Here is a sneak preview of the "new to me" Zon. A '96 Sonus that was recently sorted by Zon and now is heading south to me.
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Interested to see it in person. Well, more interested in seeing how it plays/sounds. I suspect it'll be nice and aggressive for the funk thang. I'll have a day or two to get acquainted before her first gig. Should play nice with the current darling in the house
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- Dec 21, 2007
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- Lark in the Morning Instructional Videos; Audix Microphones
Outstanding! You're gonna' love it. The Special/Custom spec is an amazing thing. I'm anxious to hear your thoughts - congratulations!
First time I have not been able to buy your Sonus Custom.
Then you bought the bass I wanted to buy.
What's next ?
p.s. : sorry, but I lost my fourth Zon in a row in less than three weeks (and i'm GASsing to death a Sonus)
Then you bought the bass I wanted to buy.
What's next ?
p.s. : sorry, but I lost my fourth Zon in a row in less than three weeks (and i'm GASsing to death a Sonus)
That's a "Lightwave" system. The optical sensors are in that funky looking bridge.
rockstarbassist
Inactive
rulyøngo;7547034 said:
Anyone know what kind of Zon 5'er he's playing? Looks like a hum in the neck and J in the bridge.
I watched the show and it sounds pretty rad through that RBI he has racked.
I wasn't really a fan of the Lightwave system myself, but that was also not on a Zon, it was on an actual Lightwave Sabre bass. Maybe that was a big part of it. Could be a preamp diff as well, which would also be a huge diff. That said, it was a bit of a PIA to calibrate, but as long as you don't ever change your action setting, and use fairly low action (so string height wasn't that diff from first fret to last), that should be a moot point.
It does make a big difference. I'm not sold on Lightwave either, but I was undecided about it on a Zon and hated it on a Sabre. But the Sabres I played were also disgustingly poorly made. But the tone was completely different- the Zon had a lot more life and character.
But really, I think if you didn't like it on the Sabre, you probably still won't on the Zon.
Besides, there is a reason they stopped making them!
But really, I think if you didn't like it on the Sabre, you probably still won't on the Zon.
Besides, there is a reason they stopped making them!
Yeah... I figured as much. The fit/finish on the Sabre I tried was actually very very good, but the tone seemed extremely synthetic... about as far away from the kind of natural/human tone I prefer on a fretless as you can get. Seemed cold and empty in one way or another no matter what I did with the EQ. I couldn't return it fast enough.
No way anyone could describe the tone from my Zon Lightwave as "cold." It is totally different from the RA, but also totally different from my fretted Zons or the Sadowsky or anything else. It's just...right.
NBD for me. The action was wicked-low when I got it. Adjusted everything up at the bridge and much better now (E and B were rattling before). A nick and mark here and there but otherwise very clean. The pups don't height adjust correctly (no spring?) but I'll sort that. I also don't know exactly what the toggle switch does. Sounds like it is a coil tap for the bridge pickup or changes between series/parallel. The stacked knobs are vol 1/vol2 and treble/bass. Pretty aggressive sound - will be a great funk machine.
If the pickup mounting setup is anything like my Legacy Elite Special, you won't have any springs or foam. You need to use the two screws inset into the mounting holes (not visible from top) to raise or lower how low the pickup can go. Once you set this, gently tighten the two visible screws until the pickup doesn't wiggle.
Cool, thanks. I'll check that. As it was I just loosened the screws and pulled them up a bit.
Plugged this into the MB/Berg combo and it is pretty sick. Burp city. You can't get a real "p-bass" sound from the front pup due to placement, but instead you get something between a P and a MM. This thing just kills for funk, especially backing off either pup a bit (just like I did with my PJ). The B-string...hmm, how shall I say this. The B-string crushes any small mammals within earshot, and I think I may have rendered myself sterile (good thing I'm done siring kids). I have to ask the seller what strings he put on - I'm guessing DRs. Will get a full workout at a gig on Saturday. Now just have to decide which tunes get the fretless and which get the fretted...
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