Fender Zone

Purchased from: N/A

Features: 9
2002 Black Zone Deluxe, made in Mexico, solid body (alder - p shaped), 22 frets, and active electronics. P/J configuration with no-noise pickups. The neck is maple with a rosewood finger board. The neck is said to be a C width neck but actually falls somewhere between a Jazz neck and Precision neck. The satin finish in the neck makes for fast playing. Controls are a pan control, volume, bass, mid, and treble controls. Tuners are non-locking Gotohs. The bass is incredibly light which is what I wanted. I found my Jazz to be a bit too big and a tad heavy. This makes an excellent replacement. Mine came with a Fender hard shell case (it was supposed to have a gig bag but they didn't have one).

Sound: 9
Very flexible sound. You can handle most styles with this bass making it an excellent main bass. With the active electronics I have found you can make it very fat and full or thin and bright. Excellent for stage or studio.

Action, Fit, & Finish: 9
The store set the action prior to my seeing and then purchasing it. Action was set low and fast. Fret wire was smooth at the edge of the neck and finish of the bass was perfect.

Reliability/Durability: 8
It seems to be very durable and the finish smooth. Hardware is better than I expected with a MIM model. Stap buttons are a little on the small size and will need to be replaced, probably with strap locks.

Customer Support: N/A
No dealing in this area as of yet.

Overall Rating: 9
Of the many basses I have owned over the years this one speaks the most clearly to me. I would definitely consider a second Zone bass. I liked it primarily because of its weight and size. It still sounds like a Fender which is important to me and I like that the active electronics provide me with greater flexibility over a Jazz or a Precision.

Submitted by dan at 03/31/2003 20:01

Purchased from: N/A
musiciansbuy.com

Features: 10
Made in 2002 I suppose. Maybe 2001. Wish I knew how to tell. Made in Mexico. It has 22 frets and 4 strings. Solid top . 5 controls: volume, tone, pickup select and equalizer. Still figuring out how it all works. It's a P/J pickup configuration I believe. It has active electronics. Body is Alder, neck is Maple. Mine has a beautiful Sienna Sunburst polyurethane finish. I understand the body style is similar to the no-longer-available P light. Not too heavy for a bass. Not much (if any) heavier than my Fender American Big Apple double FAT strat. Bridge style is string-thru body or can load strings through the bridge. Tuners are mini non-locking Gotoh. The neck is thin, plays like a guitar, with medium/jumbo frets. Came with a Fender deluxe Gig bag, which I already replaced with a hardshell case.

Sound: 10
I play funk/blues/jazz/rock. It suits me fine. It is totally noiseless so far as I can tell so far. The pickups are bright. This bass seems to be able to make any sound I want from it. I have not used it on a stage. It sounds great in my studio. I like everything about it.

Action, Fit, & Finish: 5
The neck was bowed and I had to have it setup by a tech for $40. The action sucked. It had no flaws when I recieved it brand new about one month ago, and it still does not, aside from the lowsy setup.

Reliability/Durability: 10
This bass is built like a brick shit house. The hardware does seem like it will last a long time. The finish also seems like it is good enough to last a long time. The strap buttons are solid. It is a dependable instrument. The neck/truss rod just had to be adjusted one time so far, right after I got it. I would use this bass on a gig without a backup.

Customer Support: 9
The company I bought this instrument from was helpful and friendly. I have not dealt with any warranty issues and doubt if I ever will.

Overall Rating: 9
This is my first bass which I have owned about one month, and have been playing it everyday since I got it. If it were lost or stolen I think I would probably relplace it with a Precision simply because I don't really think I need all the frills on the Zone. I was dazzled with the idea of getting a 'new' model Fender. Don't get me wrong. I love this bass, just think it has more variables than are really needed for my first bass.

Submitted by Guy at 08/21/2002 03:55

Purchased from: N/A
Sam Ash (who gave me the best deal because I waited so long for the other bass)

Features: 9
Just replaced my Japaneese Jazz Squire with the new Zone bass made in Mexico. Made in 2001, Black, active electronics, 24 frets, Gotoh tuners, precision neck - jazz bridge pickups, thru-body strings Maple/rosewood neck with Alder? body & gig bag.

Sound: 9
Playing metal, alternative, hard & 'classic' rock the guitar works great. It can produce a wide variety of tones with a really nice bark. I've had it through a GK 800 set-up with 10's and 15's as well as an old Ampeg tube setup with one of those old C-V 18 folded horns with the 12 mounted up front. The active electronics allow me to EQ to get the sound that I want reasonable easily. I'm picking up a GK700 as my new rig. I'll let you know how this works out with that.

Action, Fit, & Finish: 6
I bought this bass because I like the narrow thin neck and this has the thinnest. I also wanted a lighter bass and this is significantly lighter than the Jazz. It plays like a guitar. The action and finish from the factory was good in spite of the fact that it travelled in the gig bag inside a cardboard box. I had waited for a lnog time for this bass. I originally bought a Lyte but they were discontinued. I was dissapointed by the quality of the materials in two specific areas. The rosewood on the neck was noticably flawed and pocketed. I don't think that this would have passed QA at the USA plant. It doesn't effect playing or sound as it is on the edges of the neck in the G string 3 to 6 fret area and in a filled section between the A & D around the ninth fret area. Whatever they used to fill is solid and provides a smooth polalyng surface, but I was surprised with the lack of quality here. The knobs on the 3 band EQ and the volume and pan (larger) could have a better finish. (I hope they're electroplated and not painted!) Again, doesn't effect playing or sound.

Reliability/Durability: 8
This will be my main bass. It seems to be made strong enough to withstand the riggors of weekend warrioring. I may invest in a solid case in order to extend the life of the guitar as I am not the most graceful person around. Neck, body, electronics, and hardware seem up to the task.

Customer Support: N/A
No issues yet. (I'm not going to let anybody near the neck)

Overall Rating: 8
I'd buy it again. It has all the features that I wanted. Couldn't think of anything else except perhaps a hard case.

Submitted by Dan at 10/03/2001 11:49