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Zon basses - is everything OK ?

For what it's worth, I just received my vb4 after 4 years since placing the order. I was quoted 8-10 months for the delivery but then all sorts of "issues" came along. Martin and Joe are nice and passionate but they should definitely get their act together. The pickups excuse doesn't cut it anymore either, I think they mentioned pickup issues a couple of times. They're nice basses but the process is frustrating. Good luck to all those waiting
Glad you have your instrument! As someone who does project management, I see some opportunities there.
 
That's a pretty light (and lightweight) mahogany!

24 months doesn't sound all that bad and obviously things can happen to affect the timeframe. Fodera quotes a 24 month build time. The difference, of course, is sticking to it.
Fbass quotes 18-20 months, and sticks to it.

Ask me how I know, ha. Too bad, because I was 100% in on Zon!
 
Marcel is THE MAN.

Seriously, Marcel, James Carbonetti and Mike Tobias have to be my absolute favorite people I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with in the bass world
Totally agree about Marcel and Fbass, I had a question about them making a pickguard for my 25 year old BN5 and got a response the same day, he even told me he had to use his own personal E-mail as mine was not allowing him to send one from the company’s address and suggested I change my settings to allow Fbass.com to contact me, so when I keep hearing the horror stories about Zon not even contacting people who have invested large amounts of money into a product that they have never received is absolutely ridiculous.
 
Some companies value their customers, some companies value their cash flow.

I don't think that's necessarily a fair interpretation. I think some people are more natural customer service people. I also think it's not "valuing their cash flow" as much as "worrying about their cash flow", and time on the computer/phone is time out of the shop.

Nothing is that easy with a skeleton crew.

I'm not excusing anything, but I also think it's fair to recognize that running a business is not easy.
 
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I don't think that's necessarily a fair interpretation. I think some people are more natural customer service people. I also think it's not "valuing their cash flow" as much as "worrying about their cash flow", and time on the computer/phone is time out of the shop.

Nothing is that easy with a skeleton crew.

I'm not excusing anything, but I also think it's fair to recognize that running a business is not easy.
It's easy if you're NOT the person/people running the business.
 
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Honestly this whole situation REALLY SUCKS!!!! I want another Legacy Elite but in a 5 string version and it's like a roll of the dice when ordering, your are taking a BIG!!!! chance on if your going to get your bass or get your bass in 2 years, 4 years, 10 years or if at all.
Personally I'm not a gambling man, I just wish ZON ran there company like Sadowsky, Alembic and other companies that actually have there $#!+ together.
 
I don't think that's necessarily a fair interpretation.
Nothing is that easy with a skeleton crew.
...it's fair to recognize that running a business is not easy.
If that's the case, then how is it fair for you to assume that I've no experience running a business?

Also, and in my own case, many things can be successfully managed with a minimal number of employees, especially if customer satisfaction ranks high on the list of priorities.

Lots of running of defense from the devil's advocate who won't grant the same leniency to members with legitimate concerns, and if you'll assume the best of the silent partner here, maybe you could do the same for the rest of us.

I doubt anyone joined this thread in hopes of seeing Zon pilloried, but rather hoping to see a turnaround.
 
So the company is short-handed on staff to do production?

They scale down a few years ago, Joe explained it in a podcast, and now it's basically Joe and Martin. So yes the overall capacity has reduced and hence we see less new instruments

(that said it does not provide one's business to push back order or to be upfront with the leadtime)
 
If that's the case, then how is it fair for you to assume that I've no experience running a business?

Also, and in my own case, many things can be successfully managed with a minimal number of employees, especially if customer satisfaction ranks high on the list of priorities.

Lots of running of defense from the devil's advocate who won't grant the same leniency to members with legitimate concerns, and if you'll assume the best of the silent partner here, maybe you could do the same for the rest of us.

I doubt anyone joined this thread in hopes of seeing Zon pilloried, but rather hoping to see a turnaround.
I assumed none of that actually (nor did I assume or infer anything negative about you?)- I'm just saying I don't think it's because they're only chasing a dollar. I think it's because they're just not great at the business side of things. I'm not running defense at all, and I'm the person who had the longest wait of anybody by a very very large amount, I'm just saying it's not because their intentions are evil even if the outcomes are the same. The situation can be both bad and not ill-intentioned- that is all I was saying.
 
They scale down a few years ago, Joe explained it in a podcast, and now it's basically Joe and Martin. So yes the overall capacity has reduced and hence we see less new instruments

(that said it does not provide one's business to push back order or to be upfront with the leadtime)
Do you have a link to the podcast in question? I'm genuinely curious what Joe has to say here..
 
Thanks for the link for this podcast, kind of strange how Joe Zon says that don't do custom work like custom body styles, Zon made a custom body style for the bass player for MESHUGGAH:


And check out this YouTube video
Go to time point 4:39 and watch til 8:10 and you'll see the custom body styles Zon has made for this bass player:

 
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kind of strange how Joe Zon says that don't do custom work like custom body styles, Zon made a custom body style for the bass player for MESHUGGAH

That rig rundown video is 8 years old. I see two possibilities:
  1. It was only recently that Zon stopped doing custom bodies
  2. Zon stopped doing custom bodies for you and me, but high-profile users still get what they want