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Official Zon Club Part 3

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#21
onewebfoot said:
OK, figured out graphics upload. Now, Angus, Vic, or someone, can YOU tell me what this is? Narrow bars. ZB4.3. 17m spacing. 34" scale. Good luck. All I can figure is I love this, and it's time to share the love.
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Email [email protected]

Give them the serial number and brief description and they should be able to take care of your bass' specs. The customer service is fantastic. Good luck!
 
#22
onewebfoot said:
EDIT: OK, figured out graphics upload. Now, Angus, Vic, or someone, can YOU tell me what this is? Narrow bars. ZB4.3. 17m spacing. 34" scale. Good luck. All I can figure is I love this, and it's time to share the love.
attachment.jpg
Click to expand...
Dude, give us a hard one!

That's a straight up Sonus 5 with the three band bart preamp with the switchable mids. I have the exact same thing except it's fretted and has a redwood top instead of spalted maple.

KILLER bass. In fact, I'm planning on getting pretty much the same thing I currently have, except with 19mm spacing.
 
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#23
Vic,
HA! You got me laughing with that one. OK, now I truly WISH I could pose a Zon riddle truly worthy of the knowledge around here, but that's the best I can do.

Yes, it's a killer bass, and an even better player than a looker. I feel like I have sinned against humanity to keep this thing to myself in-home as my shed-lady, so to speak, so she'll be making some public appearances soon, in the midst of band members who don't even know I play fretless. (I'm a worship bassist closing in on my one-year weekly gigging anniversary - mid-August). But I'm a lucky dude, my other beast is a Barker. Hard to leave either alone.

p.s. When I bought this, the retailer from whom I bought it used, remotely, never having played it, with IT being my first Zon.... they said it was a "Special." That word applies, but not from a marketing or model label. Like I said, Angus, YOU, and this forum kick the @#$% out of dealers in terms of knowledge. For the record....

Paperson,
Your spalted likely captures the quintessential spalted that is the best of everything I can envision of a Spalted Zon. I would feel sorry for your parting with yours, but yours was a willing choice with logic that I do NOT quite follow. (grins)

Gravesbass,
Yes, I could email Joe or Martin at Zon, and receive a near-instant reply. In fact, just last week, I had a great email conversation with Joe about other matters, and his work-hour responses were near-instant. But I do NOT want to distract them from matters more compelling to me, what they are working on NOW for me.

Angus,
Thanks again.

Kesslari,
I have not acknowledged your Zon Candy sufficiently. I hope that Zon and crowd can truly pull together a get-together before long, and that you will be there with that beast of yours.

Now for some listening meditation therapy. Gonna put on Boston's "Walk On Medley," but I digress....
 
#25
OK, this is NOT fair, Vic. NOT FAIR.

I post one of the greatest prides of my life, and you reply near instantly with another dream-worthy beast. Gorgeous monster is the first term that comes to mind...

Gotta say I truly appreciate the ZB4.3 config. I LOVE dwelling on an intricate low-end. If only the fusion masters of the 70s and early 80s had access to some of this juice...

So seriously, what are your favored music genres with a beast like this? Seems to me it could kick the butts of anything to which a player could aspire.

You know, if I ever get a 2-3 week vacation time in the next year, to travel and visit as I could wish, then simply rambling across the country or world to HEAR some of this genius would be journal and publication worthy....

I don't think I'll ever be at peace with traveling with my Sonus 5, but a straight-up Vinny, so that I could TRY to practice what I SEE in other Zon players could be a revelation. But that would mean Bartolini delivering pickups for the Vinny (x2) I have on order, and thinking about THAT as a reality is an exercise in restraining profanity, and I have a hard enough time controlling that...
 
#26
onewebfoot said:
OK, this is NOT fair, Vic. NOT FAIR.

I post one of the greatest prides of my life, and you reply near instantly with another dream-worthy beast. Gorgeous monster is the first term that comes to mind...
Click to expand...
Thanks, but in all honesty, I think yours trumps mine in looks. That's an amazing spalt! :)
 
#27
OK, Vic, now you are just being a first class encourager. Don't put down your own arsenal to praise another however. There is some serious wisdom in avoiding spalt, and you might agree.

EDITING DOWN FOR BREVITY
My other perspectives, briefly, were as follows (retaining same general viewpoints)
a) Every spalt is different. How to know what you will get?
b) Therefore, the used market may offer benefits to spalt buyers
c) Part of my own beginner's luck at the time was market availability, economy, input from players around here and price (this beast was $1800 back in 2006)
d) the most intricately veined specimens are not as common, and again, Paperson's spalt - wow. That new owner lucked out big time.
e) I don't know if I could order a new spalt, without seeing the wood first.

Actually, how DO people commit to buying spalt until they know the right piece of wood is available? I'm not sure I could do it... But who knows?
 
#28
onewebfoot said:
There is some serious wisdom in avoiding spalt, and you might agree...
Click to expand...
Yes and no.

I mean the points you make are completely valid. However, when you get to the quality level in basses where you typically see spalted tops that are thick enough to matter other than purely aesthetically, you're also at the level where the luthier is gonna' pre-resolve the issue through careful wood selection and expert construction.

That said, if you are buying an instrument that has a thick enough top to matter tonally (this is often debated here, but I personally believe in it), you should consider the fact that a spalt is a pretty light/porous wood, which will sound very different from something like a flamed maple top where the wood is much harder and denser.

With Joe's basses, I'm not sure the top matters as much as, say, an MTD or maybe Skjold, but I do think it does matter some. I think the main thing in the woods that affects Zon tone is the body wood, quite honestly.
 
#29
Nice to see part III of the ONLY thread on talkbass ;) Hope all my Zon brothers are doing well! I'm still waiting for my Sonus Special to be completed, it's terrible having to 'make do' with the hyperbass in the mean time ;)

PEACE
 
#32
Yeah, it was built a couple years ago. I have the "glamour shots" Joe took of it back then.

His asking price is ridiculous, though. It wouldn't cost that much new, and you could order one today (for well over $1000-1500 less). It's not a full Hyperbass with detuners and a detunable bridge, so the 4 string models only start at about $5200, so figure maybe $5600-5800 for a 6 string model. He's basically hoping someone doesn't know how much they would cost new.
 
#35
I've got one of them...built in '93...killer tone (unlike any other fretless I've ever played), Stunning gallery Goncalo Alves top, I had Joe put in a new preamp a few years back, and put the mid-control out front (originally 3-knobs). the other bass is my TJ-6, burled myrtlewood top. sorry for the poor quality of pics, I dont have the next level of membership to display a nice large image (bad lighting too, but I do have more pics).
 

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#37
Hello folks,
a weird question, but since Zon catalog does not report pickup dimensions...
Is 4.26" X 1.26" the standard Sonus Custom pickup dimension or there is a sensible difference ?
I'm toying with the idea of replacement pickups for a sonus custom, but I'd love to be sure.
Thanks everyone!
 
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