Im sorry to say but he`s right.I have played the cannonball saxophones and they play better in tune and have a bigger sound than the Mark 6.I have played the nickle plate cannonball alto and tenor.Im thinking of buyin them both because their good for playin in any situation especially the key lay out is so comfortable.I think the cannonball sax is the most caple saxophone out their for that price range!

also they are the best looking saxophones out there.There different looking and they have so many different finishes.Most saxophones companies only have 2 types of finshes.

DONT GET A CANNONBALL SOPRANO . i used to have one and i had tons of problems. My lower register was very hard to hit the low notes. I returned it and got another one and it did the same thing. The problem is is that the a flat key bends down in a fancy way that gets bent very easily. The alto might be good but not soprano. I hope i helped.

Hey I hear that the cannonballs are good and don`t get a Monique at all they are terrible and unfixable and a bad way to expend your money.

Dont get a cannonball. They are very baddly made and some of the parts are made in china. I am selling a curved yanagisawa soprano sax for 1450 which is a awesome deal. Do the research. It is in great condition. Just one scratch. Please email me at lotsofcookies2001@yahoo.com if you are interested. Thanks

I agree. I`ve been a band director for over 30 years. My son, an outstanding saxophonist, played a Cannonball and compared it to the late Selmer Super Balanced Action horns of the late 40s and early 50s - great warm horns with great projection. We`re arranging to buy a Cannonball now.

In the last message, I meant that I don`t agree with the negative comments about the Cannonballs. The Cannonballs are great for any price, period.

I own an Selmer super action 80 series II (paris) alto sax and a Cannon BAll tenor sax. Beleive me when i say that the Cannon ball is no different in quality and playability compared to the selmer. I give the Cannon ball sax a 9.5 out of ten rating. the only bad thing about the cannon ball is that the finish is not a gold lacquer but a brassy lacquer finish. Its more orangeish color. but its still a beautiful horn. Dont listen to the sax players that only go by what they hear. I own one and play it all my gigs. Ive been a sax player for over 16 years now and I have played many different saxes. The cannon ball sax is one of the best overall sax I have ever played.

I don`t agree on the cannonball soprano sax being out of tune.
Here are my saxes.
Tenor sax: mad meg cannonball(big bell)
Alto Sax: Cannonball(big bell) Black nickle silver keys
Soprano sax: Cannonball(bigbell) "curved" silverplate

All 3 saxes are perfect intonation wise and my soprano is the best sounding, playing, intonation, Etc. than any other soprano out there except for one. The Keilwerth soprano sax black nickle version.
I actually play in a small band and have recorded with all my cannonballs and they sound great. I have to admit my main alto is a Selmer Reference. But it isn`t any better than my cannonball.

All saxophones brands like yani, yamaha, selmer, keilwerth, and cannonball are similar in reputation but cannonballs are the best bang for the buck. My tenor is almost 2 years old and is still in as new condition. The case has been dropped a couple of times but the hardened keys(plus key clamps) have kept it in regulation with no repairs necessary. I play about 8-10 hours a week on my cannonballs with no wear and tear problems. they are like tanks.
The only reason why I have a Selmer Ref. alto is for my always wanting a selmer. There is something about that name. By the way, my mad meg tenor outplays all reference tenors that selmer makes. not even close.

I have been playing since `73. I`ve played on just about every horn out there. Then I found out an old band member friend (Gerald Albright) plays the Cannonball Big Bells.
So after some research, I purchased a Cannon Ball Big Bell Black-nickel Tenor. I`ve never been so pleased! It`s like driving a sports car that`s so refined, that all you have to do is adjust the seats, turn the key, and go! The car does the rest.
I tried the Ref 54.. yada yada.. YTS -62`s, Selmer S80 2 and 3 Series, Oleg and a few other horns. For the buck, the CannonBall just comes out on top.

I am a 7th grader and I play in our Pride Band for school. I am wondering if a Cannonball Saxophone is the one for me. I also play in a jazz band and I would like to know if Cannonball Saxophones can play classical and jazz with a good sound qualitie.

Say no to Cannonball. They`re cheap for a reason. And if you really plan on playing for the rest of your life, you want to invest in a good horn. If you go off to college or anything you`ll notice all the teachers and really good students don`t play on Cannonball. I`ve played them myself and was disgusted by the tone. I`m not sure why some of these people like them. Besides, any teacher you have in college will be against the cannonball saxes too. Of course, it all comes down to the ear. Try them all out side by side and decide for yourself (it you have an inexperienced ear, get a private teacher or something to do it for you). Good luck.

I agree. The Cannonball is one of the best saxophones out there. Everything sound,finishes,also something it comes with two necks one for dark sound and one for bright sound just to let you no. And they are cheap because they want people to try them.

I heard people from music store said that cannonball are good for sound quality but bad for intonation, that`s not accurate on note/pitch, so do Selmer too. Do anyone experience that?

They said japan brand are good for intonation instead but the sound is brighter and bad on low note but just good on high note.