Double Bass Inspecting a used EUB

[DoctorZee]

Came across what seems like an amazing deal on an NS NXT on the used market. I’m a little nervous it might be too good to be true. If I go to check it out, any advice on what I should be looking for? I’ve never had an EUB or DB, so not sure how to judge its feel, action, relief, etc.

 

[equill]

Came across what seems like an amazing deal on an NS NXT on the used market. I’m a little nervous it might be too good to be true. If I go to check it out, any advice on what I should be looking for? I’ve never had an EUB or DB, so not sure how to judge its feel, action, relief, etc.

The action is adjustable (or should be), but the problem with testing that is that it'll throw out the current action, and the seller may not be thrilled about having to set it up again.

The one thing I'm genuinely concerned by on my WAV4 is that the fingerboard seems to be slowly disconnecting from the body. It's still bound to the neck, but that was one of my reasons (excuses, rationalisations, whatever) to get a new EUB. It's been a couple of years and it hasn't made a bit for freedom yet, and it hasn't really had the gentlest of lives, so think of this as something to check for, not something to expect eventually.

Do make sure you plug it in and check that there's nothing obviously wrong with the way it sounds through an amp.

The stand for NS EUBs attaches via a single bolt, and some of us have found that the bass is prone to rotating around it. Theoretically it shouldn't, but it's possible that either I play more heavily than expected, or the washer on mine is the equivalent of a bald tyre. I worked around it with a dodgy-looking arrangement involving a block of wood and a cargo-strap.
That hasn't stopped me having a great time with it, though.