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Zon

#101
DEVILMAN said:
Wow, that early! I wasn't sure Joe was making necks like that then(I think he had a different design with Gould helping). Anyways, definetly a rarity with much cool factor to boot...

~S~
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Well, Mark told me I could email him the links to the pics just to see if they could provide more info, which I've done, but no promises. They just don't have much info on it, plus they are busy getting ready for NAMM. BTW, I plan on finally meeting Joe at NAMM this year. I'm going to NAMM this year (finally going to get out to the big show. Been to several summersessions, but not the big one yet). Maybe I'll finally get to meet Joe as well.

PARTY TIME, ANAHEIM STYLE!
:hyper: :hyper: :hyper: :hyper:
 
#105
I have three 519's, 2 fretted and 1 fretless and won't give them up for nothing, I had a 4 string, but Simon now owns it. (Long story) The 519 he has used to be my friends, I almost bought it but Simon beat me to it, so I wound up with another 519 with a similar spalted top. That's the bass that started it all, then I ordered the 4 string that Simon has, I played that for a while then traded it towards a Koa 519 and just picked up a fretless 519 a few weeks ago.

I play every weekend and live in Georgia, the weather changes quite a bit, I never have to worry about adjusting the neck or anything, it's always the same. The Bart jazz pickups cut through like butter, tone is killer, the action can go as low as you want, and it balances well.

If you can get one, do it, they are worth it. I've played some really good stuff over the last year, but hands down for the money, I don't think you can beat the Zon's.

Mike
 
#108
Vic said:
Just got off the phone with Mark and (I think) Joe.

Well good news and bad news...

The bad news...

They don't have it in the database... it could be due to a file corruption problem they did have a while back, or if not, it could also be due to some other records problem because of how old it is. Regardless, they don't have the specific info on this bass anymore.

Now the good news...

It's apparently a VERY early model, we're talkin' EARLY TO MID EIGHTIES judging very generally by the logo style, the pickup/knobs, and the serial number (seat of the pants guestimate on their part). This is very much towards their beginnings as a commercial bass company (I think he said they started in like 80, so they don't get much older than that). What this means is, to the right collector, this bass is probably worth quite a lot of money. Their comments were that you should hang on to this baby. I didn't ask them to valuate it, and quite frankly, that'd probably also be really tough to do (not to mention most vendors don't really like to do that anyway)... still a pretty nitchy market for "vintage" boutique stuff like this, but the bottom line is, as Zons go, this is about as vintage as it gets, highly valuable, and a fantastic bass.

Congrats!
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Hi Vic

Me again... here're the pics I've taken, maybe you guys could help nail the origins of this bass. :)

Here's the back view:
IMG_0453Small.jpg


Serial No at the bottom of bass:
IMG_0478Small.jpg


Schaller bridge
IMG_0457Small.jpg


Bart pup
IMG_0458Small.jpg


The preamp. Saw some nos at the copper shielding, here's where the dates go a bit off...
IMG_0482Small.jpg


IMG_0507Small.jpg


On the shielding it writes: "Tom + 93" and on the back of the cover plate it writes "386-304-4311, 8/03 FLA" Florida job?
 
#109
Update: They came back after seeing the pics and suspected it was a late 80's or maybe early 90's Legacy "Standard" model (I believe as Devilman said), suspecting it was a bolt-on neck. I emailed these updates to them. So I guess there's a good chance it's not as old as originally suspected, but they're being fairly responsive noting their current work load, so we'll see what we can squeeze out of them.

Bottom line is, I think we're finding Devilman might be our resident expert regarding a lot of Zon info. :)
 
#112
This actually happened seven days ago but I wanted to wait till I had pics to post becuase as we all know "no pics, no bass".

Seven days ago, I purchased my first Zon. And I'm as giddy as a schoolgirl. :hyper: I've been on a crusade the last few years to find a bass that has a focused and articulate voice for chordal playing and soloing. While I tried a number of high end basses, I'd say the difference between the new bass and what I was playing was incremental. (My definition of an incremental difference is one where I can hear the difference but non musician listening can't. Like my wife for instance. :smug: )

Well, it just so happened I had a credit at a local music store from an amp purchase gone bad. And they had a Sonus 5/2 on the wall. The build was started in 2004, completed in 2005 and waiting for me in 2006. :D

As soon as I played it, I was hooked. :help: The difference in tone and clarity was HUGE! This was not an incremental difference; even my wife noticed. :eek:

Once I got it home, I strung it with a high C and have not looked back. This bass lets me play voicings that I have never been able to play on any of my other basses. I don't mean to be overly enthusiastic but this bass has literally changed the was I play the instrument.

As an added bonus, I called Zon to ask about Zon strings and I got Joe on the phone. He couldn't have been a nicer person. He actually remembered the bass (it was used in a NAMM brochure). He took the time to tell me the design philosophies behind the 5/2 and what was under those big pickup covers.

All in all, I'd say my Zon experience so far has been 100% positive. Disclaimer: obviously, no one bass is for everyone and there may be some out there who don't care for Zons. But I'm not one of them. :p

LeonD
Zon Lover


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#113
LeonD said:
I don't mean to be overly enthusiastic...
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Why the heck not? That's what we're here for!! :)

As an added bonus, I called Zon to ask about Zon strings and I got Joe on the phone. He couldn't have been a nicer person.
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Exactly.

He actually remembered the bass (it was used in a NAMM brochure). He took the time to tell me the design philosophies behind the 5/2 and what was under those big pickup covers.
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SHARE THIS INFO!!! :)

Oh, yeah, and SUPER sweet Zon!! Congrats, and welcome!
 
#114
Regarding the pickups on the 5/2, as Joe explained it, the neck pickup is a split pickup similar to a P bass and the bridge is a dual coil similar to a Stingray.

I don't think he was trying to duplicate the tones of those basses as much as capture their sonic signature.

When I play the bass, I hear the flavor of two classic basses behind the positive Zon atributes. Versatile in a Zon kind of way. :p

LeonD
 
#115
LeonD said:
This actually happened seven days ago but I wanted to wait till I had pics to post becuase as we all know "no pics, no bass".
Click to expand...

Wow !!
That`s the most beautiful 5/2 I`ve ever seen. I own the same model (with solid finish) and the tones I can get from it are just amazing.

Congratulations !!
 
#118
Nice 5/2. I used to have a Sonus 4/1. I loved that Duncan pickup. That bass sounded great. To this day it is the only one I regret selling. I even went on ebay and tried to track down the buyer to see if I could buy it back but with no luck.
 

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