Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
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.
Zon basses - is everything OK ?
- Thread starter Rumblefisher
- Start date
It's complicated
The pickups and electronics will be Nordstrand. The top will be the buckeye burl from a few posts up this thread. Matching headstock. Black hardware. And a bunch of little details that will make it my total dream bass.
I agree; the playability on the one I have now is unmatched. I never got along with the pickups and preamp in it though. After my experiments on my Schecter Omen-8 I came up with a system that I believe will suit a new Sonus-8 very well.
The hard part about a Zon 10-string would be the headstock. If you sourced some compact tuners and could get them all to fit I'm sure Joe would build it for you. I had talked to G.Gould about building a 10-string many years ago and that was the main issue; he would have to create a new neck mold to build it.
Glad you guys are getting somewhere. I haven't heard anything for a while. Gotta be honest, I'm worried this is gonna end up coming out differently than I hoped and the 5 year wait would be a whole lotta heartache for naught. I hope not.
When was the last time you reached out? There seems to be a lot of activity, and it seems like instruments have been being delivered lately.
Does your yellow one have the 2-knob controls like the early models? That is my favorite look in Sonus basses.
Yes. Originally it had the quad-coil Bartolinis with two stacked knobs: Volume/Volume, and Bass/Treble. Currently the neck pickup has been swapped for a Bartolini Classic Bass, and the electronics have been swapped with Nordstrand. But it's all reversible and still has just the two stacked knobs.Does your yellow one have the 2-knob controls like the early models? That is my favorite look in Sonus basses.
I agree it's a clean look. But I've always wished the stacked knobs didn't stick out as far as they do.
Last edited:
Hi All,
I am new to Zon basses. I love there sound!! I was looking at the Zon site and they mentioned a tone plate. What is a tone plate and how can you tell if a bass has one?
I am new to Zon basses. I love there sound!! I was looking at the Zon site and they mentioned a tone plate. What is a tone plate and how can you tell if a bass has one?
A tone plate is simply a thin layer of "tone wood" between the body and the top. It's maybe a couple of millimeters thick. I have one on my Legacy Elite 519. I think wenge is their standard, though I got something else... that I can't remember right now.
It looks pretty cool, if you like seeing another layer. Would I notice a difference in sound if it wasn't there? Probably not.
I don't know about thetone plate per se but I recently DIY'd a bass using a slab body of Paulownis (aka Empress) wood.
I assembled it sans finish and played it for a while then decided to glue a matching top of figured walnut that's was 1/16" thick on the body. After reassembly of the bass (still sans finish) it sounded considerably brighter with the walnut top so I suppose a tone plate could alter the sound depending on which woods were chosen for the body and tone plate.
Yep.... a Tone Plate is a marketing term for "a thin piece of pretty wood".
So the old Sonus models had 2 knobs for controls (I assume stacked volume/blend and treble/bass). Does Joe do that any more? I'd love a Sonus with only two knobs on top.
I believe that's still the standard layout for one with the 2-band EQ.
If you want more controls and less knobs you can order a BG4; then most of the controls are on trim pots on the cavity cover leaving just one knob on top
Mine was built in 2012 and is on the way to me. The layout is different. It has the switch so it must be a ZB-4.3. Although the build sheet says 4.3. Dosen't have stacked knobs.
