Thanks Fuzz for the info, dude your Zon is SWEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!!
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Thanks Fuzz for the info, dude your Zon is SWEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!!
So, this is what was recommended a few posts back and confirmed by Bartolini.
This gave me a two lead parallel hookup.
So far I really like it. It accomplished exactly what I wanted. Without the low mid boost from the series wiring, the upper mids are more apparent. Overall, the mids are more even. I used to boost the mids (centered at 750hz) quite a bit. Now if I boost them it sounds thin. The lows are also quite different. They don't need near as much boost to get meaty with the bridge pickup solo'ed. I used to boost the highs when soloing the neck pickup, but that is not necessary now. I always preferred the bridge pickup tone the best, with the lows boosted and the highs cut. Now eq isn't necessary and I like all the pickup configurations. The lows seem warmer and more clear. The highs are more present but airy and not brittle; like the highs were boosted with a good low Q shelving EQ. Everything just seems clearer, but the general tonality is still the same.
I would suggest this wiring change if you want to sound more modern "boutique'ish", or more like a fat single coil. Also, if you find yourself cutting the low mids on your bass, this mod is for you.
To me, with the Audere, it sounds similar to Fodera, if Bartolini made a copy of their SD Soapbars. The Zon dual/quad coils are definitely different than either of Bartolini's off the shelf true DC options. This is what I wanted: a graphite necked MG Standard with Bartolini heft.
I should have a live recording of it tomorrow.
This gave me a two lead parallel hookup.
So far I really like it. It accomplished exactly what I wanted. Without the low mid boost from the series wiring, the upper mids are more apparent. Overall, the mids are more even. I used to boost the mids (centered at 750hz) quite a bit. Now if I boost them it sounds thin. The lows are also quite different. They don't need near as much boost to get meaty with the bridge pickup solo'ed. I used to boost the highs when soloing the neck pickup, but that is not necessary now. I always preferred the bridge pickup tone the best, with the lows boosted and the highs cut. Now eq isn't necessary and I like all the pickup configurations. The lows seem warmer and more clear. The highs are more present but airy and not brittle; like the highs were boosted with a good low Q shelving EQ. Everything just seems clearer, but the general tonality is still the same.
I would suggest this wiring change if you want to sound more modern "boutique'ish", or more like a fat single coil. Also, if you find yourself cutting the low mids on your bass, this mod is for you.
To me, with the Audere, it sounds similar to Fodera, if Bartolini made a copy of their SD Soapbars. The Zon dual/quad coils are definitely different than either of Bartolini's off the shelf true DC options. This is what I wanted: a graphite necked MG Standard with Bartolini heft.
I should have a live recording of it tomorrow.
Thanks for describing the new tone - glad it worked out
Looking forward to hearing the recording!
- Dec 21, 2007
- 15,233
- 45,122
- Disclosures
- Lark in the Morning Instructional Videos; Audix Microphones
If you got a four wire lead from Bartolini, yes. Then you can just wire it like any of their other dual coils.
"Awaken" both pickups, Slight bass and mid boost
"Just As I Am" Neck pickup flat
"Your Great Name" Bridge pickup, slight bass boost highs rolled off a little
This is raw, live, direct into the audio interface with only a 25hz high pass filter and a limiter.
"Just As I Am" Neck pickup flat
"Your Great Name" Bridge pickup, slight bass boost highs rolled off a little
This is raw, live, direct into the audio interface with only a 25hz high pass filter and a limiter.
Nitty-gritty question:
The control / electronics cover on my 2007 Sonus Custom 5 uses machine screws (nice), but the one on my 2001 fretless 5 uses wood screws (yuck) which are crooked (yuck yuck)
it it practical / advisable to have machine screws installed in the 2001?
If so, is this something that a typical competent bass tech can do, or does it need a skilled luthier/ woodworker?
The control / electronics cover on my 2007 Sonus Custom 5 uses machine screws (nice), but the one on my 2001 fretless 5 uses wood screws (yuck) which are crooked (yuck yuck)
it it practical / advisable to have machine screws installed in the 2001?
If so, is this something that a typical competent bass tech can do, or does it need a skilled luthier/ woodworker?
Super easy. It’s like 5-10 minutes of work. You just drill the hole slightly larger, screw or press a threaded insert +/- adhesive, and you’re done. I’ve done it on multiple instruments.
OK, so I have a 5/2 with the Duncan soapbars-with-ears and the Polyfusion ZP-4 preamp.
While I'm very happy with the ergonomics, the playability (after having shimmed the neck) and the unplugged tone (and geez that B-string is clear like a grand piano), I want to explore the possibility of changing the pre and/or the pickups.
My tone goals would be to smooth out the ice-pick highs, round out the lows (I suspect that the boost/cut frequency is lower than ideal here), and have more "musical" or "woody" mids with the possible option to boost around 600-800Hz for more bark. (My Legacy Elite Special 6 also can have harsh highs if they are boosted, but overall it's a much rounder sound that still has the mid-bark to cut through the mix, so that's a reference point if that's helpful for anyone.)
I've read pretty much *all* of the Club Zon posts in the multiple threads, but there's not a whole lot of info on swapping preamps in a 5/2 (and none on swapping out the Duncan pickups) -- and while my guess is that an East preamp or similar would give me the versatility that I'm looking for, I'd love to hear from anyone who has already gone down this road. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!
While I'm very happy with the ergonomics, the playability (after having shimmed the neck) and the unplugged tone (and geez that B-string is clear like a grand piano), I want to explore the possibility of changing the pre and/or the pickups.
My tone goals would be to smooth out the ice-pick highs, round out the lows (I suspect that the boost/cut frequency is lower than ideal here), and have more "musical" or "woody" mids with the possible option to boost around 600-800Hz for more bark. (My Legacy Elite Special 6 also can have harsh highs if they are boosted, but overall it's a much rounder sound that still has the mid-bark to cut through the mix, so that's a reference point if that's helpful for anyone.)
I've read pretty much *all* of the Club Zon posts in the multiple threads, but there's not a whole lot of info on swapping preamps in a 5/2 (and none on swapping out the Duncan pickups) -- and while my guess is that an East preamp or similar would give me the versatility that I'm looking for, I'd love to hear from anyone who has already gone down this road. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!
- Dec 21, 2007
- 15,233
- 45,122
- Disclosures
- Lark in the Morning Instructional Videos; Audix Microphones
I'm a big fan of John East's preamps, and have his ACG Filter pre in my Zon - that's the one for me.
I've heard really good things about Pope pre's and Zons.
If it were me I'd start with either the pre or the pups (I'd start with the pre, myself) but not both at once.
I've heard really good things about Pope pre's and Zons.
If it were me I'd start with either the pre or the pups (I'd start with the pre, myself) but not both at once.
I absolutely love the Audere classic with the three way mid switch in the Legacy Elite.
As much as I hated the OBP-3 in my Legacy, it might work better with the brighter SD pickups in your 5/2.
Noll has a preamp with sweepable controls for all three bands if you really want to get crazy.
You might be able to get some hot rod Fodera type tones with the Pope/Trickfish, though.
As much as I hated the OBP-3 in my Legacy, it might work better with the brighter SD pickups in your 5/2.
Noll has a preamp with sweepable controls for all three bands if you really want to get crazy.
You might be able to get some hot rod Fodera type tones with the Pope/Trickfish, though.
Hey guys. I’m once again a Zon owner (Sonus 519) and love it, however I can’t live with the single coil noise in the studio. Which skinny candy bar pickup is the quietest? X45CBJD?
An alternative is to try putting an Electro-Harmonix HumDeBugger in your signal chain. I have had excellent results with this eliminating buzz without noticeably altering my tone. I put it near the end of my chain, right before a volume pedal, a boost pedal, and a Broughton Messenger, then signal to amp & house. However I do mostly live work. I’m not sure how noticeable this might be on your bass’s tone if being recorded in a studio setting.
Either of the Bart split coil candy bars will be quiet. Everything is wrapped in copper foil before being epoxy potted.
I figured the original ones with the enhanced highs would do nice
Both pickups on mine are splittable from dual to single coil -- but it's a "very custom" headless Sonus 519, and Joe suggested the pickup wiring (or maybe it was Martin, hard to tell). Single coil mode is super quiet with both pickups on, but I can hear a bit of hum with just one split pickup on so I'm guessing they aren't quad coils.
Coil splitting is done via push-pull pots: the two closest to the strings. Volume increases quite a bit in dual coil mode so I suspect that means that the coils are series wired, but IANA tech.
I definitely like dual coil mode the best and rarely use single coil, but it's nice to have options -- which include one pickup single, the other dual.
35” scale, 19 mm spacing? Amazing.
View attachment 4561669
