Bass Emporium Newsletter - June 2008
The Bass Whisperer Reports:
Zon Sonus Special, Bubinga Top/Ash Body, Satin Finish, 3-Band EQ w/ Mid Switch, Chrome Hardware, Fretless Lined 5-String Electric Bass Guitar
by Ed Friedland
Many players love the stability, clarity and even response of a graphite neck—and thankfully, they have some choices. While Modulus originated the carbon-fiber neck, Joe Zon has put his own unique stamp on the concept. Like Modulus, Zon takes hand-made graphite necks and mates them with finely crafted exotic wood bodies and loads his instrument with custom-designed electronics—but that is where the similarity ends. The two instruments display very different sonic characteristics, which I would generalize this way: Modulus tends to be more crystalline, with a more pronounced top end. It's very pure and transparent, and aggressive. On the other hand, Zon strikes me as being warmer, and more organic. Not to say that they lack in high end, it's just less in your face. Of course with active circuitry, either instrument is capable of a wide range of tones, I'm simply giving my impression of the instrument's basic tone quality.
Zon is obviously doing something right, his artist stable is chock-full of some of the top players in the world, including Michael Manring, Todd Johnson, Damian Erskine, Ray Riendeau, Robert Trujillo, Baron Browne, among others. This month's review bass is a stunning Zon Sonus Special Fretless 5 string, let's take a close look at what goes into defining the Zon tone.
SONUS ONUS
The Sonus line has 10 different configurations, and offered in 4, 5, 6, even 8-string models, accounts for a dizzying amount of choices. The most noticeable feature of the Special model is the two J-style Bartolini pickups, mounted close to the bridge. Bartolini calls them "linear single coils" although they are in fact two coils laid end to end to fit in a single coil space. They are wound to Zon's specifications for this model, with the goal of emphasizing the low-mid punch. The center of the bridge pickup's coil is approximately 2" from the G-string saddle, while the neck pickup is roughly 4 1/4" from the saddle. This placement also brings out the lower midrange response, and gives the bass a tight, punchy tone that cuts through the mix. The pickup locations seem particularly well suited to a fretless instrument, especially if like me, you're one of those Jaco-fed players that rarely uses the neck pickup.
The Bartolini 3-band preamp is mostly a stock NTMB, but Zon specified the three preset mid range frequencies to be 250Hz, 400Hz and 800Hz, which can be changed via a toggle switch on the face of the instrument. The layout of the control knobs is volume, blend, concentric bass/treble and midrange (with the toggle).
Another feature of the Sonus Special is a book-matched Bubinga top over swamp ash body with a flat satin finish. The review instrument's top is beautifully figured with a pronounced wavy grain and enticing chestnut brown color. Swamp ash? Great for transmitting low frequencies and known for it's tendency to be lightweight—the test bass is a respectable 9.3 lbs. The Bubinga is a harder wood that adds some controlled compression, contributing to the instrument's tight sound.
The lined fretless fingerboard is made from a material called phenowood. Zon's website describes the material's construction this way: "Veneers of maple or birch dyed black are impregnated with a phenolic, thermosetting resin that lines the wood's cell walls. The "sandwich" of these treated hardwoods starts out about 3" tall. It is then compressed under intense heat and pressure to fuse into a solid, homogeneous sheet of material with a final thickness of 1/4". Because the cell walls are coated with this now-cured resin, the material becomes highly resistant to moisture and humidity." The claim is that phenowood adds a warmth and organic quality to the neck composition.
Joe Zon's preferred definition for the neck is not graphite or carbon fiber, but composite. While the actual recipe of the neck is a closely guarded secret, Zon states that while graphite is the base material, there is some wood involved in the process, along with some "other materials." "Our recipe, allows us to tune the neck to be more like an enhanced wood neck, but I don't like to focus too much on the neck thing," says Zon. "The rest of the components have just as much to do with the sound of the bass." While the composite material has excellent stability, a dual action truss rod is embedded in the neck. However, it is not easily accessible, you have to un-bolt the neck to get to the adjuster nut. This is in part due to cosmetic concerns, but also to "keep the tweakers out of there. It's a set it and forget it type of thing," says Zon.
The Special has a bolt-on neck design with a deep inset heel. This increases the amount of surface connection between the body and neck, and four counter-sunk bolts hold it securely in place. The lower cutaway allows for good access to the 24th "fret" on the G and D strings with the pinky, though accessing that position on the A, E, and B strings is not particularly easy.
Up at the other end of the neck, there is just over 2" distance between the graphite nut (which is 1.875" wide) and the B string tuner. Zon tells us, "I experimented with tuner placement, and found this spot improved the B string's tone." True enough, the Sonus has a killer B string, something you might expect from a composite neck, even at 34" scale. However, having played several of Zon's wooden-necked instruments, I can state that great B strings run in the Zon family.
The chrome, enclosed-type tuners have a 20:1 ratio that allows for smooth fine-tuning—if you've ever seen Michael Manring perform live, you know how important that is.
The precision-machined brass bridge also gets a chrome finish; the height adjustment screws sit in their own channels to prevent side-to-side movement, and the rounded saddles are a comfortable resting place for palm muting. The bottom strap button is offset slightly toward the lower strings, which lets the instrument hang in a more balanced position.
PERFORMANCE
The Sonus Special Fretless 5 is a joy to play. It's a very responsive and articulate instrument with a wide range of tonal options. The neck's pleasing "C" profile is slightly flattened, and fits the hand comfortably. The notes seem to jump out of the bass with the immediacy you might expect from a composite neck, along with the high-end whine that is associated with the material. But the woods, and construction temper that whine into a pleasing sibilance that adds personality and presence.
TONE TEST
I recorded the Zon direct into ProTools using a Radial Engineering ProDI with an Evidence Audio Lyric cable. As slapping is not a typical approach on a fretless bass, I chose to record samples that would showcase two important traits—the punch and clarity and the instrument's "mwah" factor. Each sample was recorded four ways; with the midrange setting flat, on 250Hz, 400Hz, and 800Hz.
Track 1 - You can clearly hear the effect of the midrange on this fingerstyle line. The front pickup has some chunk, but due to it's rearward placement, still has lots of definition.
Track 2 - With both pickups up full, the Zon gets a more complex tone. A natural mid scoop appears, and the crystalline whine comes out. The mid frequency shift fills in the gap in uniquely different ways.
Track 3 - Going to the bridge pickup, the instrument's brighter side starts to show. It's the classic, tight fretless tone that is still very much in demand.
Track 4 - The "mwah" factor is mostly a product of how the string vibrates. The "dress" of the fingerboard, how you attack the note, and how you apply left hand pressure are all significant elements too. In these clips, you will also hear how different midrange frequencies affect the mwah. First the front pickup.
Track 5 - Both pickups up full, lotsa mwah!
Track 6 - With just the bridge pickup, the mwah gets very pronounced. Each midrange setting has it's own special charm, I'd be hard pressed to pick a favorite.
Bottom Line
The Zon Sonus Special Fretless 5 is a very sweet instrument. It has drop-dead looks, fantastic playability, flexible tonal characteristics, and with it's composite neck—a stability and consistency that makes it particularly well-suited to traveling players, or people that live in extreme climates. But, no matter where you live, the Sonus Special is a very special bass indeed.
Ed Friedland is a renowned Bassist, Educator and Author. He has authored over 15 books and DVDs and has played with the likes of Joe Beck, Larry Coryell, Robben Ford, Paul Horn, Clay Jenkins, Mike Metheny, Bud Shank, Lew Tabackin & Michal Urbaniak to name just a few. Ed is also currently teaching at Bass Emporium in Austin, Texas. Check out the Ed Friedland website for full information about him at http://www.edfriedland.com/.
