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Official Zon Club Part 5

#301
Hi guys. I have recently been turned on to the awesomeness of Zon instruments. I'm looking to sell off the bulk of my collection and purchase a Zon Vb4 and the new Todd Johnson 6 (headless bass). My question is first, is the new headless TJ available yet? Second, can I customize the TJ6 to have a bit wider string spacing- 18mm?
 
#303
basschanges said:
Hi guys. I have recently been turned on to the awesomeness of Zon instruments. I'm looking to sell off the bulk of my collection and purchase a Zon Vb4 and the new Todd Johnson 6 (headless bass). My question is first, is the new headless TJ available yet? Second, can I customize the TJ6 to have a bit wider string spacing- 18mm?
Click to expand...

You can order the headless. String spacing is a different issue, though, because the necks are molded, so custom spacing not really available. I think on 6 strings they can do 16.5mm and 19mm, though maybe that has changed.
 
#304
Necks are molded but there's some flexibility in the spacing (just not in the neck width). My 5 string has a 16.5 mm bridge, and I've so completely gotten used to the way that the string spacing fits the neck that I forget that it's not standard.
 
#308
golower said:
7 months to 2 years . Give or take a couple months or a year.
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Sadly, this is exactly right. I was quoted 7 months, now past the 2 year mark.... and counting.

I got my first Zon through the Classifieds. Rare, but they do pop up. If you're willing to pay a fortune, I've noticed they show up with somewhat greater frequency in Japan. But very expensive.
 
#309
I can't rely on the used market. The two Zons I want are much rarer than Sonus' or Legacy's. A Vb4 with back hardware and a ramp and the TJ6 headless with wider spacing (if possible). The latter instrument already costs a lot of money, and the former one is not seen often.

ModuMan said:
Sadly, this is exactly right. I was quoted 7 months, now past the 2 year mark.... and counting.

I got my first Zon through the Classifieds. Rare, but they do pop up. If you're willing to pay a fortune, I've noticed they show up with somewhat greater frequency in Japan. But very expensive.
Click to expand...

It's really a shame that that is the case. Doesn't sound right for a well established shop to not have their stuff together and run that long in excess of quoted lead times. Sadowsky, Ken Smith, Fodera, all take different amounts of time to produce, but the lead times quoted are not that far off from reality. They should work on that before it begins to do damage to their reputation if it hasn't already.
 
#310
basschanges said:
It's really a shame that that is the case. Doesn't sound right for a well established shop to not have their stuff together and run that long in excess of quoted lead times. Sadowsky, Ken Smith, Fodera, all take different amounts of time to produce, but the lead times quoted are not that far off from reality. They should work on that before it begins to do damage to their reputation if it hasn't already.
Click to expand...
The thing that you should remember is that Zon basses are 100% handmade (no CNC machines are used), they are a VERY small shop and a lot of the wait time depends on what you want and whether the vendors that they deal with have what they need to finish it.

For example, you might have very specific woods in mind. Maybe you want a really dark ebony top and a light weight spalted alder body. If those woods aren't available at the shop, they need to source them... that takes time. Once the wood is sourced, it might not be dried, so that will need to happen... which takes more time.

That's just one specific example.

I can tell you right now that Todd's bass is the only one that they've made so far. So, if you want short scale headless 6-string with a set neck and then want to change it to 18mm spacing, it will be another first for them... that will take time to plan properly, if they can even do it at all at this point. Like I said, they don't have a machine that they can just reprogram... it's all built from scratch.

This isn't to say that a significant portion of the wait doesn't come from the shop itself... where you fall into the queue when you order and what kinds of fires start while you're in the queue can cause you to get bumped back.

There are many variables that add/subtract from the equation... so, when you call and talk to them, just understand that they can only give you the best guess they can give you based on that day, and realize that the bass you're ordering is a custom-made, one-of-a-kind handmade piece of art that will be flawless when you receive it.

That's all I can say, really... there might be a long wait, but man are the basses ever worth it.
 
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#311
From hearing and reading, I trust what you are saying is right. I understand how painstakingly each bass is constructed, and I understand that my requests may take time because Zon does everything ab ovo usque ad mala. I did not mean to cast aspersions on the company's workmanship or integrity at all. If I have to wait three years for a bass, so be it. It so happens that the strength and stability of a Zon neck and the compactness of a headless shortscale is precisely what I need now. Not to mention that the clarity of Todd Johnson's chords was something I thought previously unobtainable through a bass guitar. I just don't want to be quoted for 7 months and have to wait 3 years.

Edit: which is why I'll call them and get the scoop myself.
 
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#313
basschanges said:
From hearing and reading, I trust what you are saying is right. I understand how painstakingly each bass is constructed, and I understand that my requests may take time because Zon does everything ab ovo usque ad mala. I did not mean to cast aspersions on the company's workmanship or integrity at all. If I have to wait three years for a bass, so be it. It so happens that the strength and stability of a Zon neck and the compactness of a headless shortscale is precisely what I need now. Not to mention that the clarity of Todd Johnson's chords were something I thought previously unobtainable through a bass guitar. I just don't want to be quoted for 7 months and have to wait 3 years.

Edit: which is why I'll call them and get the scoop myself.
Click to expand...

Don't be surprised if they are particularly hesitant regarding making a modified, reduced-scale headless bass at the moment. They recently built me a 32" scale, neck-though VB-4 (review coming soon, folks), and the process was a bit of a nightmare. In brief, it took more than a year longer than they expected in order to work everything out, and they had to scrap the whole body of the bass once during the process.
 
#317
Long overdue for this...but can I get a number for my pair? 1994 Zon Legacy Standard 4 Fretless and a 1993 Zon Sonus Standard 4. Pardon the thread hijack!

zons.jpg
 
#319
Thanks!

I'm not really at the point where I can afford the pretty-looking hardwoods (though Joe does beautiful work with them)---but the nice thing about going used was that one seems to be one of the ones that's pure phenolic, with the coated surface, back before he started using phenowood for the fretboards. Great sound!
 

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