Cannonball
Cannonball Musical Instruments is a privately held, founder-owned manufacturer of premium hand-customized saxophones, trumpets, trombones, clarinets, and flutes, founded in 1996 and headquartered in Sandy, Utah, serving professional musicians, educators, and students through an exclusive authorized dealer network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersSandy, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Cannonball does
Cannonball Musical Instruments is a privately held manufacturer of premium brass and woodwind instruments, founded in 1996 by musician-educators Sheryl Laukat (CEO) and Tevis Laukat (President) and headquartered in Sandy, Utah. The company designs and produces saxophones, trumpets, trombones, clarinets, and flutes across a tiered product portfolio spanning student lines (Alcazar, Falcon) through professional models (Sceptyr Semi-Pro, Vintage Reborn, Artist Series, Big Bell Stone Series, Gerald Albright Signature), with the Big Bell Stone Series as the flagship. Manufacturing is split between two company-owned factories in Taiwan for initial assembly and finishing, and a 12,000-square-foot facility in Sandy, Utah (plus the adjacent Villa building acquired in 2012) where every instrument is hand-customized, re-regulated, and acoustically tuned by professional musicians using proprietary trade-secret procedures, and where seven in-house artisans perform hand engraving. The company holds approximately 30 trademarks and patents covering proprietary technologies including the Big Bell bell design, the FAT Neck octave tube relocation, and semi-precious stone finger button mounting.
Cannonball distributes exclusively through authorized brick-and-mortar dealers in the US and international markets and explicitly prohibits internet sales by dealers, requiring customers to play-test instruments in person. Revenue is generated through hardware sales of instruments plus add-on customization services (Premium Engravings, semi-precious stone finger buttons, FAT Neck options, and multiple finish choices including exclusive Brute and Black Ruby patinas), with pricing not publicly disclosed and set at the dealer level. The company serves three primary segments: professional performing musicians (jazz, gospel, R&B, classical), music educators, and student/beginning musicians, with a brand built heavily on a network of over 30 artist endorsers including Gerald Albright, Branford Marsalis, Eric Darius, and an educator network spanning institutions such as Berklee College of Music and the University of Utah. Marketing is driven primarily through artist endorsements, The Cannonball Band YouTube channel with 50+ video performances, educational content, and dealer relationships rather than direct online sales. The company is entirely founder-owned and bootstrapped with no disclosed external investment.
Cannonball firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cannonball
- Legal name
- Cannonball Musical Instruments
- Website
- https://cannonballmusic.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Cannonball Musical Instruments is a privately held, founder-owned manufacturer of premium hand-customized saxophones, trumpets, trombones, clarinets, and flutes, founded in 1996 and headquartered in Sandy, Utah, serving professional musicians, educators, and students through an exclusive authorized dealer network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cannonball industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Musical Instruments
- NAICS
- Musical Instrument Manufacturing (339992), Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (459140)
- SIC
- Musical Instruments (3931)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Musical Instruments (Acoustic & Electric) (MPAIAJAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Instrument Parts, Repair & Maintenance (Luthier, Tech Services, Spares) (MPAIAJAG), Musical Instrument Retail (Guitars, Keyboards, Drums, Band/Orchestra) (CRALAEAA)
Keywords
Where Cannonball is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sandy
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Cannonball business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Musical Instrument Sales: Cannonball generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of premium brass and woodwind instruments including saxophones, trumpets, trombones, clarinets, and flutes. Products range from student models (Alcazar) to professional/premium lines (Big Bell Stone Series, Vintage Reborn, Gerald Albright Signature Series). All sales go through authorized dealer network.
- Custom Finishes and Engraving: Premium engraving services available for professional instruments at additional charge. Various finish options (lacquer, silver, black nickel, unlacquered, Brute, black ruby) and semi-precious stone customization options are offered.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Instrument pricing through authorized dealers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Cannonball product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cannonball Musical Instruments manufactures and sells premium brass and woodwind musical instruments—including saxophones, trumpets, trombones, clarinets, and flutes—through an exclusive authorized dealer network. Every instrument is hand-customized by professional musician-acoustical technicians at the company's Sandy, Utah facility after initial assembly at its two Taiwan factories, with the product line spanning student (Alcazar), semi-pro (Sceptyr), and professional/premium (Big Bell Stone Series, Vintage Reborn, Gerald Albright Signature) tiers.
Product overview
Cannonball Musical Instruments is a manufacturer of premium wind instruments including saxophones, trumpets, trombones, clarinets, and flutes. The saxophone lineup comprises six distinct series: Big Bell Stone Series (premium professional with patented Big Bell design and 15-17 semi-precious stones), Vintage Reborn (professional vintage-style), Gerald Albright Signature (artist collaboration), Sceptyr Semi-Pro, Alcazar Student, and Falcon Standard. Trumpet offerings include 92, 826, and 726 Professional models plus Sceptyr and Alcazar student lines. The company also produces trombones, Clarinets, and Mio Flutes. Add-on customization options include hand/premium engraving, semi-precious stone finger buttons, FAT Neck octave technology, and various finish options (Lacquer, Silver, Black Nickel, Unlacquered, Brute, Black Ruby). Instruments are sold exclusively through authorized dealers with hand customization performed at the Utah facility.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Mio: Mio® Flutes - A product line of flutes and clarinets under the Cannonball brand. Website at mioflutes.com.
Products and services
- Big Bell Stone Series Saxophones Premium professional saxophone series featuring the patented Big Bell design producing a big, full, resonant sound, adorned with 15–17 semi-precious stones, available in alto, tenor, soprano, and baritone configurations.
- Vintage Reborn Saxophones Professional saxophone series honoring vintage horns from decades past with traditional size bell, centered solid sound, and vintage-style key layout while incorporating modern innovations. Features 7 semi-precious stones.
- Gerald Albright Signature Series Saxophones Signature series saxophones developed with jazz artist Gerald Albright, featuring Big Bell design with premium finishes and semi-precious stone finger buttons.
- Sceptyr Semi-Pro Saxophones Semi-professional saxophone series with traditional sized bell, abalone finger buttons, and laser engraving. Available in alto and tenor configurations.
- Alcazar Student Saxophones Premium student saxophone with fine craftsmanship and intonation, synthetic finger buttons, and design that fits smaller hands.
- Falcon Standard Saxophones Standard series alto saxophone with traditional sized bell and synthetic finger buttons.
- Artist Series Saxophones Professional saxophone series featuring traditional sized bell, cocobolo touch pieces, and hand engraving.
- 92 Professional Trumpet Professional trumpet model from the professional trumpet lineup.
- 826 Professional Trumpet Professional trumpet model from the professional trumpet lineup.
- 726 Professional Trumpet Professional trumpet model featuring great core sound, sizzle in upper register, responsive valves, and even consistent blow from bottom to top.
- Sceptyr Semi-Pro Trumpets Semi-professional trumpet series.
- Alcazar Student Trumpets Student trumpet series with quality craftsmanship and playability.
- Trombones Trombone instruments including jazz trombone with silver plating and raw brass options.
- Clarinets Clarinet instruments including Mio ABS clarinets, finished at Cannonball's Utah facility.
- Mio Flutes Flute products under the Mio sub-brand, manufactured and finished at Cannonball's Utah facility and covered by the same 5-year limited warranty.
- 30th Anniversary Special Edition Saxophone 30th Anniversary Special Edition saxophone released to commemorate Cannonball's 30 years in business.
- B7-Bari Artist Series Saxophone Artist Series professional baritone saxophone with traditional sized bell, 8 semi-precious stones, superior intonation, tone hole over brace (pat pen), excellent ergonomics, one original neck, and hand engraving.
Quantifiable outcome
- Every Cannonball instrument is individually played and acoustically customized by professional musicians before leaving the facility
Companies that use Cannonball
Customer profileNamed customers23 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cannonball technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Cannonball partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Taiwan Manufacturing PartnerscoreTwo Cannonball factories in Taiwan where instruments are manufactured. The company built these factories from nearly nothing working with a young manufacturer who showed talent and willingness to meet Cannonball's specifications. Components are assembled and finished in Taiwan before shipping to Utah for final hand customization.
- Mio FlutescoreMio is a separate brand under the Cannonball umbrella that manufactures flutes and clarinets. Products are finished at the adjacent 'Villa' building purchased in 2012. Mio instruments are covered by the same 5-year limited warranty as Cannonball instruments.
- Authorized Cannonball DealerscoreExclusive distribution network of authorized brick-and-mortar music stores. Dealers are prohibited from selling over the internet. Dealers provide play-testing opportunities, service, quality repair, and local customer support. The company maintains this model to ensure customer satisfaction and support local music retail.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Cannonball competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Selmer Paris: Heritage French manufacturer of professional saxophones and clarinets, owned by Conn-Selmer. A leading incumbent in the professional saxophone segment against which Cannonball competes at the high end, with much larger global scale and brand recognition.
- Yamaha Musical Instruments: Global manufacturer of wind instruments across all skill levels (saxophones, trumpets, trombones, clarinets, flutes). A broad-line incumbent that competes with Cannonball across the student through professional range with much greater scale and educational program penetration.
Direct peers
- Keilwerth: German manufacturer of premium saxophones (alto, tenor, baritone, soprano) with a long history of professional-grade instruments. Directly comparable as a boutique sax maker competing for the same professional and serious amateur segment as Cannonball.
- Yanagisawa: Japanese manufacturer of high-end professional saxophones widely used in jazz and classical settings. Directly comparable to Cannonball as a premium saxophone specialist with strong artist endorsement networks and a similar price-point positioning.
- Bach (Conn-Selmer): Iconic US trumpet manufacturer under Conn-Selmer, producing professional brass instruments (Stradivarius, Artisan, Commercial series). Directly comparable to Cannonball's trumpet lineup in the professional brass market.
Peers
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cannonball social profiles
Digital presenceCannonball financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cannonball leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Cannonball funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cannonball M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cannonball
What does Cannonball do?
Cannonball Musical Instruments manufactures and sells premium brass and woodwind musical instruments—including saxophones, trumpets, trombones, clarinets, and flutes—through an exclusive authorized dealer network. Every instrument is hand-customized by professional musician-acoustical technicians at the company's Sandy, Utah facility after initial assembly at its two Taiwan factories, with the product line spanning student (Alcazar), semi-pro (Sceptyr), and professional/premium (Big Bell Stone Series, Vintage Reborn, Gerald Albright Signature) tiers.
Is Cannonball a public or private company?
Cannonball is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Cannonball founded?
Cannonball was founded in 1996. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Cannonball based?
Cannonball is headquartered in Sandy, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cannonball make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Musical Instrument Sales are the primary driver. The others are custom Finishes and Engraving.
Who are Cannonball's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Selmer Paris and Yamaha Musical Instruments. Direct peers are Keilwerth, Yanagisawa and Bach (Conn-Selmer). Eastman Music is listed as a peer.
Does Cannonball have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cannonball.
What industry is Cannonball in?
Cannonball's product category is Musical Instruments. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAJAA, Musical Instruments (Acoustic & Electric), with a secondary code of MPAIAJAG, Instrument Parts, Repair & Maintenance (Luthier, Tech Services, Spares). Its NAICS code is 339992 and its SIC code is 3931.