NS Design WAV5 Double Bass

List Price:  £1,375.00UK Price:  £1,245.00 - Inc. 20% VATSave:  £130.00 (9%)Worldwide:  £1,037.50
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NS Design Frame Strap SystemNS Design Frame Strap System
NS Design CR Tripod StandNS Design CR Tripod Stand
NS Design Custom Flight CaseNS Design Custom Flight Case
NS Design Bass BowNS Design Bass Bow

HIGH PERFORMANCE — COMPETITIVE PRICE

For the bassist entering the world of the pure electric upright, the NS Design WAV Series offers a combination of design, performance and affordability exceeding any other instrument in its price point. True to the NS tradition, the WAV readily captures the essence of an acoustic double bass, yet opens up a wide range of new sonic possibilities.

The piezo-powered, passive electronics deliver an amazingly natural tone with unlimited overhead for extraordinary performance without the need or hassle of batteries whilst the NS patented Polar™ Pickup System offers the modern bassist unlimited expressive potential and a range of powerful dynamics.

The WAV upright bass is available in 4 or 5 string models with a choice of stunning color choices. 

Construction & Design

The WAV Series proudly shares the same elegant, modern body design, ergonomics and performance support options of its NXT and CR companions and delivers the same rich, full tone and clarity you would expect from a Ned Steinberger Instrument.

The WAV Double Bass features a solid straight grain maple neck and body with a gorgeous flame maple face (with a choice of Amberburst, Transparent Red and Transparent Black stained finishes) or a striking Brilliant White solid maple face. The graduated rosewood fingerboard features asymmetric relief for easy playability in every position whilst the adjustable bridge and two-way truss rod allow the player to radically adjust the neck relief and string heights to suit the music and personal playing style.

NS Polar™ Bridge Pickup System

Pizzicato and arco techniques have almost unlimited expressive potential, thanks to the NS Design Polar™ Pickup System. Two separate piezo transducers mounted in the bridge respond selectively to either vertical vibration - a convenient toggle switch gives you the choice to select a traditional arco mode for percussive attack and a dynamic bowed response, or the pizzicato mode for a smooth, uniquely even and sustained plucked sound.

NS Design/D'Addario™ Strings

Equipped with NS Contemporary Bass Strings by D'Addario™, the WAV Double Bass is compatible with most standard electric or traditional acoustic upright bass strings. In combination with the easy adjustment of its basic set-up parameters, this versatile instrument is adaptable to suit all styles of music.

Accessories

Compact and lightweight, the WAV Double Bass is an excellent instrument for musicians on the move. It comes equipped with a self-supporting WAV/NXT tripod stand with full adjustments for height and angle and a padded gig bag with a carry handle, adjustable shoulder strap and eparate pouch compartments for stand, bow and accessories. The gig bag with a loaded weight of approximately 11.2kg/25lbs (including stand) will fit in the overhead compartment of most commercial aircraft.

Optional Extras

As all NS Double Basses share the same mounting system, a wide array of additional, interchangeable support systems make the NXTa Double Bass adaptable to virtually any situation :

End Pin Stand
Offers full freedom of movement. Height, tilt and "right bout" angle are fully adjustable providing a more conventional feel. Weight 2.3kg (5lbs).

End Pin Conversion Kit
Converts Tripod Stand into a support for the End Pin Stand.

Boomerang Strap System
Provides full mobility and the freedom to play in virtually any position, with instant adjustment for bow and pizzicato technique, without stress and fatigue.

Frame Strap System
A lightweight frame structure supported by a single guitar style strap extending over the left shoulder that holds the bass in the correct positions for both pizz and arco styles and provides maximum mobility with amazing comfort.

Flight Case
Aluminium edged plywood, 145cm (57") long; 25cm (10") wide; 25cm (10") high. Loaded weight is 22kg (48lbs), including stand.

Construction Solid, straight grain maple
Finish Brilliant White with maple face or Amberburst, Transparent Red or Transparent Black with flame maple face.
Fingerboard Hand-graduated ebony. Intonation referenced with cascading dot markers; width at nut: 43.1mm (1.7"); 89mm (3.5") maximum width
Bridge Rock maple (dyed black); radius 79mm (3.1"); string spacing 80mm (3.14")
Nut Ebony; radius 79mm (3.1"); string spacing 30mm (1.19")
Bridge Pickup NS Polar™ directional piezo pick-up system
Electronics Passive circuit with high impedance output, no batteries required • Toggle switch for Polar Pickup Balance (between pizzicato/arco modes) • Rotary volume control • Tone control (treble roll off)
Truss Rod Two-Way Truss Rod, accessible at nut
Tuning Machines 12:1 ratio, fully encased worm gear tuners, black finish
Length 132cm (52")
Width 15cm (6")
Thickness 10cm (4")
Weight 4.1 kg (9lbs)
Scale Length 106cm (41.73")
Strings NS Contemporary Bass Strings by D'Addario™ • Also compatible with most standard 3/4 size double bass strings
Stand NXT/WAV Tripod Stand • Black painted steel, adjustable, folds for storage & fits into supplied gig bag • 2.7kg (6lbs)
Gig Bag Nylon padded gig bag, with stand compartment, bow compartment, charger and accessory pocket, handle and adjustable shoulder strap. Loaded weight : 11.2kg (25lbs) including stand

The NS Design Polar™ Pickup System

THE POLAR™ PICKUP SYSTEM allows the player to select the direction of response to control attack, sustain, and bow response characteristics. The result is an exciting new dimension in string instrument performance, featuring:

  • Powerful dynamics
  • Rich, full sound
  • High sensitivity to the bow
  • Sustained pizzicato
  • Extended versatility

As a player, you may not think about the direction your strings are vibrating, or even be aware that string vibrations on a musical instrument are polarized in relation to the fingerboard and the motion of the plectrum and bow. Yet direction is one of the most significant factors influencing the tone and response of a stringed instrument. In fact, instruments from the violin family are different from the lute or guitar in large part due to the effects of string polarization.

The bow drives the string back and forth in the direction of the bow, while at the same time it suppresses the up and down vibration. You can see this effect with the naked eye by watching the wide excursion of the lowest strings when bowed. From the front, you can see a wide lateral pattern of string vibration, but looking from the side you can see almost no pattern at all. Instruments in the violin family have a tall bridge in combination with an asymmetrical support structure of bass bar and sound post that efficiently translate the sideways motion of the bowed string into sound.

The Polar pickup responds with a high degree of lateral sensitivity and vertical rejection that is tailored to mirror the polarity of the bowed string. The result is a remarkably dynamic, rich tone that responds effortlessly to the bow.

The Polar pickup takes this concept one step further, and is able to switch from lateral to vertical sensitivity, which is ideal for pizzicato. Unlike the violin, a flattop guitar or lute respond in the vertical direction, to minimize the plucked attack and store energy for longer sustain. With the touch of a finger, the polar pickup can switch from lateral to vertical mode. In the vertical mode the attack is controlled for a sustained, singing pizzicato response. The lateral mode has the opposite effect, and the plucked response is extraordinarily percussive, like a traditional bowed instrument, only more so. This dual capacity allows the player to control attack and decay, adding new expressive potential to the violin family of instruments.


All NS Design instruments are equipped with the dual-mode Polar Pickup System.

On EU and CR Series instruments, active bass and treble EQ controls combine with the Polar pickup options to provide tremendous tonal range. Additional magnetic pickups, switching and associated pre-amp circuitry vary from model to model.

 

CR Series

Sophisticated and versatile instruments, built to deliver outstanding performance.

NXTa Series

Featuring innovative, custom built, high performance, battery-free active electronics.

WAV Series

Affordable passive instruments featuring NS Design's Polar™ Pickup System.

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