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Zon

#42
great feel! very light weigh!. interesting tone!

however, some of them have electronics that need an amp boost IMO... Also the no truss rod thing can become an issue... Look it up on countless other forums. Now that JOe Zon has wooden necks on some models, it may not matter.

Modulus has truss rods after complaints,,, so why not Zon??? ignorance IMHO...
 
#43
Zons now have truss rods. They can be accessed by removing the neck. Not sure how they handle the set-necks...I suppose the access is at the headstock. There was a time when they didn't, but now they are building their necks with them.

My new Zon, custom made, will be arriving this week....it has a rod.
 
#49
AndroWal said:
Zons now have truss rods. They can be accessed by removing the neck. Not sure how they handle the set-necks...I suppose the access is at the headstock. There was a time when they didn't, but now they are building their necks with them.

My new Zon, custom made, will be arriving this week....it has a rod.
Click to expand...

This is good to know thanks... Although I'm sure its unusual to have a problems I would never consider buying one if a truss rod was not available. Too much of a liability if you get a rare dud neck.
 
#50
MammaryVest said:
I think that if I ever got a "fancy" bass, I might want it to be a Zon Sonus, that time might come soon. What do all you guys know about them? Anyone have one?
Click to expand...

Let's see...

  • All the benefits of composite necks
    • No dead spots
    • Perfect tonal consistency anywhere on the neck
    • Fantastic sustain
    • Fantastic harmonics
    • Action perfect regardless of climate... just set the string height... done.
    • Killer B string
  • None of the potential drawbacks of non-wood necks
    • Tone is warm and natural
    • No "clacky" sound
  • Neck is slender and super fast
  • 34" scale much easier on the hands and has familiar classic overtones
  • Body shape and contours really comfortable
  • Hanging ergonomics are excellent
  • Construction is absolutely top notch
  • Finish is beautiful
  • Incredible tone

...or, let me put it another way...

See below:


Sonus 5, redwood top, one of my primary "go to" basses, especially lightweight and unbelievable action and tone... this one just rolled off the production line dead perfect... I've even had folks tell me they saw it at Zon before it shipped out and remembered it. I'm lucky to have it for sure.
zon_s5_01.jpg


Sonus Special 5 fretless, bubinga top... only one word here... magic.
zon_s5s_01.jpg


Sonus 5, maple top, I'll get a better pic of this one eventually. Right now, it's at Zon getting an "update". :) ...
zon_s5_blue.jpg


Sonus Custom 5, spalted quilted maple top, ditto on the pic... love the alternative tone this has with the polyfusion preamp, a litte more "EMG-like" in some ways, nice to have humbuckers in some venues as well.
zon_c5_1.jpg
 
#51
neptoon said:
i've never touched a zon neck that i felt like needed any tweaking to begin with
Click to expand...
I have.

In fact, my blue one is at Zon. It's one of the few that ended up with too much relief... probably not for some players, but I was hugely spoiled by the perfection of my redwood bass. I also had them add a trussrod to it... not because it'll ever need seasonal changed, but more because that way I can get it exactly precisely where I want it (and then never ever touch it again).
 
#52
AndroWal said:
Zons now have truss rods. They can be accessed by removing the neck. Not sure how they handle the set-necks...I suppose the access is at the headstock. There was a time when they didn't, but now they are building their necks with them.
Click to expand...
I don't believe they are standard on all their models. As far as I know, they're still optional on the Sonus line.

On the set neck models, I believe they're accessed at the headstock, with a small cover over the access point, but mine's a bolt on, and yeah, the trussrod access will be totally hidden when the neck is attached.
 
#53
Vic said:
I have.

In fact, my blue one is at Zon. It's one of the few that ended up with too much relief... probably not for some players, but I was hugely spoiled by the perfection of my redwood bass. I also had them add a trussrod to it... not because it'll ever need seasonal changed, but more because that way I can get it exactly precisely where I want it (and then never ever touch it again).
Click to expand...
Vic,

Your redwood bass looks killer! That's my favorite Zon top.:cool:

Re: trussrod-- That's why my Vinny has one too (the ability to get the action juuuuust right)!

Peace,

Matt
 
#54
Vic said:
I don't believe they are standard on all their models. As far as I know, they're still optional on the Sonus line.

On the set neck models, I believe they're accessed at the headstock, with a small cover over the access point, but mine's a bolt on, and yeah, the trussrod access will be totally hidden when the neck is attached.
Click to expand...
On the Vinny, the access is at the headstock.



Hey wait! There is no headstock! Well, you know what I mean:p ...
 
#55
I can't say enough good things about Zon's... they're incredible. I've had a Vinny, a Sonus fretless, and now have a Legacy Elite. I was thinking about selling it to fund another project, but I just couldn't do it. It's not going anywhere...

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#56
AJ Brown said:
I can't say enough good things about Zon's... they're incredible. I've had a Vinny, a Sonus fretless, and now have a Legacy Elite. I was thinking about selling it to fund another project, but I just couldn't do it. It's not going anywhere...
QUOTE]
AJ,

Perhaps apples and oranges, but how does the Zon compare to the Sadowsky? I've recently been developing a bit of GAS for an NYC 5/24...


Matt
Click to expand...
 
#57
dunamis said:
AJ Brown said:
I can't say enough good things about Zon's... they're incredible. I've had a Vinny, a Sonus fretless, and now have a Legacy Elite. I was thinking about selling it to fund another project, but I just couldn't do it. It's not going anywhere...
QUOTE]
AJ,

Perhaps apples and oranges, but how does the Zon compare to the Sadowsky? I've recently been developing a bit of GAS for an NYC 5/24...


Matt
Click to expand...

Hey Matt,

Yes, you are correct ... apples and oranges. The Sadowsky of course has a softer feel to it. The Zon is grittier (and a lot heavier). Both are awesome instruments to play.

Funny you mention your gas for an NYC 24/5... I just ordered one.
Click to expand...
 
#60
My Sonus 5 Fretless is my "end of the line" bass. I don't have any GAS, though I still look. Zon's tech support has been top notch. I had a volume pot go bad, the new one is in the mail. Setup question? fast reply. preamp question? fast reply.

The thing is rock solid stable, sounds fantastic, plays like a dream, and nothing seems out of place on it. The balance is super.... you get the point. My backup is a SR5 fretless and it is a fine bass, but when I go back to the Zon it is like getting out of the Chevy and back into the Aston Martin.

I string mine with Zon nickel strings, custom set, EADGC, and they sound great. I am a dyed-in-the-wool TI user but the Zon strings sound best on the Sonus.

The truss issue is certainly something to think about, but I'll say that I really prefer the tone from a neck that isn't under tension. You might think that is weird but I have dealt with a lot of high-end acoustic guitars, basses, URB's... and there really does seem to be something positive to not having the neck under tension. I'd generally call it a more "open" tone. Also, my experience is that the necks that Joe Zon builds simply do not move.
 

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