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Brice 8 string vs ESP LTD 8 string

S

spiritofcliff

May 29, 2008
11
0
#1
I've been shopping around for an 8 string budget bass and have narrowed my list to two final contestants. Each have their pros and cons - my question today comes down to tone of the wood and what each is going to bring out of the 8 string bass.

The Brice 8 string from Rondo music has a rosewood fretboard, maple neck, and Alder body. - Link Removed

The Esp Ltd B-208FM has a Maple/Walnut 5 piece neck, rosewood fretboard, and Agathis body with flamed maple top. http://www.espguitars.com/basses_b.html (some sites list this model as having a basswood body instead of Agathis, not sure if that was just an older model or plain wrong - from what I could find on Google Agathis is regarded as a cheaper version of Mahogany and not quite as dark, of course as discussed here quality can vary with any batch of wood)

I can't find video demo's of either on youtube to hear what they sound like and I'm unable to try either in a store before purchasing. (odd that I would ever buy an instrument I can't handle myself before forking over money), but ... I want an 8 string and I'm willing to take a gamble under the circumstances.

So what sound am I likely to get from these two basses? A J and MM style pickup on an Alder Body (neutral tone) 35 inch maple neck - so it's going to be a bit on the bright side - but will it be in a way that brings out the ringing high's of the octave strings in a good way?

Or the esp. I'm not personally fond of EMG-Hz's but then I've only heard them on a very plain sounding Cort EVL-Z4B - my least favorite Cort I've tried. (I own an Artisan C4H and LOVE it) But what are you going to get out of an 8 string with quiet emg's and a darker mahogany-ish wood and maple/walnut neck?

Anyone own either of these who can tell me more about their general sound?

Thanks a ton.
 
#2
I had the LTD and it sounded pretty decent through a good amp. The EMG's retained the lows and allowed the octaves to ring through. I have no experience with the Brice. I got rid of the LTD in favor of a Dean 8 and was pretty impressed with the tone from that. All of these are around the same price point, so get your hands on a few and then decide.
 
#3
Thanks for the advice. I hadn't given Dean a look because I'd seen the Dean Edge 8 string which has a basswood body - not what I want in an 8 string. I didn't realize there was also the Dean Rhapsody 8 string which is a fantastic looking bass.

Link Removed

Turns out this is exactly what I was looking for. Too bad Dean has discontinued them but there are still a few out there. I'll have mine at the end of the month.
 
#4
spiritofcliff said:
my question today comes down to tone of the wood and what each is going to bring out of the 8 string bass.
Click to expand...


This might be considered sacrilege -- especially considering what an avid proponent of 8-string (octave course) basses I am -- but Imma go out on a limb here and claim that in the grand scheme of things the body wood on an 8-string bass ain't gonna have diddly-squat effect on the tone.

...not 'cuz I'm some anti-tonewood Nazi, but just because the sound of double-courses is such a strong pervasive character that it overwhelms nearly every other aspect of an electric bass. I've had medium scale passive 8-strings with wide aperature humbuckers & hippie-sandwich laminated bodies, & I've had long scale active 8-strings with narrow aperature J-pickups and one-piece alder bodies, and I guarantee you couldn't tell the difference if you heard those basses A/B'd in the context of a recording.

With an octave-course bass the most important criteria is comfort. Playability. Does it feel good? That's the bass you want.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
 
#7
I've got an ESP B208FM and I would highly recommend it. I've not seen the 8-string Brice but what I have seen from other Brice models (in my opinion anyway) the ESP is a much superior instrument.
 
#9
I had an old Kramer XL-8 that I traded for the ESP B208FM, I am going to go out on a limb here, but the ESP sounds much better than the Kramer ever did. Sound is subjective, but with 8 strings the importance in the balance of the standard string and their accent stings, and ESP nailed it! Now I am thinking it is time for a 12 string
 
#10
What is the neck-dive issue with 8 or 12 stringers with these various makes? Does the big headstock dive to the floor?


Or maybe just better to get a Micro-Pog, with an octave up and one down = a 12 string. One octave or the other = 8'er

Thoughts?
 
#11
i love my LTD 8str, killer tone, great Hi-Gain distortion maker for those who play metal, etc..
i'm planning to repaint it to purple, sounds cool :bassist:
detail_bass021.jpg
 

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