NS CR5M questions

[MikeBass]

Wow, this side seems a lot calmer than the electric bass side!!

Anyway, I'm a newbie (weird using that term when talking about myself ) to the EUB world as I'm about to take the plunge into a NSCR5M sometime in the near future.

I play fretless electric bass a lot (FYI- F Bass BNF5) in various styles, ie. country, jazz, rock blah blah blah and I know, it's not the same.
What are the biggest hurdles that this primary electric player is going to face. Besides dealing with the scale length (what is the scale actually on the CR5M?).

My DB skills are pretty shabby right now and my reasoning for picking one of these up is to 1) get that portion of my playing back up to a decent level 2) I don't really have the means of storing an actual DB safely (I do own my own house, but they take up a bit of space) and 3) the basic upkeep and maintance is something that at this point I don't want to have to deal with. Plus moving a DB is a bit of a pain and the NS seems to solve this in spades.

I haven't played DB in quite some time-maybe 15 years now, and I'm kinda excited to get into it a bit.

For amplification I'm using a Eden CXC110 combo amp with a Eden CX110 extention cab if needed. This is my main electric rig as well.

[MikeBass]

Gee, thanks for the support over here guys!

[Francois Blais]

Hi Mike.
We had several threads about NS EUBs recently.
Did you browse them?
Best of luck with your new toy!

François

[MikeBass]

Yeah, I did, but I was hoping for a little insite on amplification or even set-up of the bass to point me in a direction that would be productive, since DB is not my main inst. Or any other thoughts if you will. Some of the posts have been helpful, but they leaned a little more from the DB world.
On the EB side of TB, this question seemed a bit more relevant, as my situation is much more common over there.

But I threw it out over here as well, since you guys would seem to be the likly place to answer any concerns.

I should have been a bit more specific in my original post it seems.
My fault!!

When it comes, then I'll pop back in and see if you guys can lend a helping hand.

Thanks!

[Christopher]

The NS is actually one instrument that presents bass guitarists "crossing over" with no obstacles, other than the 41.5" scale length. A lot of DB technique is intended to compensate for the physical dimensions of the acoustic instrument. On the NS, however, you can use the same stance and hand positions no matter where you are on the neck or how you play. No leaning forward or stepping back as you ascend; no real need for thumb position. A potential issue for DBers trying the NS is that there aren't any physical cues on the neck to inform the player of where he is (Eb/D stop, shoulders), but if you're coming over from the BG side, you won't really notice this.

The NS sounds like an overgrown fretless BG with roundwound strings. If you want a more uprightish tone, Bruce Lindfeld recommends throwing some traditional DB strings on it and cranking the bridge up to approximate DB action. Note that a lot of double bass strings don't have much ferromagnetic content, so the magnetic pickups won't be of much use with them.

As far as amplification goes, people on this side tend to favor little 10" or 12" (or sometimes even 8") combos in the 100W-300W range with relatively little coloration. Acoustic Image seems to be the reigning popularity champ; others include EA and GK's smaller offerings. Check the pickup and amp forum for more.

[MikeBass]

Thanks Christopher!

I'm gonna get it and leave the stock strings on it, but I've talked to others who echo the comments about swapping out the strings. It is something that I will do, but I want to see first what ol' Ned had in mind!

My amp is the Eden Time Traveler (TT330) in a 110 co-ax cab (the CXC110 combo). I use a 110 extension cab (Eden as well, the CX110) if/when needed for electric gigs. So I'm hoping this will do the job.

Like I stated in my first post, my DB talents are pretty bad (I never professed to good to begin with ) but this will certinly kick my butt for a few years.

Again, thanks for your input!