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Got the 6 String Brice Neck-Through

SLivinghouse

SLivinghouse

Aug 31, 2004
466
561
Meadow Vista, CA
#1
Read the positive reviews from experienced players of the Brice Sixers and decided to give it a shot. Although I was skeptical because of the price, it's actually an amazingly good instrument, although you need budget an extra $100 for a better preamp. I got the Aguilar.

Anyway, tried the Yamaha Pattituccis, Ibanezes, Alembics, several Carvins, Cort Curbows, Spector Legends, Dean Q6s, Tune and really like this as well as any of those. It's most similar to the Yamahas with the wide string spacing (which I strongly reccomend).

The main flaw is the preamp, which is just horrible. After putting in the Aguilar, the bass just kicked ass. The "B" is tight and mighty. The workmanship is great. Even the crappy pre-amp was carefully installed with tiddy wiring.

Obviously it doesn't have the status of the botique basses, but if you need a really good bass to play (not just look at) and don't care about the sticker on the headstock, this is the best deal I've seen by far.
 
#3
I've been playing that bass for the past 2 months exclusively and it just keeps getting better. I also tried several different 6's, a Washburn xb600, Ibanez SR506, Peavey Axcelerator and a Yamaha TRB-6 and the Brice was much more comfortable to me (although the Yamaha was pretty good, too). I was really looking to try the Spector but couldn't locate a 6 anywhere in the area. I basically had a $1200 budget, so the decision to take the Brice wasn't due to price.

I hated the strings and switched them immediately (LaBella flats) but I understand that this newest group of imports has much better stock strings. Other than doing a complete (and I do mean complete) set up of the bass, I haven't made any changes. Tone controls are useless, basically nothing more than additional volume controls, but that's not an issue to me since I play the bass flat and adjust thru the head or studio board.

I'm really so impressed with it that I'm seriously considering the Z6 fretless .... it's a bolt on, not NT, but it plays beautifully (I live in NJ and can get to Rondo fairly easily).

I don't care at all what the headstock label is .... this bass is a great instrument that has now become my main axe .....

Good luck with it :bassist:
 
#8
Yeah, that's the bolt on Z .... the demo bass at Rondo is extremely nice, very lyrical tone. I'm pretty sure the pups and controls are basically the same on both Z's.

Post up or PM me when you get a chance to give the bass a work-out .... I haven't heard any feedback from anyone who uses it regularly and I'm really curious .... I need to get a 6 fretless in the next month or so .....

Thanks :cool:
 
#9
pointbass said:
Yeah, that's the bolt on Z .... the demo bass at Rondo is extremely nice, very lyrical tone. I'm pretty sure the pups and controls are basically the same on both Z's.

Post up or PM me when you get a chance to give the bass a work-out .... I haven't heard any feedback from anyone who uses it regularly and I'm really curious .... I need to get a 6 fretless in the next month or so .....

Thanks :cool:
Click to expand...

It should be here in a coupla hours and i have an amp in my office...
 
#10
I think this summer a Brice 6er will be making its way over to me. :D I was planning on getting the long scale bubinga topped one. Any comments? You guys said the neck through has wide spacing like a Yamaha. Well my 5er is a Yamaha and I wanted to know how will the bubinga topped one compare? It says on their site that it has 3.5" spacing at the bridge. (from B to C string right?) Is this even wider than the neck through???
And one last thing, what preamps do you guys recommend? So far the aggie sounds nice but I haven't heard any other people's experiences yet. Thanks everyone.
 
#11
Chris,

The HBX long scale 6 is 3 1/2" at the bridge, the Z6NT is 3 5/8", so just marginally wider. I'm not sure about the Yahama spacing, but the TRB-6 I tested felt like it had tighter string spacing than the Brice ... that was one of the big reasons I bought the Brice instead of the TRB-6, I like the necks somewhat on the wide side.

I preferred the cut of the Z bodies instead of the HBX bodies. The HBX seemed kind of boxy to me and not particularly comfortable, but that's just my personal preference :)
 
#13
it's here and so far my reaction is mixed. I will have to do a major setup (adjust neck, recut the nut, adjust bridge and intonation.)

Construction is good
Tone is usable
B string is horribly floppy producing almost no tone at all.

If i cannot get the b string in order it is going back.
 
#15
DZ,

If you're using the stock strings that B will never tighten up ... you really need to completely re-string with anything other than the junk they put on it :scowl: Some advice, FWIW, don't adjust the bridge until you put new strings on it.

The set up is a pain, I know, but the basses come together beautifully once the set up is right. Don't bail out on it yet ...
 
#17
These are basically the same, different pups, as the Rogue LX406 Pro my girlfriend bought me and I really loved mine other than the godawful pups. After new strings it was VASTLY improved with better response, tighter B and more bottom. But I'm in the process of going all EMG with it so we'll see what happens after I get the preamp, I've been waiting a week longer than expected and it's starting to piss me off..... But congrats on the new basses, 6 strings are awfully cool, I can't wait to get mine back in my hands!
 
#18
Anyone ever run an F# on one of these?

I imagine it wouldn't be the most stellar, but might be good enough to try for awhile before upgrading to a high end axe.

I'm considering one for a cheap intro into F# - G tuning to try it out for awhile.

Troll
 

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