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Brice Freak Bass

#121
After all this talk about Rondo's and tops, my brother and I had a look at the Agile LP guitar that he bought from Rondo about 8-10 years ago. It's got a mahogany body and a really thick maple top and the binding is just masked off. Thus, of you look at the edge you can see that the top is more than 2 pices. Yet the flame maple is clearly real and two piece. As near as we can figure and has been said on this thread Rondo (and possibly alot of other companies) are using paper thin actual wood veneers on top of rather thick tops.

We then went and looked at the Rondo site and saw that features have gone up since he bought his. This:
Link Removed
is almost the same guitar as he bought and costs the same $400, but now you get:
-3 piece neck,
-Full Binding of neck/body/head, Triple on body
-Alnico pups (his had ceramic)
-Compound radius fretboard
-Graph-tek Bridge
-Coil taps on both pups.

Pretty darn impressive when a company can not only hold the line on price but seriously up the features and it's still MIK when so many other companies have since moved production.
 
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#122
I bought one back in June this year and put in some SD SSB-5 Phase IIs in there. The wiring to the blend was incorrect as previously mentioned. I'm going to sell it soon because the string spacing to too narrow for me.



agile bass 2.jpg



IMG_2100.JPG
 
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#123
dream_theater it looks like you have one of the first run (prototype) with the narrower spaced bridge. Out of curiosity, did you change out the pickups and the preamp, or just the pickups? If you just changed the pickups, how much difference did it make in the instrument's sound, both passive and active?

I finally had the time to set mine up correctly this weekend. In order to get the neck to to sit at the correct angle to get the action I wanted, I had to put to 1/4" wide strips of playing cards under the end of the neck. The pickups were pushed way into the body, so I had to get them out in order to put some padding under them to provide some spring. This wasn't easy as two of the screw heads stripped right away. I had to end up using a drill to drill the heads of the screws off, pull the pickups out and then use a vise grip to remove what was left of the screws. Luckily I had some extra pickup screws around, but before I put those in, I redrillled all of the holes and put some soap on the screws to help them slide as I screwed them in. The bass now plays and sounds much better.

The pickups still sound, and maybe even more so now that they are closer to the strings, tonally a lot like EMG HZ's or Selects with the bass in passive mode. The preamp adds a lot of gain, to the point of distortion it seems to me, while not adding a lot of tonal flexibility. Consequently, the preamp would probably be the first thing I would consider changing.

For my own kicks and giggles, over the weekend I was reading a really old post on the late 90's or early 2000's musicyo.com Tobias Toby Pro basses. I had one of those and thought it played really nice but the tone left a ton to be desired. I know many changed out the pickups and preamps on these basses and I totally understood why, but a post I read stated that the stock "Tobias" pickups actually sounded quite good if paired with a better preamp. (For those that aren't familiar with these basses, they were Korean built basses sold through a Gibson run online store only.) Maybe the Brice Freak bass is the same.
 
#124
SMG said:
dream_theater it looks like you have one of the first run (prototype) with the narrower spaced bridge. Out of curiosity, did you change out the pickups and the preamp, or just the pickups? If you just changed the pickups, how much difference did it make in the instrument's sound, both passive and active?
Click to expand...

Just the pickups, preamp is stock. There was a small difference in tone but not huge. A nice pre-amp would likely bring this bass to life. The neck angle was pretty good on time, but I'm using super thick strings with G# tuning.
 
#125
I've had the same struggles with the pickup height...I've pushed/pulled everything on mine and haven't found the active/passive mode. Is that the switch?

The action and neck seem okay...still playing with the pups to get them aligned and everything. My low B sounds really weak compared to everything else right now...
 
#126
SMG said:
dream_theater it looks like you have one of the first run (prototype) with the narrower spaced bridge. Out of curiosity, did you change out the pickups and the preamp, or just the pickups? If you just changed the pickups, how much difference did it make in the instrument's sound, both passive and active?

I finally had the time to set mine up correctly this weekend. In order to get the neck to to sit at the correct angle to get the action I wanted, I had to put to 1/4" wide strips of playing cards under the end of the neck. The pickups were pushed way into the body, so I had to get them out in order to put some padding under them to provide some spring. This wasn't easy as two of the screw heads stripped right away. I had to end up using a drill to drill the heads of the screws off, pull the pickups out and then use a vise grip to remove what was left of the screws. Luckily I had some extra pickup screws around, but before I put those in, I redrillled all of the holes and put some soap on the screws to help them slide as I screwed them in. The bass now plays and sounds much better.

The pickups still sound, and maybe even more so now that they are closer to the strings, tonally a lot like EMG HZ's or Selects with the bass in passive mode. The preamp adds a lot of gain, to the point of distortion it seems to me, while not adding a lot of tonal flexibility. Consequently, the preamp would probably be the first thing I would consider changing.

For my own kicks and giggles, over the weekend I was reading a really old post on the late 90's or early 2000's musicyo.com Tobias Toby Pro basses. I had one of those and thought it played really nice but the tone left a ton to be desired. I know many changed out the pickups and preamps on these basses and I totally understood why, but a post I read stated that the stock "Tobias" pickups actually sounded quite good if paired with a better preamp. (For those that aren't familiar with these basses, they were Korean built basses sold through a Gibson run online store only.) Maybe the Brice Freak bass is the same.
Click to expand...

I've never go down the "upgrading my basses' electronics" rabbit hole...What kind of preamp would you look into for upgrading this?
 
#127
Yes, the switch is active/passive. Like has been pointed out, the pan pot on mine is wired backwards, but that should be an easy fix if I decide I need to do it.

If I wanted the same configuration (V,P,T,M,B and mini switch) I would probably go with a Bart preamp with a mid contour mini switch and active/passive push/pull on volume, but if I wanted to be more budget conscious, a BassMods (are these still available?) can be had with similar configuration for a lot cheaper, if still available, as I haven't seen them around lately. With the BassMods, you wouldn't have the mid contour switch, but an active/passive switch and the added benefit of a passive tone control if wanted. There are many other preamps that would work fine, but those are my personal go to ones when I want to install a new preamp.
 
#128
I know this is reviving a zombie thread, but I have this bass and really like it except for a one thing...

I'm getting an extreme volume difference between my E and B strings. Took it to my local shop and the tech is thinking it's a pickup issue, so I'm looking at upgrading. I found the Nordstand Big Splits and love the jazz tone. Would those fit without having to route the body or anything?

Also, if I were to upgrade the preamp, is the Bart preamp the way to go and what's the exact model I should go with on that?

I'm not "techy" so I apologize in advance for that... :)
 
#129
It could be a pickup issue if the magnets are not centered correctly to get all 5 strings. If you have one (like mine) that has the wider bridge, this could be the issue with the pickups. Mine seems OK, but that by no means says they all are, especially since some of the Freak basses have narrower spacing. (Look carefully at the Rondo site at the 5 string Freak basses without the gloss finish and you see a 17mm spaced bridge instead of the 19mm spaced one.)

I believe the pickups are standard 4" X 1.5", though I would suggest measuring them to be sure. If that is the case, potentially upgrades could be anything from passive EMG-HZ 40's to Barts to Nordstrands, etc... I have not played a bass with the Big Splits, so I can't comment on them specifically, but other Nordstrands I have played always sound great. My guess is that the pickups in the Freak bass are budget pickups...they have to be to meet the price point, so most quality pickups would be an upgrade, and therefore, any major pickup brand project could be an upgrade.

The preamp could be replaced by any 5 knob, single switch preamp. With a Bart you could go with an active/passive switch like the original, but also a push/pull frequency switch on the tone, or a push/pull active/passive on the vol and a three position frequency switch. Nordstrand and Audere also have 5 knob, single switch options, but I am not as familiar with them.
 
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#131
Michael Henson said:
I know this is reviving a zombie thread, but I have this bass and really like it except for a one thing...

I'm getting an extreme volume difference between my E and B strings. Took it to my local shop and the tech is thinking it's a pickup issue, so I'm looking at upgrading. I found the Nordstand Big Splits and love the jazz tone. Would those fit without having to route the body or anything?

Also, if I were to upgrade the preamp, is the Bart preamp the way to go and what's the exact model I should go with on that?

I'm not "techy" so I apologize in advance for that... :)
Click to expand...

What strings are you using?
 
#135
Insederec said:
The lack of any sound demos in this thread is killing me. There's nothing else out there either!
I know $300 isn't a lot of money for some of you folks to go out and grab one, but for the rest of us...
Click to expand...
I started to record something and then ended up being embarrassed with my skill level and then got distracted and then I haven't done it yet.

Thing is, mine isn't stock anymore. I added Nordstrand Big Splits and it's a beast now. Anyone still want to hear it? Thinking I'm gonna play it in church this evening and could likely get a video or sound clip to share.
 
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#136
The bass is usable as is, without replacing pickups and preamp. Probably about equal to a comperable ESP or Schecter with band labeled pickups and preamp. The plus side is that it is an easy bass to upgrade. Sorry I can't help with sound samples.

Mine has the wider (19mm) BB405 bridge, as gloss photos of the 5 string on the Rondo site. All of the matte finished ones (at least in the photos), as well as the close up of the "B stock" gloss that they currently have are 17mm bridges. Not sure if you can ask specifically for one over the other, and don't know if it makes a difference to you. Personally, I would not have bought mine if it was 17mm.

Just my 2 cents worth...
 
#137
Michael Henson said:
I started to record something and then ended up being embarrassed with my skill level and then got distracted and then I haven't done it yet.

Thing is, mine isn't stock anymore. I added Nordstrand Big Splits and it's a beast now. Anyone still want to hear it? Thinking I'm gonna play it in church this evening and could likely get a video or sound clip to share.
Click to expand...

I want to hear it. Please post some videos or sound clips of the bass.
 
#138
Got a couple clips during our practice and will try to get more during our evening church service. You'll just have to excuse any mistakes and any goofiness from me.

However, with these pickups the tone/sound is absolutely spectacular. Our sound guy said that it sounds better than my Kingston Artist (with an Aguilar OBP-3 and added Nordstrand Fat Stack). It's pretty awesome sounding.
 
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#140
Got the chance to record a bit during our morning service (blue MTD) and evening service rehearsal (Brice Freak)...I had a ton of footage because I just kept the video rolling, so I shortened to provide some clips from most of the songs. Excuse my awkward bassist meanderings, facial expressions (or lack thereof), and mishaps. I've been working toward playing without a chord chart and inevitably miss a change here and there during rehearsals.



As I've mentioned before, I didn't play my Freak much before because I had issues with the stock pups, but these Nordstrands are amazing. Hopefully, you can hear enough to get some idea of the tone.
 
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