New upgraded version of the HXB with improved electronics
Solid body made from Korina Tone wood for excellent sound
Highly figured bubinga top
A slim line, dual cutaway, contoured solid body with matching headstock
String-through bridge design for maximum attack and sustain
Active pickups with bass, mid, treble, blend, and volume controls plus pickup selector switch
All black die-cast hardware adds the finishing touch
Measurements
Just wanted to follow up on this -- I've had my Brice Earthquake for a few months now, and I've finished getting it set up how I like. I've replaced the strings with a custom set, the largest being a .177 tuned to low F# (a full 5 steps below the standard low B), and I can't speak highly enough about this bass. The active pickups have enough output to pick up the ultra-low tunings I use it for, and the extra scale length means I still get excellent clarity from the lowest notes.
I'm running it live through a Peavey 1x18 bass combo amplifier, and even at low volumes, with the active preamp switch turned on, the whole house shakes when I slam on that F# string. The bass is definitely living up to its name! I worked with a local luthier and guitar shop to get it set up properly with the much larger strings, and they were pretty skeptical about whether or not it would sound good at all. Having heard a 34" scale bass tuned that low before, I honestly thought it might just be muddy, but it turned out better than I could have hoped -- the ultra-low notes are clear and distinguishable, and the preamp, combined with some good EQ choices, picks out enough of the higher-order harmonics to add some brightness at the top of the mix, so it doesn't dissolve into muddiness underneath heavy guitars, too.
So, in case any of your other customers are wondering about doing the same thing, this bass is phenomenal for downtuned, ultra-heavy modern metal music, and if you're in a band with a bunch of guys or gals chugging out chunky riffs on 8-string guitars, an Earthquake bass with some heavy-duty strings makes for an excellent accompaniment piece.
My one request for the future -- I would love it if there was any chance of offering the same bass in a six-string version, so I could tune to F#-B-E-A-D-G and get the full spectrum for a standard bass along with the extreme extended range. Don't know if there's any designs in the pipeline for something like that, but a 37" six string would be an instant buy for me.
Thanks again, I'm really enjoying the bass! Keep up the excellent work -- you guys are currently the best deal going in the guitar/bass space, and I've been sending links out to several of my other guitar- and bass-playing friends for a while!
Thanks, Rob Phair
Answer: Korina is an excellent "tone wood" and has been used by some of the top manufacturers (Gibson, PRS, Brice, etc) to build superior instruments. It is considered to be a "super mahogany" with a sweet mid range and enhanced tonal response.
Question: How much does the bass guitar weigh?
Answer: Only 9.5 pounds!
