6 string Brice questions

[Thrill-House]

Hey guys im new here Ive been wanting to get back into bass guitar, having been an electric guitar play for about 7 years. Ive been looking into getting some bass gear, particularly a 6 string bass. Being an 8 string guitar player, i prefer to have a wide range and i have grown to love the wide fretboards, so thats why ive decided to go with 6 string basses.

I have my eye on the Brice Defiant 6 because of the great price, and the good experiences ive had with rondo music. I do have some questions though, and i was hoping you guys could help

1. Some bass players say some 5 string basses have problems with the low B string being too quiet. Is the Defiant known for this problem? Will a good practice amp be able to put out the low frequencies of the B string as well?

2. I was wondering if it is possible to restring a 6 string bass and instead of a high C, add a low F# or E. Is this practical? Will i need to make modifcations to the nut? And what gauge of string should be used for the F#?

3. Based on the specs of various basses ive seen, it seems the defiant has a more "electric guitar style" control layout, using a 3 way pickup selector instead of a pickup blend knob. Would it be possible to replace the 3 way switch with a blend knob in the future?

Anyway i think thats it. Thanx for your help

 

[Ed Goode]

Welcome to TalkBass ....

The Brice basses are decent players and many here use them as a platform for mods, so it's not a bad choice if you're looking for an inexpensive 6. The B is workable, however, many times the stock strings that come with Rondo gear need to be changed.

The bass could handle an F# but a mod to the nut would be required. Not sure if the Defiant electronics can handle the F#, but most Brice electronics are pretty hot and it should be okay. But, if you're really serious about going F#-G you might want to look for a used Yamaha or upgrade to the Brice Z6 series ... much better in both cases.

Regarding electronics, the Brice stuff is suited for mods, so you can do pretty much what you want with the pots. I believe that the Defiant pick-ups are not a stock shape for replacement parts, but I could be wrong .... it's been a while since I've fooled around with one.

 

[Philbiker]

I don't know about the Defiant but I've been very satisfied with my 6 string V2 from Brice. Good solid bass. The B string on mine is fairly weak, I don't think my bass would work well with a lower string. Could just be the strings - the B is most definitely usable on my V2 (but nothing like the incredible B string on my Peavey Axcelerator 6!).

 

[HaMMerHeD]

The Defiant is passive, is it not?

There is no reason you could not replace the switch, and indeed all of the electronics. It would require some thoughtful wiring, of course, and you may have to bore the hole out a bit, depending on how big the switch actually is, but you can certainly do it.

 

[chokeslam512]

Not sure about the playability (word?) but the green finish looks stunning.