• 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.

Official Zon Club

Status
Not open for further replies.
#141
Vic said:
Great! Thanks Mo. That hits all my questions and even the one I forgot to ask... the bridge... :)

For my tastes, I'm really happy with the J's that are in my Sonus (I ASSUME they're the same as the ones originally in the 519, but I don't know for sure. Mine's the regular Sonus 5) I'm also pretty happy with the preamp the way it is... at least with those pickups anyway, but I might consider a bridge change. While I'm really pretty happy with the B, something that might bolt on could be worth an eval for potential improvement. I'd have to get the 17mm version tho.
Click to expand...

You are very welcome.
Hipshot B has different hole patterns than the Zon one. I'm pretty sure the A model would work, tho.
How old is your Sonus?

M
 
#143
Benjamin Strange said:
I've been wondering about Zons for a long time - but I've never really gotten a chance to sit down and put one through it's paces. So here's a few questions:

- What are the necks like? I generally prefer a fairly deep neck - are the Zon necks skinny? Are the neck profiles the same from model to model?

- What's the difference between the big pickups and the jazz pickups?

- I've seen some Zons with both pickups located near the bridge - what's up with that?

- I don't like active electronics - do the Zon pickups sound ok by themselves? I'd rather not have any electronics in my Zon, if someday I do end up ordering one.

- How would you characterize the tone between the Sonus and the Legacy?
Click to expand...

Anybody else? More opinions would be welcome.
 
#144
- What are the necks like? I generally prefer a fairly deep neck - are the Zon necks skinny? Are the neck profiles the same from model to model?
Click to expand...

My sonus special 5 has what I would characterize as a thin (front to back) neck. It's an extremely comfortable neck to me.
I don't know if they're the same model to model.

- I don't like active electronics - do the Zon pickups sound ok by themselves? I'd rather not have any electronics in my Zon, if someday I do end up ordering one.
Click to expand...

Most Zon's that I've seen have Barts. The Barts I've played sound great passive as well as active.

- What's the difference between the big pickups and the jazz pickups?
Click to expand...

Bart Soapbars vs. Bart hum-cancelling J pups. I like 'em both.

- I've seen some Zons with both pickups located near the bridge - what's up with that?
Click to expand...

Sonus specials - the neck pup is moved back into a different "sweet spot". I think it sounds great on fretless, and since that's what I play, that's what I can say. Dunno if it works as well on fretted, I've heard some fretted players say that, for fretted, they like the regular (non-special) placement better.
 
#145
Cool, thanks. So are the soapbars P pickups under there, or full on dual coil humbuckers?

The relocated neck pickup sounds like that's for me - two soapbars near the bridge could be pretty sick. However, a thin neck is concerning. I'm going to have to find a local TBer with a Zon, or make a trip all the way down to Redwood City, to check one out.
 
#146
Benjamin Strange said:
I've been wondering about Zons for a long time - but I've never really gotten a chance to sit down and put one through it's paces. So here's a few questions:

- What are the necks like? I generally prefer a fairly deep neck - are the Zon necks skinny? Are the neck profiles the same from model to model?

- What's the difference between the big pickups and the jazz pickups?

- I've seen some Zons with both pickups located near the bridge - what's up with that?

- I don't like active electronics - do the Zon pickups sound ok by themselves? I'd rather not have any electronics in my Zon, if someday I do end up ordering one.

- How would you characterize the tone between the Sonus and the Legacy?
Click to expand...

I've had 7 or 8 of them, and currently own a Sonus 5, so I guess I'm qualified.. :)

- The necks are typically thin front to back as others have mentioned. I had 5 different 519's and one was noticeably thicker front to back than the others. It was the oldest of the 519's I owned, so my guess is they've moved to a thinner profile.

- My Sonus has the Jazz pickups (true single coils) and I love them. They're very focused, have lots of punch, and are fairly aggressive. I had one Custom with the Soapbars (dual coils), and it wasn't bad, just not my cup of tea.. A little too tame.

- You've been given the rundown on the Special. They now make that one with soaps.. Gelb Music has one..

- Never took the preamp out of any of mine, but I usually run the EQ totally flat and they sound smoking.. I'm sure passive mode would just be a little quieter version of that..

- No idea on the Elites.
 
#147
kesslari said:
My sonus special 5 has what I would characterize as a thin (front to back) neck. It's an extremely comfortable neck to me.
Click to expand...
+1

I guess I was thinking string spacing, but the question probably was more asking about this. Yeah, I think Zons are typcially "fast feeling" slender necks. Mine definitely is and I love it.

Bart Soapbars vs. Bart hum-cancelling J pups. I like 'em both.
Click to expand...
Careful... all the Sonus J pickups are not hum canceling, tho they are particularly well shielded, so they are quieter than most single-coil pickups. Even the EMG's they use are single-coil models. Only the soaps are humbuckers. They do make a 519H model, which is the hum canceling version, but don't picture it so I can't tell if it's the one model that has HC J's, or if they simply put soaps in it. If I remember, I'll ask Joe at NAMM in a few weeks.
 
#148
Benjamin Strange said:
Cool, thanks. So are the soapbars P pickups under there, or full on dual coil humbuckers?

The relocated neck pickup sounds like that's for me - two soapbars near the bridge could be pretty sick. However, a thin neck is concerning. I'm going to have to find a local TBer with a Zon, or make a trip all the way down to Redwood City, to check one out.
Click to expand...

I own both a Sonus Special 5 and a Sonus 5/2.

I agree with the above descriptions of the Special. It has a modern Jazz flavor and sounds great (I guess a fretless should sound even better).

The 5/2 is another story. It has 2 soapbars but in the bridge position there`s a MM style pickup and a Pbass pickup in the neck, both of them are Custom SD.

It has a fuller, deeper sound compared with the special but at the same time has "that" attack and punchiness typical of graphite necked basses.
 
#150
TBalls said:
These two 5-strings were custom made for me by Joe
IMG_0434a.jpg
IMG_0435a.jpg
Click to expand...

Nice! Why the monorails on the fretted, but not the fretless?
 
#153
The_Owl said:
Nice! Why the monorails on the fretted, but not the fretless?
Click to expand...

I had the fretless made a year or two before the fretted, and to be completely honest it was just sort of a whim. I asked Joe what he thought about it and he said the monorails would work great, so we went with it. I wish I could say there's an appreciable difference, but all 3 basses are so different (tonally) that it's tough to tell. It just makes them all that little bit more unique (3 woods, 3 colors, 3 bridges, 2 different preamps).
 
#155
...on another note, I'm still looking for a 5-string Legacy. Seems like they are rarely for sale even in the US. This one sold at Atlanta Bass Gallery, exactly what I'm looking for:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I guess they sound so good, that people don't want to sell them, huh?

The scene in "Airheads" where Steve Buscemi fails to smash the Legacy Elite is priceless!

...and I just love how the fretboards have a wood-like texture.
 
#159
Benjamin Strange said:
I'm going to have to find a local TBer with a Zon, or make a trip all the way down to Redwood City, to check one out.
Click to expand...

Even though I'm right near Redwood City anyway, you're welcome to come try my 6 string anytime. I have to take a trip into the city sometime soon, too, so I could always stop by and let you try it out! Just let me know- I'm happy to oblige. :)
 
#160
Angus said:
Even though I'm right near Redwood City anyway, you're welcome to come try my 6 string anytime. I have to take a trip into the city sometime soon, too, so I could always stop by and let you try it out! Just let me know- I'm happy to oblige. :)
Click to expand...

That would be completely bad ass. PM me next time you're coming in to town, and we can set up a time to meet. I'll let you try out my Strangeberger...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back