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I offered to do this for Joe a couple years back when I was living in Palo Alto/Redwood City. I have at a CD or two worth of pictures of completed instruments, and we had made plans with how to make a web presence. In the end, it would've required a few small organizational changes that he just wasn't really interested in it seemed, so it never went anywhere. It was a shame, as I was happy to do the work for him for free.
None of the guys there are really web savvy, and they certainly don't have the time it takes to upload all of the pictures they take in an organized and descriptive fashion. It takes up way more time than you'd imagine, and the resulting emails with questions, etc, really require a more dedicated email staff as well. It's just not feasible with their current staff and workload, unfortunately.
Well, it's not too much to ask, but I can already tell you it's (sadly) way beyond what they can do. Asking would literally be futile. I was LUCKY to get ONE "work in progress" and ONE finished picture of my own bass from them. They're swamped ALL the time.
Sorry... I also wish they could... honestly.
Thanks! Man, I really loved that bass, but as amazing as it was, as I've said before, I think I'd personally still go for the "plain" Sonus Special for a high end fretless if I could ever justify it someday. MAN that bass was so "me" for the fretless tone I hear in my head, and of course ALL of Joe's fretlesses damn near play themselves.And I did!
I was actually re-reading that review again this weekend. Excellent review and beautiful bass!
Understood Chris & (Vic), I kinda thought that would be the answer...
I thought it would be nice if Joe just did his most impressive builds, maybe like the basses he takes to NAMM, or some of the more rare ones he builds (kinda like your Zon's). In this digital age he really should look at the cost benefit of doing these things...the added business could justify a few tweaks with the marketing approach.
Thanks! Man, I really loved that bass, but as amazing as it was, as I've said before, I think I'd personally still go for the "plain" Sonus Special for a high end fretless if I could ever justify it someday. MAN that bass was so "me" for the fretless tone I hear in my head, and of course ALL of Joe's fretlesses damn near play themselves.
Interesting Vic, I have a TJ6 that I really love....but the main reasons are.
1. I have 3 p/u's in my TJ. I use the both the bridge p/u's 90% of the time (the middle and bridge). I don't slap that much so I get that mid presence that seems to really work for Zons. It was slotted for an 'Erskine' build (both p/u's toward the bridge) but came out with the original p/u locations. I had Joe just put the additional p/u in-between the two, so now I can get the Todd Johnson sound, or the Damian Erskine sound...I LOVE IT
2. the 3 radius p/u's act like a ramp...but with each p/u your able to adjust the height, which feels awesome. it just feels like an extension of the fretboard all the way up to the bridge.
3. 'Joes fretlesses really do play themselves'. I have one too, and that is so true, they really are amazing instruments. but one feature that comes with the TJ model is the small fret wire. Man, what a difference that has made in feel, it really almost plays like a fretless with the added benefit of perfect intonation for things like chords, slurring and upper register playing.
I had Damian play my bass once (while Pete was building his new chambered Skjold) and I think it really sold him on the small fret wire. It makes the bass soooo easy to play, it is the smoothest instrument I've ever played bar none. So any potential Zon owners out there get the small fret wire, unless your a strong slapper, you won't be disappointed. With the 3 radiuses p/u's, small fret wire, and 16.5mm bridge...man, this bass is a race car!!!
ppal said:
Sorry to hijack the thread, but I don't remember seeing pictures of your bass, and a 3 pickup TJ sounds interesting... Can you post pictures of it? Thanx...
http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd372/ppal1/Zon TJ6/IMG_1156_2-1.jpg
http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd372/ppal1/Zon TJ6/IMG_1157.jpg
Here are a few pics...
Sorry for the lighting, its a bit dark...the myrtle wood top is just amazing, spalted alder for body, gold colored saddles on the piezo bridge. At the time I took these pics the bass had piccolo strings on it, so the 'C' string looks very thin, its set for standard play now. Also, Joe put in a 3-way switch to control two p/u's at a time, two forward (neck), two outside (neck/bridge), two rear (bridge). Also, the p/u's can be individually adjusted for height, which gives you even more micro adjustments than than the current 'ramp' ideas out there. I call this my radiused 'louvered ramp' set up. Two things that I've discovered while playing with this is you can adjust each p/u to your playing style i.e. both bridge p/u's can be higher than the neck p/u or visa versa, or have all 3 at different heights or anywhere in-between (angle of neck all the way to the bridge). The second thing is having that small bit of space in-between the p/u's gives my thumb a kind of guide while string crossing, and a bit of an anchor with the angle when needed which I've come to really like. Being able to really put the whole surface of the ramp right where you want it makes a huge difference in feel, I can't underscore this enough, its the difference of it feeling 'OK' to Wow, this is super buttery and smooth. I really like Pete Skjolds ramp mold idea with Damian Erskines sig. model, I think Joe maybe looking into that concept for the future. the radiused 'Louvered Ramp' i think gives you even more flexibility to set it 'just right' as far as feel, and have a larger tonal area and palette to choose from.
http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd372/ppal1/Zon TJ6/IMG_1157.jpg
Here are a few pics...
Sorry for the lighting, its a bit dark...the myrtle wood top is just amazing, spalted alder for body, gold colored saddles on the piezo bridge. At the time I took these pics the bass had piccolo strings on it, so the 'C' string looks very thin, its set for standard play now. Also, Joe put in a 3-way switch to control two p/u's at a time, two forward (neck), two outside (neck/bridge), two rear (bridge). Also, the p/u's can be individually adjusted for height, which gives you even more micro adjustments than than the current 'ramp' ideas out there. I call this my radiused 'louvered ramp' set up. Two things that I've discovered while playing with this is you can adjust each p/u to your playing style i.e. both bridge p/u's can be higher than the neck p/u or visa versa, or have all 3 at different heights or anywhere in-between (angle of neck all the way to the bridge). The second thing is having that small bit of space in-between the p/u's gives my thumb a kind of guide while string crossing, and a bit of an anchor with the angle when needed which I've come to really like. Being able to really put the whole surface of the ramp right where you want it makes a huge difference in feel, I can't underscore this enough, its the difference of it feeling 'OK' to Wow, this is super buttery and smooth. I really like Pete Skjolds ramp mold idea with Damian Erskines sig. model, I think Joe maybe looking into that concept for the future. the radiused 'Louvered Ramp' i think gives you even more flexibility to set it 'just right' as far as feel, and have a larger tonal area and palette to choose from.
I remember seeing pictures of that bass from that store in Sacramento (I forget which name it is currently operating under). I think I remember seeing it in the shop, too, before the pickups were put in.
This is a horrible picture, but I got a ramp made within a few weeks of getting my bass. The thing that sucks about the swap from the Barts to the LPs is that the pickups are no longer radiused, so I may at some point have another ramp made that encompasses or covers the pickups.
Edit: Found the good photo:
This is a horrible picture, but I got a ramp made within a few weeks of getting my bass. The thing that sucks about the swap from the Barts to the LPs is that the pickups are no longer radiused, so I may at some point have another ramp made that encompasses or covers the pickups.
Edit: Found the good photo:
Fixed it for ya. Nice looking bass!!!
Here are a few pics...
Sorry for the lighting, its a bit dark...the myrtle wood top is just amazing, spalted alder for body, gold colored saddles on the piezo bridge. At the time I took these pics the bass had piccolo strings on it, so the 'C' string looks very thin, its set for standard play now. Also, Joe put in a 3-way switch to control two p/u's at a time, two forward (neck), two outside (neck/bridge), two rear (bridge). Also, the p/u's can be individually adjusted for height, which gives you even more micro adjustments than than the current 'ramp' ideas out there. I call this my radiused 'louvered ramp' set up. Two things that I've discovered while playing with this is you can adjust each p/u to your playing style i.e. both bridge p/u's can be higher than the neck p/u or visa versa, or have all 3 at different heights or anywhere in-between (angle of neck all the way to the bridge). The second thing is having that small bit of space in-between the p/u's gives my thumb a kind of guide while string crossing which I've come to really like. Being able to really put the whole surface of the ramp right where you want it makes a huge difference in feel, I can't underscore this enough, its the difference of it feeling 'OK' to Wow, this is super buttery and smooth. I really like Pete Skjolds ramp mold idea with Damian Erskines sig. model, I think Joe maybe looking into that concept for the future. the radiused 'Louvered Ramp' i think gives you even more flexibility to set it 'just right' as far as feel, and have a larger tonal area and palette to choose from.
Yes, you doThanks Vic for the pic fix...lol...I gotta get the full membership soon
but you don't need it to do what I did. Just use the IMG markup instead of the URL markup. All good.
Anyone tapped the coils of the Zon Barts (soap bars) on a Sonus Custom model? If som did it help cop some of the sounds that the JJ models can get? I know that positioning is a lot of the equation but hopefully SC in the outer/outer positions could get you close.
I also wondered if anyone had added the mid (2 or 3 pos) switch to their Zon with the Bart 3-band.
I was considering doing both of these using 50K pots with a push/pull DPDT sw. built in (to replace the existing mid and treble pots).
I would think that both mod's would really add some versatility to the sound of the bass/preamp.
Thanks!
I also wondered if anyone had added the mid (2 or 3 pos) switch to their Zon with the Bart 3-band.
I was considering doing both of these using 50K pots with a push/pull DPDT sw. built in (to replace the existing mid and treble pots).
I would think that both mod's would really add some versatility to the sound of the bass/preamp.
Thanks!
I would think it'd still be pretty different. Just making those pickups single sensing is only 1/3 of the story. There's also the pickup position as you mentioned, but ALSO there's the "wind" (voicing) of the pickup. I would not expect those to be the same. On the tapping, keep in mind that also depends on if all the wiring is provided outside the pickup... it isn't always. If it is, there'll be four wires with the shield. If not, there'll only be two wires with the shield, and it's not an option unless you put different pickups in it that have all four wires available externally.
While I didn't add them after the fact, both of my Zons have the 3-pos mid switch, and I'd always recommend it.
^^^ Great looking Zon Angus! Interesting P/U placement (and configuration). Of course the placement is a bit desceiving given the extended fingerboard!
Yeah, I definitely need to verify that the P/U's are 4-cond w/shield but I'm told that they are. You points are all valid. I'm hoping to hear from someone that has done the S/C coil mod so I'll know if it's a worth while mod to do.
I'd love to do the 3-pos mid mod but I'm more inclined to not drill a hole for the switch and go with the 2-pos mod via the push/pull pot. Not that I mind drilling the hole. It's just that some folks shy away from a bass that's been cosmetically altered after the factory build.
Of course that might be a moot point as much as I'm digging the sound and playability of this bass.
Yeah, I definitely need to verify that the P/U's are 4-cond w/shield but I'm told that they are. You points are all valid. I'm hoping to hear from someone that has done the S/C coil mod so I'll know if it's a worth while mod to do.
I'd love to do the 3-pos mid mod but I'm more inclined to not drill a hole for the switch and go with the 2-pos mod via the push/pull pot. Not that I mind drilling the hole. It's just that some folks shy away from a bass that's been cosmetically altered after the factory build.
Of course that might be a moot point as much as I'm digging the sound and playability of this bass.Hi, All fellow Zon owners, I was wondering how long the recent Zon Owners here, have to wait for their instrument to be completed? 3/6/9/12/18 months?
Or even a more basic question: how long would Zon typically reply an email (to a customer, not a generic enquiry from the web)?
The reason I asked is that I placed an order for a pair of Vinny 5s (fretted/fretless) in April 2011. I was advised by Martin Peters that paying in full will "shorten the delivery time to four months instead of the typical eight."
So I went ahead because my 2010 order went well (see below).
It has been a year and the only photo of the bass I've seen, was for the Ash body blanks to choose from..
4 months after I paid the for the basses in full, I only asked them once 1 month on the status of my basses (the point:I'm patient & reasonable and don't bug them every week). I have received about 4 replies from them since with the following reasons:
- 9 Aug '11 One of the staff had a family crisis
- 9 Aug '11 Bartolini went on vacation
- 27 Oct '11 their moulds worn out - needs replacement
- 7 Jan '12 Busy for NAMM 2012
Now they are totally ignoring my emails. I called a few times but it's always directed to the answering machine.
To be fair, My prior experience was Zon was much better....In Apr 2010, I ordered a Vinny 5,paid upfront (as advised for faster delivery) and received it in Sep 2010; 2 months off target but I was more than delighted to wait only 2 months.My friend loved that bass so much he made me sell it to him. which is why I had to order 2 more but with a freakin 30% price hike in 2011. Biggest mistake selling the first Vinny
For the record,I am a big fan of Zon. Bought my 1st Sonus new, in '96.Since then have bought & sold/traded around 20 zons or so. Maybe more. You won't believe my GAS.
Had 2 direct experiences with Joe himself. Once in 99 or so when I had to send my neck back for free replaning (as the neck flexed permanently) . the other time was at 2001 NAMM, where I met the maker in person and was won over enough to place a 3-bass minimum order to get Dealership discounts.
Apologies for the long post but need to clarify I'm not bashing one of my favorite brand here.
I just need to know if I'm the only one experiencing this huge decline in customer service or is this the new norm?
I understand they are a small, boutique company but they (or anybody for that matter) shouldn't promise a delivery they can't handle in exchange for payment. And if you know you are going to be late, the onus is on you to update/apologize/rush the late order, not freaking ignore a loyal customer. I mean, you don't need an MBA to know that to run a business.
At this point, I'm just happy to know they are alive and would be ecstatic if I can get my money back.
Any help, advice, enlightenment would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Melvin
Or even a more basic question: how long would Zon typically reply an email (to a customer, not a generic enquiry from the web)?
The reason I asked is that I placed an order for a pair of Vinny 5s (fretted/fretless) in April 2011. I was advised by Martin Peters that paying in full will "shorten the delivery time to four months instead of the typical eight."
So I went ahead because my 2010 order went well (see below).
It has been a year and the only photo of the bass I've seen, was for the Ash body blanks to choose from..
4 months after I paid the for the basses in full, I only asked them once 1 month on the status of my basses (the point:I'm patient & reasonable and don't bug them every week). I have received about 4 replies from them since with the following reasons:
- 9 Aug '11 One of the staff had a family crisis
- 9 Aug '11 Bartolini went on vacation
- 27 Oct '11 their moulds worn out - needs replacement
- 7 Jan '12 Busy for NAMM 2012
Now they are totally ignoring my emails. I called a few times but it's always directed to the answering machine.
To be fair, My prior experience was Zon was much better....In Apr 2010, I ordered a Vinny 5,paid upfront (as advised for faster delivery) and received it in Sep 2010; 2 months off target but I was more than delighted to wait only 2 months.My friend loved that bass so much he made me sell it to him. which is why I had to order 2 more but with a freakin 30% price hike in 2011. Biggest mistake selling the first Vinny
For the record,I am a big fan of Zon. Bought my 1st Sonus new, in '96.Since then have bought & sold/traded around 20 zons or so. Maybe more. You won't believe my GAS.
Had 2 direct experiences with Joe himself. Once in 99 or so when I had to send my neck back for free replaning (as the neck flexed permanently) . the other time was at 2001 NAMM, where I met the maker in person and was won over enough to place a 3-bass minimum order to get Dealership discounts.
Apologies for the long post but need to clarify I'm not bashing one of my favorite brand here.
I just need to know if I'm the only one experiencing this huge decline in customer service or is this the new norm?
I understand they are a small, boutique company but they (or anybody for that matter) shouldn't promise a delivery they can't handle in exchange for payment. And if you know you are going to be late, the onus is on you to update/apologize/rush the late order, not freaking ignore a loyal customer. I mean, you don't need an MBA to know that to run a business.
At this point, I'm just happy to know they are alive and would be ecstatic if I can get my money back.
Any help, advice, enlightenment would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Melvin
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