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Official Zon Club

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#81
Did you pick that up from a younger guy who got it from Bass NW? I have a funny story if it is.....

Chris

ModuMan said:
I'd like to join!

I just picked up this 1990 Legacy Elite w/ Goncalo Alves top here in the Classifieds. My pics doesn't do it justice, it is really nice in person. It was very well taken care of and sounds just awesome!

ZON1.jpg


ZON2.jpg
Click to expand...
 
#83
Hi guys,

my friend bought a 5-string sonus fretless and currently I am enjoying it. Last night I took it to the rehearsal with my 55-94... and kept on playing the sonus to the end.

Nevertheless,
could you guys enlighten me on the Sonus modifications? -1, -2, studio, custom... What are they? The particular one that is sitting at my house now is a :

sonus 5 fretless
ash body/maple top
2 bartolini J-looking PUPs
Bartolini 2-band pre, vol, pan, hi-lo stacked knob
17 mm string spacing
34" scale.

The issue I am experiencing is, the setting of the EQ is 'interesting'. It is like, I gather the ash/graphite combo gives a very even frequencies output, so if I boost lows and/or highs to the desired level thereof, the sound becomes 'shallow'. So I had to cut lows and highs so that some mid would stick out, and than turn the pan knob to the bridge PU.
I do understand that cutting frequencies is a more 'educated' way than boosting. And the bass is capable of giving some cool sounds too. But, it's like you have more than a half of your knobs' range just so that you have it, not that you'd wanna use it.
I think this could be cured by simple adjusting of the pre, but why hasn't this been done?

Has anyone experienced anything like this? Is this kind of sound characteristic of graphite?
 
#84
denchiq said:
Hi guys,

my friend bought a 5-string sonus fretless and currently I am enjoying it. Last night I took it to the rehearsal with my 55-94... and kept on playing the sonus to the end.

Nevertheless,
could you guys enlighten me on the Sonus modifications? -1, -2, studio, custom... What are they? The particular one that is sitting at my house now is a :

sonus 5 fretless
ash body/maple top
2 bartolini J-looking PUPs
Bartolini 2-band pre, vol, pan, hi-lo stacked knob
17 mm string spacing
34" scale.

The issue I am experiencing is, the setting of the EQ is 'interesting'. It is like, I gather the ash/graphite combo gives a very even frequencies output, so if I boost lows and/or highs to the desired level thereof, the sound becomes 'shallow'. So I had to cut lows and highs so that some mid would stick out, and than turn the pan knob to the bridge PU.
I do understand that cutting frequencies is a more 'educated' way than boosting. And the bass is capable of giving some cool sounds too. But, it's like you have more than a half of your knobs' range just so that you have it, not that you'd wanna use it.
I think this could be cured by simple adjusting of the pre, but why hasn't this been done?

Has anyone experienced anything like this? Is this kind of sound characteristic of graphite?
Click to expand...


According to your description it shoud be a Sonus Special.
Mine looks like this
 
#86
If the J-pups are close, its a Special. If they are in the normal positions, its a normal Sonus.

Then there are the Customs, which come with soaps.

ModuMan said:
Oops, didn't catch that. Educate me here... what separates the Studio from the "regular" Sonus?
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, then the studio has a per-pickup EQ, and the 519s have 19mm spacing (and 35" scale, i think)

But of course, Zon, being a custom company, does build stuff that defies the naming convention, like my Custom Sonus Custom... Which started out as a Sonus.

newbass.jpg
 
#87
Papersen, ehque,

thanks, that helps. That would be Normal Sonus then :smug:

What about the sound thing? This is the first graphite bass ever that I get to play, so I wonder if you can say what I've written above is characteristic of them.
 
#89
I can't say for sure. When my Sonus Custom was still a Sonus, i regularly had to play with my bass maxxed out and my treble cut fully. Probably i was trying to get a more old-school tone, which the Sonus doesn't really have. It sounds a lot more modern and in your face.

Right now i use the adjustment a lot less, but i can still cut the treble fully and feel ok about the sound.
 
#90
denchiq said:
so then, this one:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=450402
has bass/treble stacked knobs for each PU plus some kind of boost switch for each one?
Click to expand...

From the same thread

ElectronicsType: ZB6 dual active system made for Zon by Bartolini.
Functions: Master volume, pickup blend, dual independent stacked bass/treble controls with 3 position boost switch, one for each pickup.
Power requirements: Two 9-volt battery
Life expectancy: 2500 hours of continuous use.
 
#91
ehque said:
From the same thread

ElectronicsType: ZB6 dual active system made for Zon by Bartolini.
Functions: Master volume, pickup blend, dual independent stacked bass/treble controls with 3 position boost switch, one for each pickup.
Power requirements: Two 9-volt battery
Life expectancy: 2500 hours of continuous use.
Click to expand...

cool... :eyebrow: I thought MY 3-eq and coil tap was A LOT
sorry for my being lazy not to read that to the end
 
#92
ehque said:
I can't say for sure. When my Sonus Custom was still a Sonus, i regularly had to play with my bass maxxed out and my treble cut fully. Probably i was trying to get a more old-school tone, which the Sonus doesn't really have. It sounds a lot more modern and in your face.

Right now i use the adjustment a lot less, but i can still cut the treble fully and feel ok about the sound.
Click to expand...

Sorry, maxxed out = cut or boost?
 
#93
Still my main bass...

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

and a set of them is here: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Those pics were taken by GGuitars, but I haven't been able to do any better. I've hauled that baby to Europe and back, played it at most every gig and rehearsal, and put in a lot of hours in the shed, and it still looks and plays like day 1. Hard to argue with that. Aside from wanting to add a Vinny to the family, it completely eliminated all GAS. I sold everything but my ABG and my Read J bass.

Anybody got a line on a nice Vinny for sale?
:ninja:

Pete
 
#96
ehque said:
I can't say for sure. When my Sonus Custom was still a Sonus, i regularly had to play with my bass maxxed out and my treble cut fully. Probably i was trying to get a more old-school tone, which the Sonus doesn't really have. It sounds a lot more modern and in your face.

Right now i use the adjustment a lot less, but i can still cut the treble fully and feel ok about the sound.
Click to expand...

I've got a Sonus Custom with all the upgraded electronics but minus the fancy top - I went with a 3-tone sunburst because I don't like the fancy-top gap on the top of the bass. Anyway, I have two older MMSR5s with coil taps, and I really dig the versatility, and I've thought about getting my Sonus modified to have each pup tapped. I just want to know if the sound is really all that different and/or useful. Sure, it presents options, but I have the the mid-selector switch which already gives tons of options already that I haven't even been able to find! So in your mind, is it worth it? How often do you futz with the coil tapping?

(A bit late, I realize.)
 
#98
I've long been a zon player - a buddy of mine has a zon lightwave fretless that is, without doubt, the best playing, best sounding fretless I have ever seen or played. It is just plain nuts - and I've played me some basses... I keep hoping he drops bass and goes back to playing guitar so I can buy it from him...
 
#99
I had the chance to record a short clip for my band yesterday and couldn`t believe the sound I got from my fretless Zon.

It was plain amazing (even considering that I`m a more than mediocre fretless player)
 
#100
I love my Sonus 5 (in other words, subscribing). :)

Totally standard Sonus 5 except for a figured redwood top. Ridiculously light at about 7.5 pounds, and incredible tone. Of all the Zons I've owned and had extended access to (which is like 8 now I think), it's the best for me.

I think most folks have already seen this one, as I've had it a long time, but just in case...

zon_s5_01.jpg
 
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