Better off with a YAS23 than with a Cannonball. Who knows - maybe the III will go up for sale.BTW, I absolutely hated the Cannonball. When I get the chance, it will be Iron Chef time. unlacquered or silver plate is simply a matter of appearance and upkeep in my opinion.So I'll gladly keep my III for now.I just wish they had a Yamaha 82Z or 875EX to try out. Maybe colored lacquer dulls things to a noticeable amount, but standard lacquer vs. I like the feel of unlacquered horns, so silver works for me. Maybe Selmer's C# tonehole is specifically for some inherent flaw in their bore design or something.The lacquered III had a touch less brightness, but nothing terribly significant. The Ref's C# had that hint of flatness to it but was better than I've experienced on other horns I've played. The LH pinky table played the same between the two as far as I could tell.And I'll attest that the III's middle C# tonehole most certainly DOES make a difference. I also like the larger plafrom of the III RH pinky table. The Ref high E is flat as the palm keys are below it.

The high E on the III has a little bit of a lip to it which I've come to rely upon, apparently. High A rang nice and clear on both the Ref and the III.Maybe it's because I'm used to it, but I like the III's keywork much better. The tenons are the same size but the III neck was a bit longer with the octave pip slightly closer to the mouthpiece. I swapped necks between the horns and didn't notice any difference at all. So close to the lacquered III that I'd say that there was no noticeable difference as a player tone-wise. I played both a vintage LT and a Vandoren JJ A55.The Ref played only slightly warmer than my III (which plays brightly anyhow) and played about identical to the lacquered III.

my silver plate III and a standard lacquered III. Well, I just took the Pepsi Challenge (with the blindfold off - anyone know what I'm talking about?)I played the Ref vs.

Selmer reference 54 dragon alto