I think we all agree that there aren't many bad actors in this biz. So I understand your thinking... the vast majority of luths want to build you the perfect bass and deliver it on time whether you put down all, nothing, or anywhere in between. However as Jake explains builders have to protect themselves by charging the deposit, and customers should protect themselves by paying no more than the deposit. You yourself explained the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the Zon business, so it's easy to see how finances could become a struggle. In better times the build queue would be FIFO (oldest first) and you'd have your bass by now, but in desperate times the fully-paid-fors are often overlooked because bills have to be paid. So that's bad luck for you... possibly preventable, but you might be waiting even if you'd only paid 50% or whatever.
Just for grins: I put 100% down on my Darrin Huff order 20 years ago, 50% up front and the remainder 6 months later when he said it would be ready within the month. I still don't have that bass... but I console myself with the fact that the great majority of those who only put the minimum 50% down don't have their instruments either. (Note: I am absolutely NOT comparing Zon to Huff! Relevance is simply the deposit aspect).
