NS Design WAV4 4 String Violin

Designed and built to deliver great sound, excellent playability and long, dependable service, the NS WAV Series Violin provides an excellent affordable option both for serious professionals or student players.

At the heart of every NS electric violin is the Polar™ Pickup System. Sensor and bridge geometry are integrated to translate every nuance to the amplifier and speaker system. The big, bold, and brilliant tone looks to the future, yet the sonic ingredients of the acoustic violin are present and can be tamed to become traditional in character. The Polar pickup has the unique ability to analyze the direction of string vibration to enhance the bowed response and to facilitate bow technique. The unusually powerful piezo crystals do not require on-board power, for maintenance-free performance without the hassle of batteries.

The reserve power of a well set up electric violin makes the instrument easier to play than a conventional acoustic. The NS WAV Violin's rock maple bridge is easily adjustable for the playing style and action height you prefer; high and powerful like a traditional violin, low and fast like an electric guitar, or anywhere in between. The ebony fingerboard is graduated for each string to optimize the tone and playability of every note. The neck is smooth and fast, with traditional thumb reference points for the scroll and heel. The removable bout provides accurate position reference for players accustomed to using the traditional body shape for reference.

Accurate, stable tuners are the key to in-tune performance. The patented self-clamping tuning mechanism automatically grips the string ever more tightly as tension is applied, and the micrometer tuning is smooth and precise. This set-it and forget-it tuning is light-years ahead of the friction tuners found on traditional instruments.

Light weight and good balance are the essential comfort factors for any electric violin. The fully carved interior of the NS WAV Violin keeps the weight to the minimum, and the body mounted tuners bring the center of gravity back over the shoulder where it belongs. The shoulder rest is contoured and padded to provide stable support, and is fully adjustable accommodate differences in playing styles and body types.

The NS Design WAV violin comes complete with the NS Custom Shoulder Rest and a Cordura® covered NS custom case with handle and shoulder strap. The hardshell case Includes separate compartments for shoulder rest and accessories, a bow compartment and exterior zipper pouch (Loaded weight : approx. 3.2kg/7lbs).

The NS Design WAV Series Violin Features

• NS Design Polar™ Directional Piezo Pickup System Great natural sound, with passive volume and tone controls
• Ebony fingerboard, shaped for effortless play
• Solid Maple Neck & Body for rich tone and visual grace
• NS Design patented tuning system. 40:1 fine tuners are mounted on the body behind the bridge for precise, stable tuning. Automatic string clamping allows for quick, easy string changes.
• Light weight, highly carved interior for light comfort
• NS Custom Shoulder Rest - Ergonomically designed, stable, comfortable and fully adjustable
• Padded Hardshell Case

  << NS Design WAV Violin User Manual

 NS Design WAV Series Violin

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.

NS Design EU, CR and NXT Series violins, violas, cellos and basses are all 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.

NS Design artist-in-residence, Edward Howe demonstrates the WAV Violin