Official Zon Club Part 3

[Angus]

I remember that one- with the Aero pickups. Very cool bass.

 

[AndroWal]

How do I join the Zon club? My Sonus 519 is a permanent fixture in my collection!


View attachment 286387

Beautiful!

Is it maple/mahagony?

 

[bassmanmicah]

Thanks guys. My jaw dropped when I saw it at the Guitar Center in Fort Wayne, IN 5 or 6 years ago just hanging there. Manager and I chatted on the bass, and he said no one up there really understood what it was, so I was able to steal it for $2499. Has the piezo bridge, and yes, it is the maple/mahogany. I sadly let a Legacy Elite 5 string fretless go a few years back (in figured walnut, black painted back), but this one is staying.

 

[Angus]

It was up on eBay a couple years back- were you considering selling it then?

It's a cool bass.

 

[bassmanmicah]

I was - and thank God it didn't sell. I can't remember if that was when I was trying to fund my Lakland or some other reason for trying to sell it, but ultimately I'm glad it didn't work out. Definitely prettiest in my collection for the beauty of the wood.

 

[bobunit]

 

[rulyongo]

Yeahhh!!!

 

[Addison]

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NICE!!!

 

[Mikeus]

anyone know whats happening with zon? are they busy?

havent had any update or replies from them. no final payment confirmation. no reply to my email.

would good to inform me whats going on with my order. i've paid the total amount.

best wishes.

 

[rulyongo]

anyone know whats happening with zon? are they busy?

havent had any update or replies from them. no final payment confirmation. no reply to my email.

would good to inform me whats going on with my order. i've paid the total amount.

best wishes.

The are sometimes like that, did you try calling them? That's the best way to contact them. I know it's frustrating, but they always deliver.

 

[Addison]

They were closed for a couple of days before the holiday weekend to make some updates to their network and computers, etc.

Try giving them a call to follow up on your email... Be patient, they'll get back to you soon.

 

[Mikeus]

ok thanks. good to know. last i heard my bass was ready to ship and then silence....

 

[fretster]

How do I join the Zon club? My Sonus 519 is a permanent fixture in my collection!


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You are in the club. Your picture is enough to support your membership. The Zon Club does not issue club numbers.

Welcome!

 

[bucephylus]

So, some time back I put up a few posts describing my dissatisfaction with the Polyfusion circuit in my Sonus Special. TB'er Angus made a persuasive case for the East U-Retro. Well, I finally got around to the install only to find out that the threads on the pots on the East circuit have a larger diameter than on the Polyfusion. So, the install would require drilling out the body. I'm not willing to do that; so, the East is a non-starter. Any other suggestions? I dislike the Polyfusion immensely but don't want to start drilling the body out.

 

[Angus]

I thought I made it clear that the East required making two holes larger- I'm sorry if that wasn't clear!!

Bartolini is a good alternative on the cheap. Much warmer than the Polyfusion.

 

[bucephylus]

Agh I must have missed that. I don't really want to make irreversible changes. Even though I perfectly dislike that Polyfusion

I'm not really looking for warmer. More clanky like a Jazz bass would suit me just fine.

 

[Addison]

Happy 25th Anniversary to Zon Guitars!

https://www.facebook.com/#!/notes/zon-guitars/zon-guitars-celebrates-25-years/10151146239822305

 

[ialma]

With Nordies ?
How does it sound like ?
New electronics as well ?

How do I join the Zon club? My Sonus 519 is a permanent fixture in my collection!


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[bassmanmicah]

With Nordies ?
How does it sound like ?
New electronics as well ?

Here is the response I got from Martin Peters at Zon shortly after I bought the bass, which will answer all of those questions....

"Sorry for this late reply, we have been swamped with e-mail. The bass you have is one of the first Sonus 519 model basses. It has a mahogany body core with a curly maple top. The pickups on the bass are made by Aero and were custom ordered by the original owner for this bass. The control layout is master volume, pickup blend, bass, midrange, treble and piezo blend control. Each of the switches have the same function, except there is one switch for each pickup. The function of the switches is as follows: down/ mid boost, center/ flat, up/mid & treble boost. This electronics system was ordered by the second owner of the bass (you are the third). The bass was originally made in December 1999 with the headstock lamination and electronics modification done about 3 years ago. "

Only thing is, the switches are not three way as the email suggests. They are just two way, and it sounds to me like they are now coil switches, which bring it into single coil mode. (I get more noise with the switch up than when down). So maybe it was modified by someone outside of Zon at a later date. Sound is very warm when the switches are down. The phenowood fretboard keeps it from sounding too aggressive, which can be an issue with my Modulus basses. With the switches up, the bass very bright and punchy, and has a distinct jazz tone, though a bit on the noise side hum wise if I have the treble turned up too much. Piezo sounds very organic on this bass, not too tinny or hi-fi sounding. All in all an amazing bass. As beautiful as the wood is, it doesn't get gigged out alot because I would hate for anything to happen to it, plus it isn't my most versatile. This bass, like my MTD, has its own unique voice, even if not a very flexible one. When playing in a cover band I tend to favor my Lakland just because of versatility, but for playing at home, this bass has a wonderful sound.

 

[kesslari]

Here's a new video of some Klezmer music on my Zon fretless. I think it really captures the tone, and the reasons I love that bass...