Zeta Signature Series violin

[foreverred]

Benji - "It's rather odd that ZETA still doesn't have a Vanessa-Mae signature series violin for the Jazz Fusion model ... none of the violinists on their site are nearly as popular as she is."

In all fairness and with no intention of offending you, Benji, I'll beg to differ.

In speaking with the CEO of Zeta Music Systems while I was purchasing my 4 and 5-string Zeta Jazz Acoustic Pro violins, we spoke about the Signature Series and the six or seven artists that are lucky to have their names on these violins...

Jean-Luc Ponty
Boyd Tinsley
Charlie Daniels
Scott Joss
Mark O'Connor
Daniel Kobialka
Eileen Ivers (coming soon)

Having a signature series instrument is not a popularity contest, because I asked the CEO the same thing about why Vanessa-Mae doesn't have one. It honestly comes down to the length of the player's career, influence that the player has on the generation, and the fact that the player actually commissioned this instrument - color, pickup, tuning pegs, appointments - everything. I read somewhere that Vanessa didn't pick out the Zeta or the color - her producer did before they began recording "The Violin Player." She just had to learn how to work with it in order to go for the pop approach to her career.

Not to say that Vanessa-Mae doesn't deserve a signature Zeta - she does because of the influence she's given the younger generation. I believe she was the first that I ever saw using the Zeta Jazz 4-string with the American flag on it (though I wonder why it wasn't the British flag).

However, it also has to do with how much this player actually has used the violin over their career. Jean-Luc Ponty and Eileen Ivers have been using their violins (the 5-string Jazz Fusion in vintage sunburst and the 4-string Strados Acoustic Pro in trans-blue, respectively) for over a decade each, and possibly more. These instruments would be associated with them even if there wasn't a Signature model for them. VM used the Zeta Jazz for a few years before moving onto a more acoustic look and sound with "Storm" and then moving on to the Ted Brewer for her newer releases such as "Subject to Change".

Again, I'm not trying to insult Vanessa-Mae. I admire her and respect all she has done for the classical crossover community - she defined the term and laid the foundation upon which current artists like Bond and myself now walk.

Perhaps someday, she and I will both have signature Zeta instruments! (Hers first, of course)
-Omar

[Benji]

Benji - "It's rather odd that ZETA still doesn't have a Vanessa-Mae signature series violin for the Jazz Fusion model ... none of the violinists on their site are nearly as popular as she is."

In all fairness and with no intention of offending you, Benji, I'll beg to differ.

In speaking with the CEO of Zeta Music Systems while I was purchasing my 4 and 5-string Zeta Jazz Acoustic Pro violins, we spoke about the Signature Series and the six or seven artists that are lucky to have their names on these violins...

Jean-Luc Ponty
Boyd Tinsley
Charlie Daniels
Scott Joss
Mark O'Connor
Daniel Kobialka
Eileen Ivers (coming soon)

Having a signature series instrument is not a popularity contest, because I asked the CEO the same thing about why Vanessa-Mae doesn't have one. It honestly comes down to the length of the player's career, influence that the player has on the generation, and the fact that the player actually commissioned this instrument - color, pickup, tuning pegs, appointments - everything. I read somewhere that Vanessa didn't pick out the Zeta or the color - her producer did before they began recording "The Violin Player." She just had to learn how to work with it in order to go for the pop approach to her career.

Not to say that Vanessa-Mae doesn't deserve a signature Zeta - she does because of the influence she's given the younger generation. I believe she was the first that I ever saw using the Zeta Jazz 4-string with the American flag on it (though I wonder why it wasn't the British flag).

However, it also has to do with how much this player actually has used the violin over their career. Jean-Luc Ponty and Eileen Ivers have been using their violins (the 5-string Jazz Fusion in vintage sunburst and the 4-string Strados Acoustic Pro in trans-blue, respectively) for over a decade each, and possibly more. These instruments would be associated with them even if there wasn't a Signature model for them. VM used the Zeta Jazz for a few years before moving onto a more acoustic look and sound with "Storm" and then moving on to the Ted Brewer for her newer releases such as "Subject to Change".

Again, I'm not trying to insult Vanessa-Mae. I admire her and respect all she has done for the classical crossover community - she defined the term and laid the foundation upon which current artists like Bond and myself now walk.

Perhaps someday, she and I will both have signature Zeta instruments! (Hers first, of course)
-Omar

Hi Omar

Great insight you've given there. The criteria you've mentioned for how artists are chosen have all been met by Vanessa-Mae.

1) Length of career

Only being 25, Vanessa has been in the pop world for almost a decade. In fact, the Violin Player album will be out a full decade next year.

2) Influence

Vanessa still has the record for the fast-selling classical album ever (Classical Album 1 - includes Bach's Partitia, Beethoven's Romance in F, and Bruch's Scottish Fantasy). Her first pop album, The Violin Player, has charted in over 40 countries. She's even played for the royalty/government officials in 1995, and again in 1998, and who can forget her appearance at the Hong Kong Handover back to Chinese rule. She was the only non-chinese citizen invited.

As for her using the ZETA jazz acoustic model. I agree that it wasn't her idea of start using an electric violin, but it surely is hers to keep it going. Imagine the surprise of most classical purists when she pulled out her ZETA to play Red Hot at a *classical* concert. In 2001, she changed to her Ted Brewer to reflect the changes in her newest album, aptly called "Subject to Change". However, that's only for appearances. During her actual concerts, she still uses her ZETA (Lorjou has a video of her 2001 STC concert in London).

--Benji



Edited By Benji on 1090951967

[foreverred]

Benji said: "As for her using the ZETA jazz acoustic model. I agree that it wasn't her idea of start using an electric violin, but it surely is hers to keep it going. Imagine the surprise of most classical purists when she pulled out her ZETA to play Red Hot at a *classical* concert."

Actually, our ZETA models (VM's and mine) are strikingly different in appearance and name. They both share the Zeta Jazz pickup (two individual pickups per string) but my model is the Jazz Acoustic Pro, whereas hers is the Jazz Fusion violin (and the more recognizable of Zeta's instrument line).

I'm sure it probably doesn't make a difference to many of the fans, but to those who ever plan on purchasing an electric violin from Zeta, these are just two of many models.

The Jazz Fusion violin, which is played by VM (white and American flag versions) as well as Jean-Luc Ponty (vintage burst finish) is called a "semi-hollow" model by Zeta but more people prefer to think of it as a solid body electric violin. It looks nothing like a traditional acoustic violin, because of its pendulum-like design, and the older models do not have a scroll with a pegbox - instead they have the pegs facing upward, all in a row (4 or 5, depending on the number of strings that the violin has), and the strings can only be tuned with a special wrench that turns the pegs. The newer models have a more traditional scroll and pegbox with standard tuning pegs. Anyway, the Jazz Fusion violin is known as Zeta's "flagship" and comes in many colors and is also a MIDI-capable electric violin, meaning that the player can trigger MIDI processors and synthesizers by plugging in a special cable into one of the jacks on the violin.

Although I like the Jazz Fusion violin, I preferred an acoustic look and feel rather than the space-age look of the solid-body instrument. However, when I purchased this instrument, I still wanted the clear and pure tone of the Jazz pickup, and so Zeta took one of their acoustic-electric violins (an acoustic violin with internal jack and integrated volume control), finished in a Translucent Red finish (you can still see the graining of the wood even though the color is candy apple red), and equipped it with the Jazz pickup. This is the Jazz Acoustic Pro model. It is not MIDI capable, but at the time I didn't want a MIDI violin - but last month I ordered a Translucent Red Jazz Fusion 5-string so I can start using MIDI in composition and performance.

Not as many players use the Jazz Acoustic Pro, simply because I don't think they knew it was an option, but Zeta can take any of their bodies (hollow-body Acoustic, solid-body Modern, solid-body Classic, or solid-body Fusion) and merge them with any of their three pickup options (E-Series, Strados, and Jazz).

-Omar

[DavidM]

I don't know how it is in the world of violins, but for guitars a "signature" model is significantly different from a standard production model. For example, the Ritchie Blackmore signature strat is a design that previously wasn't available because Blackmore had customised a basic stratocaster for himself (changed the pickups, scalloped the neck, changed the frets, added a pickup for a Roland guitar synth, etc.) Fender copied his modifications to produce the signature model, so if you buy a Ritchie Blackmore signature strat, you're paying for a particular sound, not just for his name on the headstock.

So if Vanessa-Mae had signature Zeta violin, wouldn't you expect to get some form of customisation unique to her? If she just uses an off-the-shelf model that you could buy in a music store, why would you pay extra just for a signature (which is just a transfer/sticker anyway!)?


Well, as I said, I don't know anything about violin models. Those are just my uninformed thoughts

[foreverred]

I don't know how it is in the world of violins, but for guitars a "signature" model is significantly different from a standard production model. For example, the Ritchie Blackmore signature strat is a design that previously wasn't available because Blackmore had customised a basic stratocaster for himself (changed the pickups, scalloped the neck, changed the frets, added a pickup for a Roland guitar synth, etc.) Fender copied his modifications to produce the signature model, so if you buy a Ritchie Blackmore signature strat, you're paying for a particular sound, not just for his name on the headstock.

So if Vanessa-Mae had signature Zeta violin, wouldn't you expect to get some form of customisation unique to her? If she just uses an off-the-shelf model that you could buy in a music store, why would you pay extra just for a signature (which is just a transfer/sticker anyway!)?


Well, as I said, I don't know anything about violin models. Those are just my uninformed thoughts

Thanks, David. This was a point that I made in my original reply to Benji - "...and the fact that the player actually commissioned this instrument - color, pickup, tuning pegs, appointments..." There is indeed some form of customization required to obtain what is called a "Signature Series" model in someone's name.

Vanessa-Mae plays a standard white Zeta Jazz Fusion 4-string violin which anyone can purchase. Many players use that model, including Karen Briggs (Yanni's violinist) and Roddy Chiong. Even though VM might be more well known, she didn't actually commission it. There is no customization to it.

However, Boyd Tinsley has a Signature Series model because he wanted a black Strados Modern violin but instead of traditional tuning pegs, he was the first artist to want gear/mandolin tuners on his violin's neck instead of a scroll and pegbox.

Jean-Luc Ponty has a Signature Series Jazz Standard (now called Jazz Fusion) 5-string in his name because of both the color (he was the first to commission a Vintage Burst finish) and the actual design of the Fusion body instrument. He was the first to record with the instrument as well, back in 1984.

Eileen Ivers' name has become synonymous with a blue violin/fiddle in Celtic rock and traditional music since the early 80s - she used a blue Barcus-Berry until she found the sound of the Zeta Strados pickup to be more appealing and thereby commisioned a Zeta Strados Acoustic Pro violin in a translucent blue varnish with special gold appointments and I believe a built-in wireless system.

VM has been working hard as an electric violinist for a VERY long time, and perhaps in the future she will be considered for her very own signature instrument, such as a Jazz Fusion violin with the American Flag on it!

-Omar