Saxophone Forum


by dmoney
(9 posts)
14 years ago

My Cannonball Gerald Albright tenor

Im a sophomore in highschool and when i was in 8th grade bought a gerald albright tenor for about 1600 at a local music store. so naturally not knowing anything about quality saxes at the time, decided to buy it for the looks. needless to say, im currently stuck with the horn being in 10th grade. trust me, i know the horn doesnt make the player but im not too fond of it. and it doesnt have a high resale value and i stained the silver part with my fingerprints that wont come out. i want to get a better horn but my parents know nothing about music and dont understand why i dont like it. they paid 1600 for it and the store we bought it from convinced my parents that it was an amazing horn.. which it isnt. so they still beleive its a super instrument and when i tell them its not, the only thing they can think of is "well, the guy at the store said it was good". i know that we can spend 8000 on a horn, but i plan on going to college for music and want to upgrade. ive played it with a dukoff, meyer, and an otto link super tone master. any suggestions? let me reiterate that i understand that the player isnt made by the horn.

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  1. by teggvb6
    (6 posts)

    14 years ago

    Re: My Cannonball Gerald Albright tenor

    Just curious why you are not fond of this horn? I've never played on of these horns, but many times the reason my students "dislike" their horns is because they simply need work done on them. They develop leaks or have adjustment issues that need to be resolved. Has the horn been overhauled recently by a GOOD repair person? If re-sale value is a point of concern, then I would suggest sticking with the big names; Selmer, Yamaha, Yani. I have a few students (and pro buddies) that have found the Yamaha 475's to be a great horn for the money. You can find them new for around 2K. Also, if they are well cared for they retain a great deal of their re-sale value. You may also want to look into the Buffet 400's (I've seen a few on this site). I played one at a local music shop and found it to be quite good and reasonably priced.

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    1. by dmoney
      (9 posts)

      14 years ago

      Re: My Cannonball Gerald Albright tenor

      Mmm. its hard to explain. Its just that ive been to some out of town shops and ive played on everything from other cannonballs to high end selmers and everything seemed to blow mine out of the water on intonation, response, and all around quality. its a solid horn and it doesn't sound bad, its just way not up to the quality i would like. Especially that i plan on going to college for music, i feel like its not doing a great job keeping up with me. The closest actual good sax equipment people are a 4.5 hour drive at Sax Alley and their store hours conflict completely with my schedule. Ill try to go up there this weekend to try some other horns out too. I would say if my parents would decide to get me one, it would be around the 2500-3500 price range. Thanks.

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      1. by cuber
        (653 posts)

        14 years ago

        Re: My Cannonball Gerald Albright tenor

        try a couple hard rubber mouthpeices. Id try Otto links. the new vintage is good, but id try several different kinds of them. im not sure what else is good tenor-wise. Ive got a Yamaha 475 alto. I recently compared it to a 62 and a 82z, and i thought the 475 sounded better. (could have something to do with me playing it for 6 years, but still.... it sounded better) and yes, take your horn to a GOOD repairman. there is typically about one in each major city. for example, in chicago, you go to Maslin. in St. Louis, you go to tenor madness, ect. If you say about where you are, im sure somebody knows somebody good whose somewhat close. oh, and try different reeds. Im having BAD luck with anything but vandorens lately.

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    2. by teggvb6
      (6 posts)

      14 years ago

      Re: My Cannonball Gerald Albright tenor

      One suggestion I have is to take your horn with you when you try out the others. Try them out side by side. There are a couple reasons to do this. One, each sax sounds different depending on the location. The acoustics at the shop may be different than at your normal playing locations. A horn may sound incredible at the shop, but not be that much different at you normal practice location. Second, when trying out horns I find that many people have a little "adrenaline" going and play a little different than when shedding scales or etudes. Also, have an experienced player try your horn if you can. Often they can give you some insight into the horn you are playing. If you still feel you need to upgrade, then here is some personal experience. I find that the Yamaha horns have better response than the Selmer horns. They also, for me, have slightly better intonation. I have found the Selmer horns on the other hand have a richer sound. I would call the school you are thinking about and try to contact a sax teacher there, I have heard many stories from players how they went into college with a new XYZ horn only to have the teacher say "you WILL get a Selmer by year two". Better to be safe than sorry! Lastly, the price range you mention gives you a lot of choices. Any of the Yamaha's can be had in that range if you look around, 475, 62, or 82. Selmer's may fall a little higher than your price range. But, you cannot go wrong with the Yamaha's (Just a note, I play a Selmer, so I am not pushing a horn just because I own it. I have played the 62's and think they are great horns). One final thing, if you get a new horn or not, get it adjusted and looked at by a GOOD setup person. Most brand new horns have the keys set way too high, even high end horns like Yamaha and Selmer. Have someone make absolutely sure your new horn (or current horn) is in tip top playing condition. Best of Luck!

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      1. by dmoney
        (9 posts)

        14 years ago

        Re: My Cannonball Gerald Albright tenor

        Now that I think about it, ive never had my horn setup or adjusted whatsoever. I need to find a place in Colorado. The most established person to play the model I use is Gerald Albright as in this clip, but im sure hes had alot of work done on his tenor.

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        1. by newreedsyndrome
          (343 posts)

          14 years ago

          Re: My Cannonball Gerald Albright tenor

          You need a repair guy in Colorado, email me at [email protected]. What part of CO do you live in?

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        2. by RyanCannonball
          (45 posts)

          14 years ago

          Re: My Cannonball Gerald Albright tenor

          Hi dmoney, I'm Ryan Lillywhite from Cannonball. You're right, Gerald has had work done on his horn, and it was all done right here in our shop, by the same people who set up your horn before we shipped it out new to the store you got it from. If you have any specific questions about it, I'll be happy to help you out. Anyway, if you've never taken the horn in for a tuneup, you'd be surprised what a difference it can make. Even one or two leaking pads can throw the whole horn off, make it not speak or respond well, make it feel funny under your fingers, and make it nearly impossible to play soft or low. And if you're horn is working like it should, there's really not going to be much difference between yours and the one Gerald's playing (that's a great video, by the way!) But it kind of sounds like you've got some money burning a hole in your pocket and you're set on getting a different horn - if you can find one that suits you better than your Cannonball, then that's great for you. You've gotta play what fits you and lets you express yourself the best. Just remember though, there aren't many people who can play like Gerald, who put air and emotion through their horn like that, and who take it around the world and put it to the test like he does, so if that horn is still the one preferred by Gerald . . . and Branford . . . and . . . well, I'm just sayin' :) Anyway, give me a call or shoot me an email anytime, and I'll be happy to help you find a shop near you or answer any other questions you have about your Cannonball. Take care, Ryan 801-563-3081 email: ryan.lillywhite "at" cannonballmusic.com

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