Got a Brice bass?

[msteeln]

I was gonna thread this as a club, but since there is virtually nothing coming up in a TF seach on them I may be the sole member. And at this point I'd kinda be a fraud as I'm still waiting for the coinage to get one..., I'm about to get a pair of pliers and give the tooth fairy some business.
www.rondomusic.com has some interesting basses. SX, Douglas, and Brice, are the brands for the most part.
I'm dying for the Brice 405 fretless 5 str. at under $300. The reviews I've found are fairly glowing overall, with only a few very minor niggles to be heard of, and at my level of bass abilities and the in-home projects I want it for, I'm pretty sure the 405 will be quite sufficient without any mods.

They really are beautiful in the looks dept., and in fact, the 405 may be my favorite design of what's on the market, new or vintage, and even the headstock design is acceptable. The spalted top version pictured on the Rondo site is more than you could ask for in a cheap bass, and Kurt sez he will be getting some bubinga tops in shortly. Not sure about the looks/colors on the bubinga, but a natural might be sweet. I've seen colored 405 bubinga tops and the pix didn't move me like the nat.

A big plus to me is the bridge option for putting the strings thru the body or just to the bridge.

I'd love to hear anybody's thots on these basses.

Praying for NBD!

[Brian Krashpad]

No experience with Brice (do have an Agile guitar), but as you know Kurt/Rondo have a great rep, so I'd buy without hesitation if that's what you're interested in.

[msteeln]

Yeah, Brice isn't on the radar for most players yet, but as you say, Rondo has been building a good rep, and I'm deffinitely not hesitating (except in the wallet...).

[osie2009]

If you have a chance,get one ! I know its a pain not to be able to play before you buy,but its worth it.The setup out the box is not good,so you will have to set it up.The preamps and pickups are bottom line in my book,but with some mods,these basses will stand up to some costing much more.

[msteeln]

Just as I'm about to pull the trigger, the newly reinstated 405 fretless comes with only one truss rod now. Maybe not a big deal, but the original runs had one and they went to two reportedly after some stability problems. So now with suddenly cold feet I'm eyeing the 406.

[FrankenFretter]

I'm another happy Rondo customer, with three purchases so far. Very happy with the quality of the guitars, but they do tend to need some setup help. Even though I'm not a bass player, I keep eying those Brice's. They sure look purty...

[Matt John]

Bass (pronounced /ˈbeɪs/ as in base), when used as an adjective, is used to describe tones of low frequency or range. Played in an ensemble/orchestra, such notes are frequently used to provide a counterpoint or counter-melody, in a harmonic context either to outline or juxtapose the progression of the chords, or with percussion to underline the rhythm. In popular music the bass part most often provides harmonic and rhythmic support, usually playing the root or fifth of the chord and stressing the strong beats. Music players are generally considered better quality if the bass notes can be heard clearly and loudly, as many music players operate with a high level of treble and minimum bass.

Thanks;

[Davm444]

I was considering a 5 string. I play a lot of jazz out of Fake Books. Al lot of brass players like Ab, Eb and such horrid keys. It'sgreat to have the low B string. I thought, hey why not get a 6 string and do some solos? Well that's when I discovered the Brice. It's a beautiful spalted maple (okay, photo finish, not even veneer) but it looks pretty sharp. The active tone controls are great. However, it is a little uneven in volume response, but nothing a compressor pedal and equalizer can't cure. Actually, I usually hate pedals, but for playability and sound, i use three pedals; the tuner, compressor and equalizer. All into a Yorkville Monster. A great instrument when I play in the rhythm section, and better when I step up for a solo.
I'll join your Brice club.