Saxophone Forum


by RyanCannonball
(45 posts)
16 years ago

Hi from Ryan at Cannonball

Hi everyone. I'm new to saxquest, so I'll introduce myself.             I'm Ryan Lillywhite, and I play-test and acoustically customize most of the tenors and baris at Cannonball Musical Instruments. I'm also in charge of a handful of other things, but my main job is to make sure every horn plays great before we send them to our dealers.             As a side note, my bosses (Tevis & Sheryl) are friends with and have great things to say about the guys at Saxquest over in St Louis, and I was really impressed when I met them at IAJE in Toronto last December.             Anyway, if you have any questions you want answered "straight from the horse's mouth" please let me know. I'll try to check back often.             In the meantime, happy playing!             -Ryan

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  1. by altoPhil
    (1 post)

    15 years ago

    Re: Hi from Ryan at Cannonball

    Dear Ryan, Hey I just had a few inquiries about the Cannonball Series Saxes. First off is of course what sax player isn't always looking for a new horn, which is the problem I'm having now. Anyway, I was wondering if you could tell me the general outline and benefits of purchasing either Cannonball's Sceptyr alto or just upgrading to the Stone Series? I'm having problems with my current horn since it's a student model and I'm an advancing player. My next question is price: Are there any payment options? Could I have the product shipped to me directly after all pricing options are considered? How much equity will I be shelling out and what will this product do for me in the long run? I really do love the sound of the Cannonball horns and would really like to purchase one, so could you help me out here? Keep up the good work; the Cannonballl company rocks!

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    1. by RyanCannonball
      (45 posts)

      15 years ago

      Re: Hi from Ryan at Cannonball

      Hi Phil, Thanks for your questions and kind comments. As far as choosing between a Sceptyr and a Stone Series alto, please check out my answer below from a few months ago (the long post in this thread). The only thing I'd add to it is this: make sure you try out one of our new Vintage Series horns as well, because it may fit you better than the Stone Series. For pricing & payment options, you'll have to work that out through the local dealer. We don't sell any horns directly to customers, because we know that when you buy it from a local dealer, they'll be there to best take care of you. Most dealers offer some kind of payment terms, but it varies from store to store. If you don't know who sells Cannonballs in your area, either just take a second to fill out the "How to Buy" on our website (cannonballmusic.com or just give us a call: 801-563-3081 Thanks again, and happy playing! -Ryan

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      1. by chalazon
        (547 posts)

        15 years ago

        Re: Hi from Ryan at Cannonball

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      2. by chalazon
        (547 posts)

        15 years ago

        Re: Hi from Ryan at Cannonball

        whoo-ps..hello..in regard to this latest cannonball post..I must admit that in the past i've had my doubts about the line..you may have noticed some of my previous posts..long story short..I finally got myself down to my local dealer..took my own mouthpieces, both alto and tenor, and spent an afternoon blowing on a dozen or so cannonball horns. well, I gotta say..think I'm gonna have to change my tune. I was very pleasantly surprised by pretty much the entire line. The vintage alto and tenor are some of the prettiest horns I've ever seen and were both superlative players.Simply wonderful horns, and a pleasure to play. I tried two Raven tenors..both had as much kahoons as any tenor I've blown on..and were, quite simply great screamin' tenors..the altos were all very lovely, each with a distinctive singing tone, and fine to look at. I don't know if the stones really help the tone, but they certainly dont' hurt it..also, the student altos are as good as any on the market today..anyway, yes, I was a doubter, but I gotta say, they've come a long way, and are looking and sounding great. Keep up the good work.

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        1. by RyanCannonball
          (45 posts)

          15 years ago

          Re: Hi from Ryan at Cannonball

          Hi Chalazon, It's great to hear that you were able to try out our new horns, and I appreciate your posting an honest review here. I'm glad you liked them! Out of curiosity, did you prefer the Vintage or Big Bell tenor? It's funny, my boss and I were at a music show in Paris last month, and saw a lot of similar reactions. Since it was Cannonball's first time out there, sax players would generally give us the "Cannon-what?" approach, and then proudly tell us which Paris-made model they play. And then I'd ask them to pull out their mouthpiece. And without fail, they, like you, would try one then step back with wide eyes and say something like, "Really? Wow!" That's why after all the talk, I always say, "You've gotta play one yourself and see how YOU like it." Works every time :) Thanks again, and of course please let me know if you ever have questions. -Ryan

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        2. by chalazon
          (547 posts)

          15 years ago

          Re: Hi from Ryan at Cannonball

          hi, ryan..good to hear from you..truth of the matter is, I'm kind of old school..I personally preferred the vintage horns..for both appearance and sound..although I was very impressed by the Raven tenors, and have interested one of my adult students who is into the r & b in this horn. I hope to someday see your facillity and perhaps meet you. I live in Boise, Id . keep up the good work

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        3. by RyanCannonball
          (45 posts)

          15 years ago

          Re: Hi from Ryan at Cannonball

          For sure - if you're ever headed down here towards SLC, make sure to stop by and say hi. I'd be glad to give you the tour. All the best, Ryan

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      3. by Jared31
        (8 posts)

        16 years ago

        Re: Hi from Ryan at Cannonball

        What do you thing of the Sceptyr? Is it any good?

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        1. by JBTSAX
          (364 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: Hi from Ryan at Cannonball

          Welcome to Saxquest Ryan. It will be great to have a resource for information about Cannonball saxes on this forum. I see that Randal is now over at Sax on the web. For God's sake don't let Cannonball send a representative to alt.music.saxophone forum. : ) It's a jungle over there. Looking forward to reading your posts. John

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          1. by RyanCannonball
            (45 posts)

            16 years ago

            Re: Hi from Ryan at Cannonball

            Thanks John. I'll try my best to keep up on the Cannonball questions people have. In the meantime, we'll stay out of the jungle :) -Ryan

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        2. by RyanCannonball
          (45 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: Hi from Ryan at Cannonball

          Hi again Jared, The Sceptyr is a great intermediate horn. I'll share a story about it that may explain it best: We introduced the Sceptyr line along with a few other new things including our Vintage line at NAMM in January. A good friend and endorser of Cannonball, Keith Anderson, came and briefly played all the dozen or so horns we had at our display booth. He had to go to a performance (he plays with Marcus Miller), and he needed a tenor and an alto for the 30 minute gig, so he grabbed two he thought played really well. He was gone before we could tell him that the tenor he took wasn't a pro model horn - it was a Sceptyr. After the performance, he came back and I talked to him about the horns to get feedback. I really wanted to know what he thought - he obviously liked the Sceptyr enough to take it to the gig instead of one of our Stone Series or Vintage Series pro horns. He said "It plays real nice, but I couldn't push it as far as I wanted in my solos." He felt like he could only push it so far, and then it was like he was hitting his head on a ceiling and he couldn't go any farther. That's when I told him it wasn't a pro horn :) But that's exactly what I had thought too. The Sceptyr plays really well as far as sound, intonation, etc. - but if you want a horn you can push and push and never have the horn limit you, that's what our pro horns are for. My advice is, if you can't afford a pro horn now, the Sceptyr is a wonderful "semi-pro" horn and you should go for it. But if you can afford it, buy a pro horn now and grow into it. That way, in a couple of years, you won't find yourself hitting your head on a ceiling and having to go buy yet another horn. The last thing I'll say is you need to buy a horn you're going to love. Play as many as you reasonably can, and take your favorite one home. That way you'll be more likely to practice more, play longer, sound better, and have fun doing it. Whew! Hope that helps. Good luck my friend, Ryan

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      4. by basiliko
        (21 posts)

        15 years ago

        Re: Hi from Ryan at Cannonball

        just wanted to add that I have a stone series Bari.... LOVE it.. tried tons of horns including new & old selmers, jupiters, keilworths, yamaha's... The Cannonball was the overall best for me. Also the price was overall the best too. These horns rock. www.8ohmsband.com kevin

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      5. by RayNL
        (7 posts)

        16 years ago

        Re: Hi from Ryan at Cannonball

        Hi Ryan, (please appologize for my English, I'm Dutch) Question: in what way is the GeraldAlbright-series different from by example the Raven? Is is just finish, or is there a more structural difference? I'm on the market for a new alto, narrowed it down to Yanagisawa 99x, Cannonball or Keilwerth. I like the black instruments, but what offers the GA-series more than the grafics? Ray

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        1. by RyanCannonball
          (45 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: Hi from Ryan at Cannonball

          Hello Ray, Thanks for the inquiry. You're right, the difference between the Gerald Albright Series and the Stone Series is the finish (plating and engraving). Gerald selected the two finishes for his signature series because he likes how they sound and respond best. But there is one new addition. Gerald (who was just in our office last week - he's the nicest guy in the world!) asked us to hand-engrave his signature series horns. So, the new Gerald Albright series horns will now have hand-engraving instead of the current laser engraving. The horns are hand-engraved by our artists here in Salt Lake City. Let me know if you have any other questions, and good luck with your purchase! Ryan

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          1. by RayNL
            (7 posts)

            15 years ago

            Re: Hi from Ryan at Cannonball

            Ryan, Thought I let you know I bought a CB GA5-B in august this year. Three things came together: sound, looks and a good deal as I traded in 2 basic Yamahas. The only thing not perfect is the lefthand-table, B and Bflat-keys ar just a bit too wide to be comfortable (but I still manage). The sound is the greatest: they said I sound like a tenor! With Stan Getz as one of my favorits, that's a compliment. Have a ball, I am too! (a Cannonball ;-) PS: the Cannonball mouthpiece, is it a Bari? Thnks, Ray

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            1. by RyanCannonball
              (45 posts)

              15 years ago

              Re: Hi from Ryan at Cannonball

              Hi Ray, Great to hear you like your new Cannonball. Nice choice, too - lately I've been taking a GT5-B to my gigs. When I started playing Cannonballs, it took me a little while to get used to the keywork too. It's usually like that with a new horn. I don't even notice it anymore (my old horn feels strange now!) and I'm sure you'll soon grow accustomed to it as well. Thanks for the great feedback. I'm glad you've found the sound you were looking for - that's what we like to hear! All the best, Ryan

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          2. by Tranesyadaddy
            (279 posts)

            16 years ago

            Re: Hi from Ryan at Cannonball

            I didn't know they were using the Webster's dictionary in Holland these days. when did schools there stop using the Oxford dictionary?

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            1. by RayNL
              (7 posts)

              16 years ago

              Re: Hi from Ryan at Cannonball

              Please stay on topic. Thanks.

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              1. by chalazon
                (547 posts)

                16 years ago

                Re: Hi from Ryan at Cannonball

                last year, a customer brought into our repair shop a fairly new CB Raven alto..seemed she was having a problem with the adjustments on the horn..so we set up the horn with the needed adjustments..all good. Three months later, same customer, same horn, same adjustment problems, same procedures. Four months later, same customer, same horn, same problems. Now, this is an adult professional. We are pro techs with thirty years experience between us. Our sax work has included repads on all pro horns, key modification. p.c.'c forever.so. Four months later, same customer, new horn. There you go.

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              2. by JBTSAX
                (364 posts)

                16 years ago

                Re: Hi from Ryan at Cannonball

                What type of adjustments are you referring to Chalazon? I'm curious. John

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              3. by chalazon
                (547 posts)

                16 years ago

                Re: Hi from Ryan at Cannonball

                the adjustments were centered around the c key back bar coming off the b and a key in the left hand key stack. the f# key bar coming off the f , e, and d ke y. also the b flat and articulated g key adjustments, and also the spatula keys. these adjustments were made numerous times..the horn seemed unable to hold the regulations. once again, an adult player who knew how to handle a horn.

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              4. by JBTSAX
                (364 posts)

                16 years ago

                Re: Hi from Ryan at Cannonball

                Interesting. That has not been my experience with the newer Cannonballs and I work on quite a few. Of course any sax can use an adjust and regulate every 6 to 12 months depending how much it is played. Do you do the regulation using the adjusting screws or do you bend the key feet? If you use the screws, do you apply loctite to keep them in place? When you adjust and regulate a sax do you replace the regular cork with tech cork on the upper and lower stacks to eliminate the compression? Did you notice excessively deep seats in the pads indicating the player used a lot of finger pressure? Since Cannonball started using brass made in Japan for the keys they have been as hard or harder than most other brands. Sorry to give you the third degree here, but I am looking for a reason that the sax you described would go out of adjustment every 3 or 4 months which does seem excessive. John

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