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Official Zon Club Part 5

#2,781
winegamd said:
I've spent the last year playing with the electronics in my Legacy Elite trying to get a more/different modern HiFi sound.
Click to expand...

I didn't want to quote the whole thing but I found this very interesting...

Not quite apples to apples but my Modulus M92 has an Aguilar OB-2 installed and I find the top end to be absurdly bright, meaning I have to really tone it down to be okay for both regular paying as well as slapping. So I was interested in your take on the OB-3 in another composite-necked bass.

I've heard good things about Audere and maybe that would be a good choice for that bass?
 
#2,782
I wouldn't say the Audere is necessarily brighter, I think it's highs are just more extended, detailed, and natural. They seem more attached to the rest of the note than just placed on top. I think it was clarity and detail I was looking for and not necessarily more highs.

I would definitely recommend the Audere over the Aguilar.
 
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#2,784
ModuMan said:
I didn't want to quote the whole thing but I found this very interesting...

Not quite apples to apples but my Modulus M92 has an Aguilar OB-2 installed and I find the top end to be absurdly bright, meaning I have to really tone it down to be okay for both regular paying as well as slapping. So I was interested in your take on the OB-3 in another composite-necked bass.

I've heard good things about Audere and maybe that would be a good choice for that bass?
Click to expand...

Sorry if this is an un-wanted butt-in, but just wondering what pickups you've got on the m92?

Also - I find that the Modulus & Zon 'carbon neck' sounds are very different (and both different from Status, have/had all three). IME the Modulus (esp. if with an alder body?) is very very bright, and like you - I find that itdoesn't pair particularly well with Agular preamps (I think I also have an OBP-2). I've not bothered trying other preampsin the Modulus, but the OBP-2 annoyed me so much, I'm playing it mostly in passive-bypass mode (+ a little passive tone roll-off).

Having said that - I also have a Zon with an OBP-3, and that pairing also didn't wory for me. Though the Zon + barts is more 'muted' by nature, the OBP-3 was not playing nicely with the highs either. I replaced with a John East Uni-Pre, and liked it much better.

The one bass that I do have with an OBP2 & that plays nicely with it is a medium-scale Warwick Corvette... None of the carbon-necks seemed to mesh with it, for me.

Curious to hear how the Audere works in your Modulus - let us know if you ever try :)
 
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#2,785
kumimajava said:
Sorry if this is an un-wanted butt-in, but just wondering what pickups you've got on the m92?
Click to expand...

Not at all, thanks for asking! It has an EMG in there and I'm pretty sure it is original. No idea what the original preamp was. The Aguilar was installed kind of messily so I was hoping it would get better after it was cleaned up but no.

I also have a Q6 with Barts (and Bart EQ) and I think it sounds much better. While I wouldn't expect the single-pickup M92 to sound like that I'm pretty sure it can sound better at least.

Some people love EMGs in Modulus, others prefer Barts. I'm not biased one way or the other. And agreed, I don't think a Zon will be confused with a Modulus of any type.

I have other basses in more desperate need but yes, I'd love to try a different pre at some point! I've already had the neck re-planed so it's at least playable now.

That's interesting about the OB-2 in the Corvette! I picture that as a pretty punchy bass.
 
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#2,786
ModuMan said:
Not at all, thanks for asking! It has an EMG in there and I'm pretty sure it is original. No idea what the original preamp was. The Aguilar was installed kind of messily so I was hoping it would get better after it was cleaned up but no.
<snip>
That's interesting about the OB-2 in the Corvette! I picture that as a pretty punchy bass.
Click to expand...

Ah yes, the Modulus + EMG combo is quite bright (I think all the M92's I've seen/played had EMG's stock), and the Aguilar on top of that I can imagine what it might sound like...

Re: Corvette, yep, it's punchy for sure, but somehow seems to work - despite having EMG-alike MEC 'active' J-pickups.
 
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#2,787
In the late 90's early 2000's a Bart equipped Q6 was my dream bass. I hated every Modulus I ever played with EMG's, but the Bart system was magic in those basses.

I really think Audere has achieved their goal of having no sound, and it seems to play nice with graphite. I would imagine one would work well in a Modulus, and the Pro-Z would probably tame the EMG's. Although, I would think the "loading" of the Z circuit would probably work better on a non-buffered pickup where it can act directly on the inductance.
 
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#2,788
Anyone know of a good place to have a ramp made?

Also, earlier I said that my Zon has the hum cancelling pickups. Acctually, with my headphones on, I could hear a slight hum when soloing a pickup. So I guess they're single coil. Quietest single coils I've ever had.
 
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#2,790
A Zon Sonus Special, Cocobolo on ash. I always refer to it as a 5-1 but those have alder bodies and maple tops. (all Zons are special)
Hadn’t posted a pic of it or stopped in for awhile. Using Ernie Ball Cobalts and liking the grit they throw on the tone. I prefer the B string tone on EB strings over other brands I’ve tried.It has the 17mm string spacing.
Just a note -Sonus 519’s have 19 mm string spacing. A 519 has a slightly wider neck and slightly bigger body than this Sonus. That’s something I did not know until I bought a 519 and was able to compare them side by side.
Love these basses. I wouldn’t prefer to play anything else after owning a Zon it would be like drinking water after drinking whine. Cheers Zon fans. Order one! It’s worth the wait.
 

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#2,791
golower said:
A Zon Sonus Special, Cocobolo on ash. I always refer to it as a 5-1 but those have alder bodies and maple tops. (all Zons are special)
Hadn’t posted a pic of it or stopped in for awhile. Using Ernie Ball Cobalts and liking the grit they throw on the tone. I prefer the B string tone on EB strings over other brands I’ve tried.It has the 17mm string spacing.
Just a note -Sonus 519’s have 19 mm string spacing. A 519 has a slightly wider neck and slightly bigger body than this Sonus. That’s something I did not know until I bought a 519 and was able to compare them side by side.
Love these basses. I wouldn’t prefer to play anything else after owning a Zon it would be like drinking water after drinking whine. Cheers Zon fans. Order one! It’s worth the wait.
Click to expand...
Beautiful! When did you order that one, and how much time did it take from order to delivery?
:thumbsup:
 
#2,792
golower said:
A Zon Sonus Special, Cocobolo on ash. I always refer to it as a 5-1 but those have alder bodies and maple tops. (all Zons are special)
Hadn’t posted a pic of it or stopped in for awhile. Using Ernie Ball Cobalts and liking the grit they throw on the tone. I prefer the B string tone on EB strings over other brands I’ve tried.It has the 17mm string spacing.
Just a note -Sonus 519’s have 19 mm string spacing. A 519 has a slightly wider neck and slightly bigger body than this Sonus. That’s something I did not know until I bought a 519 and was able to compare them side by side.
Love these basses. I wouldn’t prefer to play anything else after owning a Zon it would be like drinking water after drinking whine. Cheers Zon fans. Order one! It’s worth the wait.
Click to expand...

Very nice, it's also a different pick up system than a 5-1, I was really missing the mid control when I had mine
 
#2,800
radmin said:
I thought Todd Johnson basses were short-scale and headless. I hate when they say "soapbar". There could be anything inside there.
Click to expand...

From memory (which may be a bit haxy) the 'full' TJ spec would be, as you suggested: headless, 32-inch medium-scale, set-neck, 6-string, with 16.5mm string spacing. Not sure if 'extended fingerboard' also features into that definition.

But I think at somepoint someone requested the TJ-shaped body on an otherwise Sonus or Legacy build, and - well, why not? Admittedly - the TJ-5 with a bolt-on neck that I saw in a local shop a few years ago was a bit of a curious beast, since the extended cut-away combined with the standard Sonus bolt-on neck didn't feel that comfy on the upper fret access. Headless or not - the TJ body shape, at least to me, felt very comfortable. YMMV.
 
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