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Brice HXB2 -- who has one?

bobcruz

bobcruz

Mar 10, 2004
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1,830
CA
#1
I'm interested in hearing from anyone who owns a Brice HXB2 from Rondo. Seems like a lot of bass for $299. How is the tone in active and especially in passive mode? I favor passive so I'm hoping the passive tone is good from the stock pickups. Is the neck finish glossy top and back? What does your example weigh? Thanks for any insights, Bob

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#3
I had a 6 string fretless a while back. Well made, played great but lacking the tone i was after. Bare in mind that mine was active/passive with a 2 band eq only so probably could have been improved on, if only my fretless playing skills could have been improved on too, i may have kept it.;)
 
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#6
That is a great looking bass!
I've read positive reviews of the Brice basses and though I have some of Rondo's other basses (SX and Douglas) and guitar (Agile) and am very pleased with them, I have not gotten a Brice. If they ever get anymore lefty 8 strings that will change.
 
#8
dabbler said:
if they ever offer a 34"-37" scale fanned fret HXB2 I won't be able to resist!
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This, I'm very interested in a longer scale fanned fret version of these. I'd love a lower cost ff bass I wouldn't be so nervous about gigging with. Been considering a Defiant but I'm not sure I want to have to carve the wood to replace the pickups, this looks like more of a standard size route.
 
#11
I have owned two Brice basses. One was a Z6 anx the ogher was a HXB 405 fretless. Both wefe good basses. I upgrade tbe pre in my 405 with a bassmods pre. I eventually sold it. The Z6 was a decent bass it was just heavy as all get out. Those look interesting.
 
#12
Sav'nBass said:
I have owned two Brice basses. One was a Z6 anx the ogher was a HXB 405 fretless. Both wefe good basses. I upgrade tbe pre in my 405 with a bassmods pre. I eventually sold it. The Z6 was a decent bass it was just heavy as all get out. Those look interesting.
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It doesn't surprise me you'd upgrade the preamp. I had an ESP LTD (rumored to be made in the same factory as Brices) and the preamp was meh. It didn't have a passive option like the Brice, however, so I'm very interested in the passive tone. Did you ever play your 405 in passive mode? Bob
 
#15
I recently (within the last month and a half) bought two Brice HXBs. I had been wanting to try a short-scale 5 string so when Kurt got the fretless ones in first, I pounced. It is an HXB with the two-band EQ (we'll call it a "1"). A couple weeks later, fretted HXB2s came in, so I grabbed one of those too. And then, of course, the HXB2 405 3/4 fretless basses came in, but it didn't seem worth it to return and repurchase. Oddly, the "2" is less expensive than the "1".

Even though the fretless bass came with flats and the fretted bass with roundwound strings, the two-band EQ section on the "1" seems to be more powerful than the three-band on the "2". The active mode on the "2" has a much greater output than the passive mode, while they're not much different (active vs. passive) on the "1".

I tend to prefer a more traditional tone rather than what I find to be a typically zingy active tone. Both 1 and 2 in the active mode sound fine to my ears.

I have a bunch of EMG parts laying around so I'm thinking about pickup and electronics swaps anyway, but both basses are perfectly enjoyable to me in stock form.
 
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#16
bobcruz said:
I'm interested in hearing from anyone who owns a Brice HXB2 from Rondo. Seems like a lot of bass for $299. How is the tone in active and especially in passive mode? I favor passive so I'm hoping the passive tone is good from the stock pickups. Is the neck finish glossy top and back? What does your example weigh? Thanks for any insights, Bob

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hxb2405mnoceanburstflame1.jpg
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One of these is on it's way to me as we speak. I'm a drummer who has had basses in the past, to have an outlet when i was unable to set up my kit. When i saw this one, i just couldn't resist. It's a beautiful instrument. When it gets here I'll post some pics and try to give a review.
 
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#17
KimH said:
One of these is on it's way to me as we speak. I'm a drummer who has had basses in the past, to have an outlet when i was unable to set up my kit. When i saw this one, i just couldn't resist. It's a beautiful instrument. When it gets here I'll post some pics and try to give a review.
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Sorry to stoke the GAS but looking forward to your review! :bassist:
 

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