Brice Review: HXB-406 6-String Nat B Fretless Lefty

History: I have been playing bass guitar for 27 years now, and have played most styles. Currently in Southern Rock/Blues and Classic Rock bands, the need for an extended range bass brought me to find the Brice basses on Ebay. I have played basses of every quality and cost...including a Spirit of 76 Thunderbird, Ovation Magnum 1, Fender Jazz 62 reissue w/EMG's, Larivee' fretless, and an EBO w/ serial # 000005!

Purchase: As stated above, I found this on Ebay like most others during my search for a 5-6 string LEFT HANDED bass. Lefty's are EXTREMELY difficult to find in any configuration especially here in Canada, so this seemed to be "too good to be true"...but I ordered it anyway. I paid $289.00 US plus around $80.00 shipping via FedEx and had this beauty in my hands in less than a week.

What I Like About This Brice HXB-406 6-String Nat B Fretless Lefty: The bass came extremely well protected and shipped promptly. (WOW!) Right out of the box, it was quite striking and the finish was super! The figuring on the bubinga is stunning, and looks unreal in live pics! My other bass is finished in flamed Amboyna (an $1800.00 option at Alembic) and this bubinga is just as nice! This is an incredible price for a bass with these features, and UNHEARD of for a lefty! The setup was decent, but I chose to set the string heights to my taste, and the intonation was spot-on! The electronics work smoothly and quietly, and the quick-change battery compartment is a nice feature! The sounds available range from super clear bell like tones to a thick and rick bottom. The 35" scale adds definition to the low B and it sounds quite nice through my rig. (GK 800 RB biamped through an SWR Goliath Jr. II, and two 15" Eminence loaded 350 watt subs)

What I Do NOT Like About The Brice HXB-406 6-String Nat B Fretless Lefty: Nothing to report here!

Brice HXB-406 6-String Nat B Fretless Lefty Quality Rating: The construction is comparable to much higher priced basses, and I feel I received an excellent example of this guitar. The neck is super slick and flat...and the string spacing is tight and compact. Once you get used to the neck...you can effectively FLY on this bass! I have been gigging this beast for months now and have had zero problems! The finish had held up beautifully and the electronics are still very quiet! The neck has not needed any adjustments, and it holds it's tune perfectly.

Review Summary: An overall STEAL, and an unbelievable buy! I highly advise a purchase of this bass, and am planning to buy a second bass this summer!

Rating of this Brice product: 5

This Brice HXB-406 6-String Nat B Fretless Lefty Bass Guitars Review Submitted By: Donny

Review Date: 2007-08-12