Fender Zone - a little piece of Fender history.

[Wiseblood]

Just have to post this as these two basses are rare. So for all you Fender lovers, here is some history unknown to most of you, at least it was to me. I actually managed to get both the US (2002 -figured maple over alder) and Mexican version (2006 - Sienna sunburst) of this bass. Picked up the US-one for about £ 625 and the Mexican one for about £380. And I managed to find Fenders own words from a Siamese(?) site. A right out steal for the US one (I hope the previous owner does not read this...), the Mexican one perhaps not so much. Both in very good condition, no scratches or dents. I just had to get the Mexican one once I had the US-version. Just to compare... 

What is there to say, both are tone monsters. The US version a bit heavier, has a far better neck with better fretwork, but other than that they are pretty equal. Soundwise they are pretty close to each other, even though they have different pickup-configurations.

The US version came with a really nice G&C Deluxe hardcase.

Both necks were lacquered, to a degree that you get stuck the minute your hands start to sweat. So I sanded down both necks and made a nice smooth satin finish. Maybe I should not have done that in terms of value, but now they are so much better to play!

Too bad I messed up the picture with the backside of the headstock, but the tuners are Gotoh crome on the Mexican one and the US version got Hipshot Fender Lite weight tuners.


Fender Enters the "Zone"

American Deluxe Zone Bass Deluxe Zone Bass
July 23, 2001
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) will release two edgy new basses this summer with the introduction of the American Deluxe Zone Bass and the Deluxe Zone Bass at the 2001 Nashville NAMM show. Both of the new Zones Basses offer cutting edge features including newly designed pickups and electronics, and in the case of the American Deluxe version, a choice of exotic woods.

"This is a very ambitious step for Fender basses," says Richard McDonald, vice president of electric guitars for Fender. "We’ve put a great deal of effort over the past few years in finding out exactly what players want in a contemporary bass. What we’ve come up with is this new line of Zone basses, and we are very proud of the results."

The American Deluxe Zone Bass is one of Fender's first ventures into the realm of exotic wood basses, offering a choice of either a highly figured maple top over alder, or a walnut top over mahogany. Engineers in Fenders Research and Development have spent the last two years designing an entirely new electronic platform to match and maximize the tonal characteristics of each of the options, including new hum canceling pickups designed to increase the low frequency response and extend the upper frequency range.

Both neck and bridge pickups are designed with ferrous steel pole pieces contained within the core of each bobbin. They are driven with low-profile, wide area ceramic magnets located at the base of each pickup, with the ceramic magnets offering optimal strength and excellent string transfer characteristics that result in incredible clarity and articulation.

The unique sonic nature of the exotic woods and their body mass require electronics that can bring the most out of these instruments. To accommodate this, the new American Deluxe Bass circuit is tweaked at the input stage - pre-shape, boost and EQ settings - to match and compliment the instruments characteristics.

The Bass frequencies are centered at 40Hz± 12db with a 4db per octave slope, while the Treble is centered at 8 kHz± 10db with a 2db per octave slope, with the Treble cut working as a more passive control for warm, organic tones. The Mid control is centered at 500Hz± 10db and -15db, with a wide-band slope to bring out the growl and new distinctive voices of the electronics. The circuit is powered by a new 18 Volt supply.
The bridge on the American Deluxe Zone Bass is deluxe chrome plated steel. The maple neck is C-shaped has a 34" scale, 9.5" radius with a rosewood fingerboard and 22 frets. This bass is made at Fenders state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Corona, California. US MSRP is $1,949.99.

The Deluxe Zone Bass is styled after the American Deluxe version, offering straight ahead, professional features and the signature value that is associated with products made at Fender’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.

The Deluxe Zone Bass features two new pickups designed specifically for this instrument, with the popular American P-Bass“ serves as a starting point for the neck position pickup. Fender has added more of a top end response to the flush mounted Alnico magnets, brining more top end definition to the full bodied nature of this pickup.

The bridge position pickup is a fully customized version of Fender’s Active Deluxe Jazz Bass pickup, with quarter-inch Alnico magnets and end-to-end hum canceling vintage style construction. The new active EQ circuit is controlled by Volume, Blend/Pan, Treble, Mid and Bass Controls.

The solid alder body features a contoured top. The maple neck is C-shaped with a 34" scale and 9.5" radius, rosewood fingerboard and 22 frets. As with the American Deluxe version, the bridge is deluxe chrome plated steel.

Available colors are Sage, Pewter, Black and Sienna Burst. Made at Fender’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. US MSRP is $849.99.

Edited December 30, 2020 by Wiseblood

[Guest]

$1950 and $850.....20 years ago... 😮

[Wiseblood]

The prices might have been one of the main reasons for the poor sale, yes.

[Guest]

Does the USA one have a more narrow nut, or am I getting misled by the perspective?

Whilst browsing through the YouTube results for demos to listen to, I came across this very entertaining 56 seconds 

Fender Zone duet

Edited December 31, 2020 by Ricky Rioli

[funkle]

I remember these and trying them out in a music shop. Great basses. 

[TheGreek]

I had one - not impressed.

There were also lots of comments on various fora about the unreliability of the active pick ups/ pre-amp so I got shot before I became a victim of said issues.

If you're thinking about getting one of these, do your homework first.

[Wiseblood]

7 hours ago, TheGreek said:

I had one - not impressed.

There were also lots of comments on various fora about the unreliability of the active pick ups/ pre-amp so I got shot before I became a victim of said issues.

If you're thinking about getting one of these, do your homework first.

I always forget why I'm not in here that often, but rather stay on Talkbass. You reminded me of why TheGeek 😂

Edited December 31, 2020 by Wiseblood

[Stingray64]

Ooh, I got the 5 string MIM zone as my first proper bass! Considering the £400 I got it for it's pretty great but I wouldn't have got it if I had the knowledge I do now.

It's going to get mostly replaced one day by an American Original 60s P because I just want that classic sits in the track and no one doubts you when they see what it looks like. But for now it gets a good sound leaving it 90-100% P pickup, treble cut and mids boosted on the preamp. 

[TheGreek]

16 hours ago, Wiseblood said:

I always forget why I'm not in here that often, but rather stay on Talkbass. You reminded me of why TheGeek 😂

Welcome back to free speech...we missed you.

I'm telling it as I found it!!

Edited January 1, 2021 by TheGreek

[funkle]

Reasonable people may reasonably disagree. 

I never owned one, but I kept pitching up the the music shop where they sold them in the early 2000s and lusting after them. They had both of the high end models. They were silly expensive, and it may well be that the preamp was not reliable, but goodness, I did enjoy hankering after them as a much younger bassist. 

[LukeFRC]

16 hours ago, Wiseblood said:

I always forget why I'm not in here that often, but rather stay on Talkbass. You reminded me of why TheGeek 😂

Talkbass has a thread for a item or brand and everyone piles on hyping it up, people who love it say how much they love it and how it's the best thing ever. 
Here we have a thread about an item or brand and all the people who say they love it say how much they love it and it's the best thing ever, and at some point people who don't love it, or have had issues with it chime in. Sometimes with legitimate points. It's better that way as you get more balanced opinions. 
The downsides are that it's harder for UK brands to get the hype to really get going and considered as "good" as their US made cousins - but that's a different point. 

The better response would have been something along the lines of: "Did you sell it cos you actually have an unreliable preamp or pickups @TheGreek - or where you basing it on a few random examples you had heard about online? Was it that the bass just wasn't what you were after?"

[Grahambythesea]

Why do those make me think G & L? 🤔

[mike leclair]

I have just bought one used today and it is a very good bass, MIM, good condition and sounding great, very  light, around 8 lbs

[Steve Browning]

Is not the US one, essentially, a Precision Lyte with a different name? Interesting bit of information though.

[LeftyJ]

23 minutes ago, Steve Browning said:

Is not the US one, essentially, a Precision Lyte with a different name? Interesting bit of information though.

Came here to post exactly this. They look very similar. 

[marcus alan]

I was playing in a band at the time, bought a fender zone mim, not even a week later, electronics started fizzling out, took back, couldnt wait for repair, traded in for another zone, same results, took in traded again same results, third bass i gave up ordered passive pickups, no problem after that, i will say i now understand why the actives are installed, huge difference, 15 years later im ordering some aftermarket active pickups, i do enjoy the way it feels, just miss the sounds of active pickups gave

[MacDaddy]

IIRC the lady who played bass with Prince used a Fender Zone bass?

[paul_5]

1 hour ago, MacDaddy said:

IIRC the lady who played bass with Prince used a Fender Zone bass?

Was it Ida Nielsen?

[Guest]

Rhonda Smith? Nik West?

[Guest]

Rhonda Smith played the MIA model for a short bit. 

[TerryVil]

On 30/12/2020 at 17:36, Wiseblood said:

Just have to post this as these two basses are rare. So for all you Fender lovers, here is some history unknown to most of you, at least it was to me. I actually managed to get both the US (2002 -figured maple over alder) and Mexican version (2006 - Sienna sunburst) of this bass. Picked up the US-one for about £ 625 and the Mexican one for about £380. And I managed to find Fenders own words from a Siamese(?) site. A right out steal for the US one (I hope the previous owner does not read this...), the Mexican one perhaps not so much. Both in very good condition, no scratches or dents. I just had to get the Mexican one once I had the US-version. Just to compare... 

What is there to say, both are tone monsters. The US version a bit heavier, has a far better neck with better fretwork, but other than that they are pretty equal. Soundwise they are pretty close to each other, even though they have different pickup-configurations.

The US version came with a really nice G&C Deluxe hardcase.

Both necks were lacquered, to a degree that you get stuck the minute your hands start to sweat. So I sanded down both necks and made a nice smooth satin finish. Maybe I should not have done that in terms of value, but now they are so much better to play!

Too bad I messed up the picture with the backside of the headstock, but the tuners are Gotoh crome on the Mexican one and the US version got Hipshot Fender Lite weight tuners.


Fender Enters the "Zone"

American Deluxe Zone Bass Deluxe Zone Bass
July 23, 2001
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) will release two edgy new basses this summer with the introduction of the American Deluxe Zone Bass and the Deluxe Zone Bass at the 2001 Nashville NAMM show. Both of the new Zones Basses offer cutting edge features including newly designed pickups and electronics, and in the case of the American Deluxe version, a choice of exotic woods.

"This is a very ambitious step for Fender basses," says Richard McDonald, vice president of electric guitars for Fender. "We’ve put a great deal of effort over the past few years in finding out exactly what players want in a contemporary bass. What we’ve come up with is this new line of Zone basses, and we are very proud of the results."

The American Deluxe Zone Bass is one of Fender's first ventures into the realm of exotic wood basses, offering a choice of either a highly figured maple top over alder, or a walnut top over mahogany. Engineers in Fenders Research and Development have spent the last two years designing an entirely new electronic platform to match and maximize the tonal characteristics of each of the options, including new hum canceling pickups designed to increase the low frequency response and extend the upper frequency range.

Both neck and bridge pickups are designed with ferrous steel pole pieces contained within the core of each bobbin. They are driven with low-profile, wide area ceramic magnets located at the base of each pickup, with the ceramic magnets offering optimal strength and excellent string transfer characteristics that result in incredible clarity and articulation.

The unique sonic nature of the exotic woods and their body mass require electronics that can bring the most out of these instruments. To accommodate this, the new American Deluxe Bass circuit is tweaked at the input stage - pre-shape, boost and EQ settings - to match and compliment the instruments characteristics.

The Bass frequencies are centered at 40Hz± 12db with a 4db per octave slope, while the Treble is centered at 8 kHz± 10db with a 2db per octave slope, with the Treble cut working as a more passive control for warm, organic tones. The Mid control is centered at 500Hz± 10db and -15db, with a wide-band slope to bring out the growl and new distinctive voices of the electronics. The circuit is powered by a new 18 Volt supply.
The bridge on the American Deluxe Zone Bass is deluxe chrome plated steel. The maple neck is C-shaped has a 34" scale, 9.5" radius with a rosewood fingerboard and 22 frets. This bass is made at Fenders state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Corona, California. US MSRP is $1,949.99.

The Deluxe Zone Bass is styled after the American Deluxe version, offering straight ahead, professional features and the signature value that is associated with products made at Fender’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.

The Deluxe Zone Bass features two new pickups designed specifically for this instrument, with the popular American P-Bass“ serves as a starting point for the neck position pickup. Fender has added more of a top end response to the flush mounted Alnico magnets, brining more top end definition to the full bodied nature of this pickup.

The bridge position pickup is a fully customized version of Fender’s Active Deluxe Jazz Bass pickup, with quarter-inch Alnico magnets and end-to-end hum canceling vintage style construction. The new active EQ circuit is controlled by Volume, Blend/Pan, Treble, Mid and Bass Controls.

The solid alder body features a contoured top. The maple neck is C-shaped with a 34" scale and 9.5" radius, rosewood fingerboard and 22 frets. As with the American Deluxe version, the bridge is deluxe chrome plated steel.

Available colors are Sage, Pewter, Black and Sienna Burst. Made at Fender’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. US MSRP is $849.99.

I’m being offered the American one for £1300 - mint condition - is that a fair price do you think?

[gareth]

I love fenders as people on here know but fender has made some dogs and I can’t think of any of their active basses that I would want

Edited December 27, 2021 by gareth