiple times in a row (then try low B). Also the high notes should come out without extra endeavour.

 

[griff136]

We sell Cannonball and yangaisawa saxes in the shop I work in.
I personally would recommend the Yanagisawa over the cannonball everytime - particularly the WO series horns.
I would try and play both and see which one you prefer.

A couple of factors to take in to consideration:
1. The yanagisawa beats the cannonball on ergonomics hands down IMO
2. The cannoball saxes are very heavy and the cases weigh a ton too.
3. The Yanagisawa will hold its price far better than a cannonball.

 

[davidk]

We sell Cannonball and yangaisawa saxes in the shop I work in.
I personally would recommend the Yanagisawa over the cannonball everytime - particularly the WO series horns.
I would try and play both and see which one you prefer.

A couple of factors to take in to consideration:
1. The yanagisawa beats the cannonball on ergonomics hands down IMO
2. The cannoball saxes are very heavy and the cases weigh a ton too.
3. The Yanagisawa will hold its price far better than a cannonball.

I preferred the ergonomics of the Cannonball saxophones to the Yanigasawas when I went shopping seven years ago. My hands are not an average size though. I bought a Cannonball Vintage Reborn on this shopping trip and it's still going strong. My second favourite sax was a Yanigasawa T991 and third preference was a Selmer Reference 36. Everybody will have their own opinion, but a more expensive instrument won't necessarily be better for you.

I agree with Griff about the case - I replaced my tenor case with a Bam Cabine. The included Cannonball accessory pouch comes in handy with such a compact case - it will fit perfectly into the little indentation in the case under the saxophone. Griff's also right about the resale value. However ff you make a good choice you won't have to trade your saxophone in for a long time. Try every tenor in the shop (stick to one mouthpiece and reed when trying them) and get the one you want. That's the one you'll play more and want to hang on to. Colin the Bear said it best:

Narrowing the search limits your options. The most unlikely instrument may be your perfect partner.

Good luck!

 

[IGoddard]

I had a play on a few today, but to my disappointment I found the transition from alto to tenor a bit more difficult than I was expecting. I struggled to get the low notes out consistently (E and below). With a bit of time I’m sure I’d get used to a tenor but how do you choose which is best when ultimately you struggle to play any?

 

[jbtsax]

I had a play on a few today, but to my disappointment I found the transition from alto to tenor a bit more difficult than I was expecting. I struggled to get the low notes out consistently (E and below). With a bit of time I’m sure I’d get used to a tenor but how do you choose which is best when ultimately you struggle to play any?

I hear you. That is not an uncommon experience. Perhaps the best you can do is to find someone who plays the tenor well and take that person's advice on how the different brands play and feel.

 

[Colin the Bear]

Transition from alto to tenor may never be successful. I'm never happy on tenor. Baritone after alto, was easy from the get go. I think it might be to do with having an Eb ear or an Eb embouchure if such a thing exists.

 

[kevgermany]

Much prefer tenor. it's possible to go both ways - Eb to Bb and vice versa. However when I play alto or Bari it takes a few minutes to get used to the different pitch.

Persevere. Tenor requires a looser embouchure, more air than alto.

 

[jbtsax]

Finding the "voicing" inside the mouth and throat along with the embouchure that works best on tenor took me quite a while after playing alto for many years. Getting a loud solid G concert on the mouthpiece alone helped me with that.

 

[Colin the Bear]

I've found a loud and full bottom Bb helps tune me in on tenor. Sounds like a truck horn.😱

 

[IGoddard]

I’ve certainly developed an alto embouchure, it was effort not to overtone every note not using the octive key!
I gravitate towards to the tenor more than the alto for some reason (a saxophone collector in the making right here!) so I will persevere until I get it right.

Would it work to test the cannonball alto? My theory is that I can then do a comparison of the horns character, put it through its paces more and translate that across to the tenor