will a Zon bass neck ever move?

[Vic]

This happened to me on 2 (yes, 2 of them!) Zons. One of them was my absolute favorite bass. It's not a matter of the neck warping or moving, but the fingerboard settles (remember, it's still wood), grately increasing the relief in the neck. If the fingerboard settles after warranty, it will cost around $500 to get a replacement neck (per Joe Zon).

He said that happens in about 3 basses per production year. Lucky me, it happened to 2 Zons I owned. I won't buy a Zon anymore because of this. And I LOVE the 519's. I won't buy one though -- too much risk.

Yeah, I remember your story.

Also, the fingerboard is not wood. It's phenowood, which is a composite that contains some wood fiber. It's more like bakelite than it is real wood, and typically highly stable.

I'm amazed this happened to you twice. Really. Freakish odds against this.

 

[fretless Bob]

It's also not a 24 fret neck... it's only 21 or 22. As a side note, I'm pretty sure 519 actually means 35" scale 19mm spacing.

that 519 thing is so obvious that i am kicking myself now.


Dave

 

[Basso Gruvitas]

Yeah, I remember your story.

Also, the fingerboard is not wood. It's phenowood, which is a composite that contains some wood fiber. It's more like bakelite than it is real wood, and typically highly stable.

I'm amazed this happened to you twice. Really. Freakish odds against this.

Vic, thanks for the clarification. I know the fingerboard has man-made elements, but my point is that it's not phenolic material or completely composite. It has wood in it, so it COULD (and DID) still move.

 

[dunamis]

Joe Z put a truss rod in my VB5 to add the "tweak-ability".

He didn't say that he plans to begin doing so on all his basses, but he did say that lack of a truss rod has been mentioned as a negative by some potential buyers.

Oh, and +1 on the "you won't regret it" comment. IMO, you owe it to yourself to buy the Zon!

 

[fretless Bob]

Joe Z put a truss rod in my VB5 to add the "tweak-ability".

He didn't say that he plans to begin doing so on all his basses, but he did say that lack of a truss rod has been mentioned as a negative by some potential buyers.

Oh, and +1 on the "you won't regret it" comment. IMO, you owe it to yourself to buy the Zon!

did you have zon fit the ramp to your vb5?

nice bass by the way


Dave

 

[dunamis]

did you have zon fit the ramp to your vb5?

nice bass by the way


Dave

Thanks! It's my favorite bass so far, and GAS has subsided (at least temporarily ).

Yeah, I asked them to make a ramp when I ordered the bass, so it came installed.

I made a ramp for another bass (pretty crude craftsmanship BTW ) to see if I'd like playing with one. I do find that I like a ramp, so I had the Zon made with one when I ordered it.

Here's another pic:

 

[fretless Bob]

getting a zon is starting to look compulsary.

how many of you guys play the 519 over the other zon models?


Dave

 

[Vic]

Vic, thanks for the clarification. I know the fingerboard has man-made elements, but my point is that it's not phenolic material or completely composite. It has wood in it, so it COULD (and DID) still move.

Oh yeah, for the record, I'm most definitely not calling you a liar regarding what happened to you. I am, however, extremely amazed at twice to the same person, tho. The odds against it are just crazy.

 

[fretless Bob]

While noone can promise that the neck will never move (note that noone could promise that about any bass), odds are you will not have any problem. Even if you did, Joe offers great customer service.

While I no longer own it, my Zon was awesome in every way. It still is, according to the friend to whom I sold it who refused my request to sell it back to me about a month ago (that bastage!).

yeah i guess that they might move a little bit but nothing that you would notice. does anyone know where i can get one in the U.K?


Dave

 

[Basso Gruvitas]

While noone can promise that the neck will never move (note that noone could promise that about any bass), odds are you will not have any problem. Even if you did, Joe offers great customer service.

While I no longer own it, my Zon was awesome in every way. It still is, according to the friend to whom I sold it who refused my request to sell it back to me about a month ago (that bastage!).

Well Josh, during construction I was told my Zon neck (can I include fingerboard too?) would not move. And I wonder if what you say is true that no one can promise that the neck will never move, why does Zon NOT put truss rods in their basses?

Joe is a good guy who's just trying to run a business. I had bought 2 basses from him and about $800 worth of Zon strings (which are outstanding strings BTW). I thought perhaps he could "hook me up" and fix my fingerboard without charge, but he quoted me $500, with no warranty on the work. *FOR ME* it rubbed me the wrong way that he couldn't help me out considering how much I had purchased (and would've continued to purchase) from him.

I loved my Legacy Standard. It TOTALLY had the mojo!! All of you Zon lovers are right. They feel and sound great! *FOR ME* I just can't afford to have another one that may fail on me.

 

[agreatheight]

I have a Zon Sonus 4 string, probably mid nineties, neck hasn't moved at all on me. Dead stable. Love it.

 

[Vic]

...rubbed me the wrong way...

You know, every time I see this story, it kills me.

Not only do I hate to hear these horror stories, but to have someone have such a horrible experience that it pushes them away from an instrument that truly inspires them, and leaves a sour taste in their mouth from a vendor who is very typically known as exemplary in customer service and quality. Dang... just wrong... ugh...

 

[bassjigga]

I've got 2 Zons and while they are still fairly young, (one about 5 years old, the other a little over 1) I haven't had a problem with either, and no desire to adjust relief. I live in an area which is high 20s in the winter and 105+ in the summer. I really hope nothing ever happens to the neck because one of them is a set-neck and I imagine there is no fixing it...

I also think Bass Gruvitas' story is unfortunate. If it were me, and a customer bought 2 basses and $800 worth of strings I'd probably eat the $500 repair and keep a possible repeat customer, not to mention the advertising value alone for the $500 that would have resulted from him singing praise of how Zon took care of him... oh well water under the bridge now.

Back to Fretless Bob... definitely get the Zon! And you might not necessarily have to get the 519. I don't know how you feel about string spacing. The regular 5s are actually 17.5 mm. I have a Special which is a 34 inch scale and the B is strong as anything out there. This place has some Zons: Link Removed I think they're in Germany, but probably much cheaper to ship from there than the U.S. to you. Good luck.

 

[Vic]

Actually, mine didn't move at all. They come with a fixed amount of relief, and mine held it perfectly.

+1

Or, to be fair, if it has moved, it's been totally undetectable, and I'm pretty particular about that. Again, two years and counting, and as far as I can tell... nothing is doing any settling or changing at all on me either. I'm pretty sure I'm 2 for 2 on the Zons behaving as they should (I also have a fretless).

EDIT: I also live in central IL, so not only do we have pretty bitter winters, but we have super humid summers, so we definitly run the gamut for conditions in a big way.

 

[fretless Bob]

+1

Or, to be fair, if it has moved, it's been totally undetectable, and I'm pretty particular about that. Again, two years and counting, and as far as I can tell... nothing is doing any settling or changing at all on me either. I'm pretty sure I'm 2 for 2 on the Zons behaving as they should (I also have a fretless).

EDIT: I also live in central IL, so not only do we have pretty bitter winters, but we have super humid summers, so we definitly run the gamut for conditions in a big way.

hey Vic i checked yor gear page.

both your zons are great, are they 519s?


Dave

 

[Basso Gruvitas]

I've got 2 Zons and while they are still fairly young, (one about 5 years old, the other a little over 1) I haven't had a problem with either, and no desire to adjust relief. I live in an area which is high 20s in the winter and 105+ in the summer. I really hope nothing ever happens to the neck because one of them is a set-neck and I imagine there is no fixing it...

I also think Bass Gruvitas' story is unfortunate. If it were me, and a customer bought 2 basses and $800 worth of strings I'd probably eat the $500 repair and keep a possible repeat customer, not to mention the advertising value alone for the $500 that would have resulted from him singing praise of how Zon took care of him... oh well water under the bridge now.

Back to Fretless Bob... definitely get the Zon! And you might not necessarily have to get the 519. I don't know how you feel about string spacing. The regular 5s are actually 17.5 mm. I have a Special which is a 34 inch scale and the B is strong as anything out there. This place has some Zons: Link Removed I think they're in Germany, but probably much cheaper to ship from there than the U.S. to you. Good luck.

Vic, jigga,
I appreciate the sentiment. As you say, it's water under the bridge (I'm a big Roscoe proponent now! ) I'm sure most Zons are great - when mine worked, it was awesome! And again, Joe's just trying to run a business - I don't fault him for that. I just disagree with his call on my part.


It's all good now. I simply want to chime in with my side of the story when someone asks, "how are Zon necks." I think I have a perspective that should be at least considered.

 

[Vic]

hey Vic i checked yor gear page.

both your zons are great, are they 519s?


Dave

Nope. Sonus 5's... the fretless is a "Special". 17mm spaced, 34" scale, killer. Deadly B string on both, and with owning MTD and Roscoe (and soon a Skjold 5), I know what a B should B.

 

[Vic]

It's all good now. I simply want to chime in with my side of the story when someone asks, "how are Zon necks." I think I have a perspective that should be at least considered.

Well, I hope you didn't read my posts as trying to stifle your input, because they were not intended that way. IMHO you did, and are doing, the right thing. It just kills me each time I hear it... not because you're wrong to post it, but because it's such a horrible story.

 

[Basso Gruvitas]

Well, I hope you didn't read my posts as trying to stifle your input, because they were not intended that way. IMHO you did, and are doing, the right thing. It just kills me each time I hear it... not because you're wrong to post it, but because it's such a horrible story.

Thanks Vic. It's all good.

 

[fretlessrock]

The neck on my Sonus 5 fretless has been rock solid for the year+ that I have been playing it (it is a 4 year old bass). And it has been played constantly. Mine doesn't have the trussrod and AFAIAC you can keep the truss. These things are freakishly stable. Also, I have experience with wooden necks without truss rods, both on guitars and URBs. I think there is something about a neck that isn't under internal compression that sounds better. Might be in my mind, but I think that if you can build the neck to where it doesn't move with temp/humidity and it can take the tension of the strings, then the truss is superfluous. The Zon necks are champs in both measures. Yes, tweaking action is nice.

Think hard about the 519. If you need the longer scale and the wider spacing then it makes sense, but I think that part of the beauty of the 34"/17mm Sonus is that you get all of this stability, a HUGE B string, all kinds of even feel across the baord, and it doesn't have to be a huge bass. For some reason it feels like the same spacing as my 4 string J-type bass. If you can try one or two first it will help a lot in the decision making process.

And +1k on the Zon strings. I use their nickel lights and they are the only sets that compare to the TIs that I put on everything else.

One thing about Zon necks is that some will develop a finish crack because the finish is brittle/weaker compared to the composite. It might look a little weird but there is no structural damage.