Zon basses - is everything OK ?

[RodRy]

In fairness, $2,500 in 1980 dollars is equivalent to almost $10,000 today, so I'm not really sure it was a better deal back then. This is so hard to grasp though... I had the same thought about my Carvin that cost around $950 circa 2001 compared to the cost of Carvins/Kiesels today, before I looked it up and learned that equates to over $1,500-$1,600 today (only since 2001)!

Yes, I was thinking similar. I've always wanted a Miata, but no matter what year, new ones have always been just outside of what I was willing to pay. Just out of reach in the 1980s, just out of reach now.

With Zon, I realized I finally could order my dream bass, and so I did. And now the waiting...

 

[Matt Power]

Get. A. Miata! I have owned a ton of Miatas over the years, always used, and you can usually find a sweet skate for cheap loot! You will absolutely love them! Every time I go sniffing around on Autotrader.com, my wife's 6th sense kicks in and Ye Olde Stank Eye comes next!

But seriously, congrats on getting your order in, and I hope it comes on time and is the bass of your dreams!

 

[RodRy]

Get. A. Miata! I have owned a ton of Miatas over the years, always used, and you can usually find a sweet skate for cheap loot! You will absolutely love them! Every time I go sniffing around on Autotrader.com, my wife's 6th sense kicks in and Ye Olde Stank Eye comes next!

But seriously, congrats on getting your order in, and I hope it comes on time and is the bass of your dreams!

Thanks, since we have a 71 MG Midget, it has held off the Miata GAS. But I still want one.

Yeah, I was quoted 24 months and I think that was about 6-9 months ago. I will ping Martin soon just to keep from falling into oblivion.

 

[Benko]

Thanks, since we have a 71 MG Midget, it has held off the Miata GAS. But I still want one.

Yeah, I was quoted 24 months and I think that was about 6-9 months ago. I will ping Martin soon just to keep from falling into oblivion.

Crossing finger for you, what did you order?

 

[RodRy]

Crossing finger for you, what did you order?

Sonus 8 with purple over burl top. Selected my wood with care, hope I get what I asked for in that regard. Really hoping the purple is more blue than red. Violet rather than plumb.

 

[jim nolte]

im going to call tomorrow and ask what’s up with mine.

Did you get a response yet ?

 

[Rumblefisher]

Did you get a response yet ?

nope. Call, vm, email x 2

 

[jim nolte]

nope. Call, vm, email x 2

Dang, I know you have the patience of Job but I would be royally pissed and I know that doesn’t help but still…

 

[Rumblefisher]

Dang, I know you have the patience of Job but I would be royally pissed and I know that doesn’t help but still…

I feel you. What’s it gonna help though? It is what it is, I’m pretty over it. It’s not personal, Joe Zon isn’t out to get me…it’s just something that’s gotten away from him and I’m not being terribly pushy to make it into a problem. Sadly if I was pushy I’d probably have the bass by now…not my style for the most part though

 

[31HZ]

I feel you. What’s it gonna help though? It is what it is, I’m pretty over it. It’s not personal, Joe Zon isn’t out to get me…it’s just something that’s gotten away from him and I’m not being terribly pushy to make it into a problem. Sadly if I was pushy I’d probably have the bass by now…not my style for the most part though

That's exactly how I operate, and how I feel about the whole thing.

If a company takes three years and counting to turn around (an admittedly complex) repair that was quoted two months, with no communication, that's fine. I have the very good fortune of having other instruments to play, and I'm not going to lose my cool over something that I have no control over. However, at some point I have to start sharing my experience in a matter-of-fact manner; to stay silent while others contemplate similar repairs or purchases make me complicit in the delays that these other customers are likely to have. Hence this thread, which is generally more cautionary than venting.

The funny thing is that I would have likely ordered at least one from-the-ground-up Zon by now, had there been even a remotely good experience with the repair.

So I'm not angry, or even disappointed for that matter. Just a little sad that these guys make such wonderful instruments, but for whatever reason can't get out of their own way.

Ah well.

 

[jim nolte]

That's exactly how I operate, and how I feel about the whole thing.

If a company takes three years and counting to turn around (an admittedly complex) repair that was quoted two months, with no communication, that's fine. I have the very good fortune of having other instruments to play, and I'm not going to lose my cool over something that I have no control over. However, at some point I have to start sharing my experience in a matter-of-fact manner; to stay silent while others contemplate similar repairs or purchases make me complicit in the delays that these other customers are likely to have. Hence this thread, which is generally more cautionary than venting.

The funny thing is that I would have likely ordered at least one from-the-ground-up Zon by now, had there been even a remotely good experience with the repair.

So I'm not angry, or even disappointed for that matter. Just a little sad that these guys make such wonderful instruments, but for whatever reason can't get out of their own way.

Ah well.

 

[Jefus]

That's exactly how I operate, and how I feel about the whole thing.

If a company takes three years and counting to turn around (an admittedly complex) repair that was quoted two months, with no communication, that's fine. I have the very good fortune of having other instruments to play, and I'm not going to lose my cool over something that I have no control over. However, at some point I have to start sharing my experience in a matter-of-fact manner; to stay silent while others contemplate similar repairs or purchases make me complicit in the delays that these other customers are likely to have. Hence this thread, which is generally more cautionary than venting.

The funny thing is that I would have likely ordered at least one from-the-ground-up Zon by now, had there been even a remotely good experience with the repair.

So I'm not angry, or even disappointed for that matter. Just a little sad that these guys make such wonderful instruments, but for whatever reason can't get out of their own way.

Ah well.

Yeah, I ordered mine and set a deadline in my head. If it was delivered by that deadline I was going to turn right around and order a BG5. It didn't arrive by that deadline, or yet at all.

I've been pinging Joe with increased frequency as my band will be recording again in April some time. I'd love to have my new bass (similar to @RodRy a Sonus-8 in purple over buckeye burl, but with some electronics *tweaks*) in time to debut it on these sessions. But I also would have loved to have it in time for our last sessions, which wound up featuring my Schecter Omen-8 instead.

 

[RodRy]

Yeah, I ordered mine and set a deadline in my head. If it was delivered by that deadline I was going to turn right around and order a BG5. It didn't arrive by that deadline, or yet at all.

I've been pinging Joe with increased frequency as my band will be recording again in April some time. I'd love to have my new bass (similar to @RodRy a Sonus-8 in purple over buckeye burl, but with some electronics *tweaks*) in time to debut it on these sessions. But I also would have loved to have it in time for our last sessions, which wound up featuring my Schecter Omen-8 instead.

Looking forward to seeing pics of yours!

 

[Jefus]

Looking forward to seeing pics of yours!

And I'm looking forward to seeing yours!

Have you heard anything? A couple of purple 8-strings in production, it seems it would make sense to build (or at least apply the finish) them in close succession.

 

[castlev]

I feel like I should place an order now while I have no idea who this brand is so in 10 years when I figure it out, I'll only have to wait another 10 to get my dream bass.

 

[dangomez66]

Hello, all Zon aficionados. I have a 90s Legacy 5 fretless for sale. Lowball me, it might be your lucky day lol

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/90s-zon-legacy-standard-fretless.1639721/

 

[Thir13teen]

I’m 4 years into the wal wait…at this point it’s whoever gets back to me first lol

edit: correction, 3 years

I was lucky without knowing it in April 1995. I got out of the Navy, saw an ad for Bass World in KY & called them (because in the ad it said they carried Zon) & I wanted a Sonus V. They took my credit card over the phone and about a week later I had my Zon. Then in around 1997 I didn't want a 5 string anymore so I gave Bass Northwest in Seattle my Sonus V to sell on consignment & then I bought a Zon Sonus Special IV which was hanging on the wall.

Mike Watt happened to walk in to get his Eden amp fixed from the gig the night before. I was sitting on the stairs in the store playing the Special unplugged. Then I brought it to the counter to say "I'll take it" so I'm standing right next to Mike. Then all of a sudden Chad says "Mike this is Ron - Ron this is Mike" & we shook hands. Chad says "Ron saw you at the Roseland in NYC & said you tore one of your strings off of your T-bird at the end." (kind of put me on the spot to have to discuss it). Then Mike looked on my new Zon getting prepped for me to take it home & says "You buying that thing?". I said yes, now I just have to learn to play it. And he said "Come on now, I heard you playing on the stairs - you can play." which I thought was cool of him to say.

Anyway, my main point it the two times I decided to buy a Zon they were hanging up in a shop and I essentially walked in & bought them on the spot. None of this wait time stuff (thank god).

 

[Thir13teen]

I've literally given up on ever expecting to get back a bass that I already own after nearly three years of waiting for a repair, but hey some band on Instagram apparently received their two basses so everything is OK and I must be making up my story!

I mean at this point can't you just request for them to ship it back & try elsewhere?

 

[Slaymus]

I mean at this point can't you just request for them to ship it back & try elsewhere?

I was in the same kind of situation and when I asked to have my bass back they told me it was not possible because it was disassembled... It was when I asked for pictures that things started to move. Best of luck to all of you waiting !

 

[Thir13teen]

Does anybody know if there are any Zon dealers in the country that have basses in stock that you can walk in & buy like I did in the 90's? My most hated thing to hear when walking into a music store is saying "Excuse me, do you carry the (insert brand/model)? and then hearing the response of "No, but I can order one for you."

The thing that would get me worried with these long waiting periods, for example the person that's been waiting 3 years for his Wal is; is it really on the waiting list? Did the order form fall behind a filing cabinet? Did it go missing or is it even in the system? With my anxiety the only way it'd work for me is if the company sent me periodic email/snail mail that gave an update on where my build sits as far as a time frame. Just getting a "Hey, we didn't forget about your bass" type of message would put me at ease.

And maybe I'm wrong on how it works as I've never ordered a custom bass, but if it's like you pay 1/2 the money up front & submitting the form & then never hearing one peep about it for years on end - that would make my nerves shot & question a lot of things. Mostly because of the past Modulus situation that we all know about (I ordered a Modulus Jazz neck through Bass Northwest & paid up front the $550 and after months of not hearing anything about it is when we slowly learned of their situation which was back maybe 15 yrs ago or so).