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New 6 strings from Rondo ($170)

#201
It would be me. The ONLY thing that stinks on these is the pre-amp. Buy one - change it out immediately, and shield the cavity with copper tape completely!!!

I'm getting ready to drop an Audere 3 band into a Brice fretless Prestige Z with 19mm string spacing. 34" scale, but I'm putting tapewounds on it for an upright jazz vibe. With the Audere, this thing is gonna be killer.

As for the current status, check out my MySpace and play "Just Funkin' Around" - the bass is a prestige Z fretted neckthru with a Bartolini preamp, but the fretless solo is a Brice V2 with a 3 band Bart (had to drill another hole and move the bridge back 1/4 inch for PERFECT intonation!) - 200 bucks for the bass and 100 bucks for the used pre - I'll put that sound against ANYTHING out there. The shielding eliminates any type of hum too.

Comments would be appreciated. I'm just waiting for them to make a maple board on their Brice 6ers...if not, I'm special ordering one as soon as I get some $$$$ together.

Z
 
#202
sleepy_monkey said:
So should I get the Brice HX 406 or whatever? Does anyone have a pic of the maple looking one?
Click to expand...

Go for the Douglas' or the Prestige. I had a HXB and the body shape was just not right. Corners need to be rounded and smooth. Douglas and the Brice Prestige series do that...they're not sucky...as long as you upgrade the preamps. Buy a Glockenklang new for 145 from The Perfect Bass and drop it in - OMG!!!!!!!!! You'll question your Modulus - guaranteed.

Z
 
#203
sleepy_monkey said:
So you are saying nay? haha. What problems did you have?
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My V2 had a bad panpot that crapped out. Which was great, because it spurred me into bypassing the pointless thing which I should have done the day I brought it home. Also, the bridge doesn't allow for enough options as far as adjustment so the intonation is very slightly off. Not enough for me to replace it, but someday I might because I would very much like to hear this bass with a piezo bridge.

I am incredibly happy with my Brice bass and would buy it again in a heartbeat.
 
#204
T. B. Player said:
I'm getting ready to drop an Audere 3 band into a Brice fretless Prestige Z with 19mm string spacing. 34" scale, but I'm putting tapewounds on it for an upright jazz vibe. With the Audere, this thing is gonna be killer.
Click to expand...
I have LaBella tapes on my V2 six. It sounds incredible. The V2 has EMG-style active pickups with passive EQ. Probably the best sounding pickups that Rondo's Korean supplier ever put in a bass.

I agree regarding the HXBs, I saw them in a few colors at the old Rondo store and I did not like them one bit.
 
#205
T.B., thanks so much. You brought up a great point about the not smooth edges on the Brice....that would drive me nuts I think. So I am thinking the Douglas I guess...shield the wiring with copper tape, drop a Bart into it...I guess a 2 band?

I listened to "Just Funkin Around" and it sounds great. I don't really want to go crazy on my first 6 string...but I am sure it will be temp until I go nuts and get a Zon or something....

Thanks,
dirk
 
#206
T.B. Can you link to the Barts you got? I have EMG's in my Modulus, so I might get the Bart's and put them in the Modulus and put the EMG's in the Douglas....sounds good to me....although I have never done it before. :confused:


Edit: I don't guess it would work though since my mod is a Q5.
 
#207
T. B. Player said:
a Brice V2 with a 3 band Bart (had to drill another hole and move the bridge back 1/4 inch for PERFECT intonation!) - 200 bucks for the bass and 100 bucks for the used pre - I'll put that sound against ANYTHING out there. The shielding eliminates any type of hum too.
Click to expand...
I have an old functional TBIBT sitting in a box. I wonder what it would sound like in my V2..... I'd need some pots and caps to install it.
 
#210
Philbiker said:
As I read his post he installed a Bart EQ into the V2 with the stock pickups. The V2 pickups are very good, I wouldn't replace mine.
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Indeed - the pickups are the ones the come with the bass. The "Bart" is the pre-amp. I gots a 2 band in the fretted, but got a 3 band for the V2 (and cool gold knobs with blue/green abalone tops...:cool:)

They don't make the V2 anymore...but they pop up on ebay and on the talkbass classified every now and then. I'm sure a Douglas would be pretty close...

Thanks for the add requests on the MySpace too - If I can find a drummer that can play a 7/4 rock pattern and a 7/8 swing pattern, then I'll put the crazy stuff up there....:D

Z
 
#214
I took delivery last week of this Douglas 6 string fretless from them and it is really great. It was $179 and worth every penny and then some. I've paid alot more for stuff that plays a lot worse than the Douglas. I've already got my eyes on another one from them, as soon as I decide whether to go with a 5 or a 6 string fretted.

Kurt seems to be a straight up guy. He answered all my e-mail questions quickly. They're easy to do business with and people seem to be happy with their stuff.

unclejam said:
So Whats good with these guys?
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#215
i'm liking the looks of the white

web846owl5.jpg
 
#217
Whilst I cant post a picture atm, my Harper is almost identical in every respect to Alex's Douglas, and a couple of the Shine's posted ... save that mine's a sort-of sunburst black and the hardware's chrome.

I've given my Harper the unofficial title of, "Experibass", as this is the bass I now do my experiments on. Stuff like sanding the board, trying different strap button positions cos of the neck dive but without worrying about drilling holes in it, shielding the PUP routings (it's got humbuckers), and so on.

For the next shot at curing neck dive I'll drive a long-ish metal bolt (or a composite rod if I can find a bit somewhere) very carefully into the top horn to try to shift the point of balance towards the headstock.

I've also re-cut the original nut. There was a hump in the neck through (I presume) some bad adjustments by a previous owner. I cured that, too. I also replace the original strings (D'Adds) with D'Add half rounds. The overall sound was prolly nicer with the rounds, and the B was certainly better. I suppose I should really 'varnish' the board and re-fit the rounds.

I don't know whether I'll seriously try to play this thing again, or not. I'm doing bass + lead vocals / frontman again and, whilst playing a fretless 6 and singing isn't impossible, it is fairly close ... well, for me anyway ;).

Best.

John
 

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