Official Zon Club Part 4

[Mulebagger]

I went w quilted&spalted maple over ash with a wenge tone plate.
There was a sweet 519 flame maple over mahogany offered up in the last thread. If that was ash I would have been all over it.

[Vic]

Originally Posted by Mulebagger

I went w quilted&spalted maple over ash with a wenge tone plate.
There was a sweet 519 flame maple over mahogany offered up in the last thread. If that was ash I would have been all over it.

Mine's a 5/19 (not a "519") koa top over ash but also with a wenge tone plate.

[Angus]

Originally Posted by Vic

Mine's a 5/19

If I know anything about their naming system, I'd say that 19 pickups is just overkill, Vic. Three is the max for even those who want lots of options...do you really need 16 more than that?!

[The_Owl]

519 comes standard with 35" scale, right?

[The_Owl]

Originally Posted by Vic

Mine certainly does.

And mine (not a Zon, still sings though)!

[Mulebagger]

519 has 19mm spacing for sure.

I guess my new bass should be designated 619/4 because it's got a custom 2 pickup setup with a full dual coil and single coil in each shell. (S/H, H/S)

But I'll refer to it as the monster probably

[lsu921]

Originally Posted by The_Owl

519 comes standard with 35" scale, right?

519's were originally 19mm spacing, 35" scale, and 22 frets. They now offer a 519-34, which is 19mm spacing, 34" scale, and 24 frets. That's what Vic has; basically a Sonus 5 with 19mm spacing. I have a 519H, which is the same a 519 (19,35,22), but it has humbuckers and not single coils.

[Mulebagger]

Mine will be 34" 24 frets w the TJ cutaway. I was going to go w 35" since I played a Q6 for ten years and was used to it. If it was a 5er I would have gone w the regular 519, but I like the speaking voice of the C string better at 34"

[Vic]

Originally Posted by Angus

If I know anything about their naming system, I'd say that 19 pickups is just overkill, Vic. Three is the max for even those who want lots of options...do you really need 16 more than that?!

Unfortunately, this one breaks their naming scheme. You can't really call it just a 519, because as lsu posted, that's a totally different beast with a 35" scale and only 22 frets (basically they just move the bridge back and spread the frets out on the same bass). You also can't call it a 5/19 because that (as you said) follows a format indicating pickup count (and a different style of bass, too). My bad on that, but I mean to type 5/19mm and just forgot.

Originally Posted by lsu921

519's were originally 19mm spacing, 35" scale, and 22 frets. They now offer a 519-34, which is 19mm spacing, 34" scale, and 24 frets. That's what Vic has; basically a Sonus 5 with 19mm spacing. I have a 519H, which is the same a 519 (19,35,22), but it has humbuckers and not single coils.

Sorta, and I thought of this (and maybe this is the officially correct one), but even in this case it might be necessary to say "519-34/24" to also be clear about fret count.

Dunno, but it's clear to me that Joe hasn't really paid much attention to coming up with an intuitive naming scheme that covers all products in a consistent way. Probably because he doesn't really care, and it's not really that big of a deal, but it has always kinda' made me think about it from time to time.

All I know is, the bass kicks a LOT of A$$ and even though my original plan was to sell the older Sonus 5/17mm I've had for years, I'm not sure I can do it. Partially 'cause it kicks a lot of patootie too, but also because of where I got it.

[Mulebagger]

Sweet Vic. To avoid confusion I'll just call mine Monster Zon!

I had a Sonus Custom 5 that I miss but this will fill the void nicely

[Addison]

Originally Posted by Vic

Sorta, and I thought of this (and maybe this is the officially correct one), but even in this case it might be necessary to say "519-34/24" to also be clear about fret count.

Being clear on fret count isn't really as important as scale length, since all 34" scale basses have 24 frets and all 35" scale basses have 22. It's the same neck, IIRC.

However, if your bass has an extended fingerboard, then fret count does become relevant and that just kind of screws everything up.

Hopefully I won't confuse anything, but this is how I understand it as the person who has to put price lists together and sort out all of the different names, etc...

I talked to Joe about it a little, and it's impossible to give every bass with a different set of options its own name... since the ZON shop is really a custom shop, that would give you a pretty gigantic list of model names.

The way I understand it, a Sonus with 34" scale and 19mm spacing is really just that... a Sonus _(Insert Name Here)_ with 19mm spacing. It doesn't really have an "official" name of any kind, since almost all instruments are now available with 19mm as an option. It would be overkill to come up with a second name for every model that has that option available.

So, even though I've sometimes seen a 34" scale Sonus with 19mm spacing called a Sonus 519-34, it's not really official since it's not that way on the price-list.

Every official model name with the "included" options they come with as a standard part of the package are on the price-lists or bass builder that are both available on the site.

http://www.zonguitars.com

Anything above and beyond that doesn't change the model name... it's just that bass with that particular option.

I hope that makes sense.

[Angus]

The better way to say it is "If the configuration of your particular bass does not sit into the specific and particular configurational category of "Sonus Special" or "Sonus Custom", then you just have a Sonus."

Not everything unique or unusual needs a name. Sonus, Legacy, etc, is enough, especially if you have to list the specifics right afterward. The naming conventions are to save time.

[Vic]

Originally Posted by Addison

I hope that makes sense.

It does, but the thing that I think confuses people is the current model names do actually... at least in most places... indicate a feature encoding in the name, indicating intent behind naming following features.

For example, the 519 got its name from being a 3(5) inch scale with (19)mm spacing. The 5/x has the x indicating pickup count, etc. In my case, calling it a 519 would be string count and spacing instead of scale length and spacing. That's where things get curious for folks who see at least the original intent to encode, and then try to translate that to a custom order, because as you know, even customs are still typically based on a specific base model. So I guess mine could just be a Sonus 5 Custom... but wait...

Again, no biggie at all, but that's where this is all coming from.

[Addison]

No, I totally get it...

Part of the problem is that the 519 model came before 35" scale length and 19mm spacing became a fairly easy option for practically everything else.

But the 519 Sonus body shape is slightly different... it's a little bigger... and since 35" scale and 19mm spacing are both such a popular option together for a 5-string, they just decided to keep it so people who didn't like to dink around choosing all of their options could point at one package-piece and say, "I WANT THAT ONE."

[Mulebagger]

Originally Posted by Addison

No, I totally get it...

Part of the problem is that the 519 model came before 35" scale length and 19mm spacing became a fairly easy option for practically everything else.

But the 519 Sonus body shape is slightly different... it's a little bigger... and since 35" scale and 19mm spacing are both such a popular option together for a 5-string, they just decided to keep it so people who didn't like to dink around choosing all of their options could point at one package-piece and say, "I WANT THAT ONE."

Or say: " I want that one, and that one, this one, and that one over there too "

[lsu921]

Originally Posted by Vic

It does, but the thing that I think confuses people is the current model names do actually... at least in most places... indicate a feature encoding in the name, indicating intent behind naming following features.

For example, the 519 got its name from being a 3(5) inch scale with (19)mm spacing. The 5/x has the x indicating pickup count, etc. In my case, calling it a 519 would be string count and spacing instead of scale length and spacing. That's where things get curious for folks who see at least the original intent to encode, and then try to translate that to a custom order, because as you know, even customs are still typically based on a specific base model. So I guess mine could just be a Sonus 5 Custom... but wait...

Again, no biggie at all, but that's where this is all coming from.

I thought 519 = 5 string / 19mm? I remember a shop in Japan having a 619 (6 string / 19mm) bass a few years ago.

Regardless of naming convention, they can all be called AWESOME! My 519H has really been more in my wheelhouse than I thought it would have. I've always been a Jazz pickup guy, but this thing kills.

Addison, do you know if the pickups in the 519H are the same as the Sonus Custom pickups?

[Addison]

Originally Posted by lsu921

I thought 519 = 5 string / 19mm? I remember a shop in Japan having a 619 (6 string / 19mm) bass a few years ago.

I think the original intention was for the "5" to mean 35" scale length, since the 519 only comes as a 5-string... but it's morphed a little here and there. I'm guessing that the shop in Japan added the 619 to the tag themselves, but... it might have come from the shop that way too. I wouldn't count it out.

Originally Posted by lsu921

Addison, do you know if the pickups in the 519H are the same as the Sonus Custom pickups?

Off the top of my head, they should be, yes... and I think the 519 comes standard with a Bartolini 3-band preamp and the Custom comes with a Polyfusion 3-band preamp.

[Vic]

Originally Posted by Addison

I think the original intention was for the "5" to mean 35" scale length, since the 519 only comes as a 5-string... but it's morphed a little here and there.
...
Off the top of my head, they should be, yes... and I think the 519 comes standard with a Bartolini 3-band preamp and the Custom comes with a Polyfusion 3-band preamp.

Correct on both counts according to my recollection/understanding as well.

I have no idea on the 619, but I also suppose that's a "morph" case as well.

[Slaymus]

http://www.kurosawagakki.com/sh_bass...pic/zon03.html

Picture of a 19mm 6-string Sonus !

[Addison]

Originally Posted by Slaymus

http://www.kurosawagakki.com/sh_bass...pic/zon03.html

Picture of a 19mm 6-string Sonus !

Oh, they definitely exist... I knew that... I was commenting more on the "619" title... Whether it was official or ad-libbed by the store.