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Cannonball Stone Series Baritone Sax

Last modified 09/12/08

 

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Cannonball has not compromised their commitment to making the best looking saxophones on the market with the Stone Series Baritone.  Sporting a beautiful finish and inlaid semi precious stones, this horn is the best looking Bari sax on the market today.  It’s also available in other finishes — see them all at                                           

· Construction, look & feel

The horn is much lighter than I expected it to be — certainly lighter than my Yamaha.  The action is good with the exception of the low A mechanism.  These are always a challenge for Bari manufacturers because there are so many big heavy pads to move with one key.  Even so, the Yamaha YBS-62’s low A key has a little better action.  The neck joint is very solid and has a nice metal plug to keep it true.  A unique feature on this horn is the keyguard on the top

of the horn to protect the high F & F# keys.  I have not seen this before and I think it’s a good idea considering the beating that a Bari sax takes in the hands of a student.  The sax has good quality pads with nickel resonators on every key.  The key layout suits my hands well — certainly better than the ergonomic layout on the Hollywood Winds S80-L, but a lot of players may prefer the feel of the S80-L.

· Sound

This sax gets a nice fat Bari sound.  Not as big as my Yamaha, but bigger than the Hollywood Winds S80-L.  I found no appreciable difference between the two necks provided, which is a switch from my experiences with the Cannonball Stone Series Alto and the Stone Series Tenor.  Here’s a soundbyte of me playing this horn (my setup is a Berg Larsen 120/0 with a Rico Royal 3.5 reed)

Listen to the Cannonball Stone Series Bari

Here’s the same lick played on my Yamaha YS-62 Bari (same mouthpiece & reed setup)

Listen to SaxophoneMan’s Yamaha YS-62 Bari

It’s easy to hear the slightly brassier sound and smoother transition between pitches produced by the Yamaha.

· Intonation

Intonation is a little weak because of the flat pitch on the high palm keys (D, E flat, E, F and F sharp — especially the E).  This was disappointing especially since intonation on the rest of the horn is good.  Some of the altissimo fingerings that I’m used to on my Yamaha Ys-62 Bari don’t work on this horn, but there are alternate fingerings that work fine.

· Price

At just under $5K the Cannonball is priced considerably lower than a Yamaha YBS-62 but more than the Hollywood Winds S80-L.  The extra price is good for the sound, but that weak intonation in the palm key notes is hard to ignore.  If I was not worried about the money then I would go all the way and get the YBS-62 — I’m a sound guy first and foremost.

For the typical consumer, the appeal of this horn’s great looks are sure to have an impact.  Inlaid semi-precious stones like Tiger Eye (pictured at left) make for an excellent first impression effect.  The sound is good and an experienced player can work around the intonation issues.  Overall a good sax — one that will be the choice of many professionals and aspiring players.

Cannonball Stone Series Baritone Sax

Like all Cannonball saxes the Bari is shipped with two necks

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Most keys on the stone series saxes are adorned with semi-precious stones (Tiger Eye pictured here)

A nice feature on this horn is the key guard for the high F and F# keys

The Stone series Bari has good nickel resonators on all pads