Official Zon Club Part 3

[tombowlus]

Thanks guys... ok, it for sure ships today. First full picture below, and I'm told it weighs in at pretty much 8 pounds, which is perfect. I like the fact that the board turned out all solid black too... some of his phenowood has kind of a figuring with some lighter areas and such, but I prefer the "gaboon ebony-like" look.

I'll probably have it early next week, and I'll try to shoot a few initial pictures to post. Can't wait!

Damn, Vic! That looks amazing! Joe is working on a bass for me, as well, and when he asked me about what kind of fancy top I wanted, I told him, "I don't care, so long as it's better looking than Vic's new bass." I see now what a tall order that is going to be!

Not that it'll happen, but I call dibs if you ever move this bass!

 

[Vic]

Damn, Vic! That looks amazing! Joe is working on a bass for me, as well, and when he asked me about what kind of fancy top I wanted, I told him, "I don't care, so long as it's better looking than Vic's new bass." I see now what a tall order that is going to be!

Well, I can't take full credit... your opinions counted for a lot when I was choosing tops, as you know.

Not that it'll happen, but I call dibs if you ever move this bass!

Noted and you're probably right.

If it's the tonal sister to my existing Sonus, and with the wider spacing I'm more used to these days, oh man...

Zons are of course great for all kinds of stuff, but one of the things I especially like about mine is playing worship music. There are a lot of times I'll hit a note and literally let it ring for a bar or two. Wood neck'd basses of course will typically have some natural irregularities, which at the high end where I mostly live these days are rarely problematic, BUT, it's really nice to have a bass where every note in every register rings out long, consistently, and with a particularly strong fundamental.

 

[Vic]

Oh my... yeah, the pictures don't do it justice at all... the colors are so much richer in person. And this is my first satin finished Zon. I REALLY like this finish! Man it's killing me to not have the ability to plug it in, but the unplugged tone is off the hook.

 

[Papersen]

Oh my... yeah, the pictures don't do it justice at all... the colors are so much richer in person. And this is my first satin finished Zon. I REALLY like this finish! Man it's killing me to not have the ability to plug it in, but the unplugged tone is off the hook.

I´ve never owned a satin finished Zon.
Since you have experience with both finishes (satin and glossy), do you think it clearly shows the figured character of top woods ?

I like the feel of satin (no fingerprints) but IME glossy makes highly figured woods pop up better. Just curious.

 

[Angus]

Stuff pops WAY better on gloss.

 

[kesslari]

Stuff pops WAY better on gloss.

It does, but I really prefer the feel of satin. I'm glad I went satin on my bass, even though it would get a few more wows if I had gone gloss.

 

[Angus]

Same- I wanted satin on both of my TJ's, but Joe insisted on gloss on the first. I tried satin on the second and like the feel much better, even if gloss is way, waaaay prettier in person or on stage. But nobody cares (especially since it'll be a long time before I play publicly again).

 

[Vic]

I basically agree with what's said here... the gloss will give the figure more depth, BUT, you do have the fingerprinting issue. The thing that's cool about the satin finish in addition to hiding fingerprints is, it feels more like wood, and almost has the appearance of a nice oiled finish (but without the maintenance). I just like the way it feels.

Now, with a burl, IMHO, it should always be satin. I think that just looks best. With a flame or quilt (like my top), it's a much tougher choice because both have good/bad compared to each other.

 

[ppal]

Hey Vic, try putting some "Virtuoso Premium Polish" on your satin Zon...I do for mine and it really brings out more depth to the satin treated finishes.

 

[Vic]

Hey Vic, try putting some "Virtuoso Premium Polish" on your satin Zon...I do for mine and it really brings out more depth to the satin treated finishes.

Sounds like the Butcher's wax kinda' thing... nah, I actually like the satin finish on this one, so I'm happy with it the way it is.

 

[LeonD]

Vic, truly a stunning bass. If it sounds half as good as it looks it's a keeper.

Congratulations.

 

[Vic]

Thanks folks, and yeah, first impressions are in...

The official weight on the digital scale is 8.4 pounds. That's really pretty much exactly where I wanted it. Between 8 and 9 pounds, favoring the 8 side if possible.

The tone is completely off the charts. It's got bite, clarity, punch, depth, sustain, and fundamentals for days and plays effortlessly. I've swapped the strap pins for Strap-loks (Dunlop duals, my faves), and will use it tonight in the worship rehearsal (full Aviom system). This weekend will be the worship gigs (Sat/Sun) as well as dance band ([This invalid link has been removed], Saturday). I really doubt this bass will ever go up on the block.

No time last night to take pics... might even be the weekend before I can (long story), but I'll get some posted. I promise.

 

[rulyongo]

Thanks folks, and yeah, first impressions are in...

The official weight on the digital scale is 8.4 pounds. That's really pretty much exactly where I wanted it. Between 8 and 9 pounds, favoring the 8 side if possible.

The tone is completely off the charts. It's got bite, clarity, punch, depth, sustain, and fundamentals for days and plays effortlessly. I've swapped the strap pins for Strap-loks (Dunlop duals, my faves), and will use it tonight in the worship rehearsal (full Aviom system). This weekend will be the worship gigs (Sat/Sun) as well as dance band ([This invalid link has been removed], Saturday). I really doubt this bass will ever go up on the block.

No time last night to take pics... might even be the weekend before I can (long story), but I'll get some posted. I promise.

Nice!!! Congratulations on a beautiful bass!!!

 

[JOME77]

Great looking bass Vic! I love the top and the tone plate. Looking forward to hearing your gig impressions.

I finally got my hands on a Zon this week. I've played a couple in music stores but never had the pleasure to own one.
It was a bit of a rocky voyage but I won't bore you guys with the details to that. I will post a picture though .......

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[Vic]

Great looking bass Vic! I love the top and the tone plate. Looking forward to hearing your gig impressions.

I finally got my hands on a Zon this week. I've played a couple in music stores but never had the pleasure to own one.
It was a bit of a rocky voyage but I won't bore you guys with the details to that. I will post a picture though .......

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Ok, first of all, BEAUTIFUL Custom 5... blackened redwood top on ash, right? Matching peghead too, nice touch.

Second, wait a second... funky stories about gear is what TB is FOR. Gord head and post up dude.

 

[JOME77]

Ok, first of all, BEAUTIFUL Custom 5... blackened redwood top on ash, right? Matching peghead too, nice touch.

Second, wait a second... funky stories about gear is what TB is FOR. Gord head and post up dude.

lol

PM sent ......

 

[Angus]

I remember that bass. Did it come from a dealer in Nor. Cal?

 

[Vic]

I remember that bass. Did it come from a dealer in Nor. Cal?

Angus, did you happen to check mine out at all while it was in progress or even when it was done?

I've been noodling around on it since I got it and it's amazing. Exactly what I wanted, and everything spot-on perfect right out of the bag. Just needed to tune it up a little, and bam. Man I love Joe's work.

 

[Vic]

I finally got my hands on a Zon this week. I've played a couple in music stores but never had the pleasure to own one.

Forgot to say... really wanna' hear your impressions as well. The Customs are a bit more on the "modern" side of the Zons... I've had a couple of them and they're amazing, but I keep coming back to the JJ config... actually on most of my basses of several brands, for that matter... which is why I went the way I did.

One really nice thing about the Custom is the (polyfusion) ZP preamp, is I think it has true active blending (like a mixer board) so you don't get any artifacts from altering blend. The pickups don't go through a passive blend control. Each pickup has it's own electrically isolated input to the preamp.

 

[Angus]

The top looks really familiar- but I think I moved out of California before it was started. Perhaps the piece I saw was from the same log...or just a similar bass. Either way, it looks incredible, and I'm glad it sounds/plays just the same. His work is really out of this world. I can't imagine a life without my 6 string.

The interesting thing is that the bass he was building for me (for me to sell to pay me back for an unfulfilled Hyperbass order) was in the finish booth that week, sometime back in May or something. It somehow still isn't done. Though I thought I saw it at NAMM. Hence why I'm so impressed with the pace of the delivery of your bass!