NS Design Club

[Snert]

If the pickups are standard EMG sizes, why can't you just substitute in the passive or active pickup of your choice? I've got standard EMGs I've subbed into factory basses with varying radii.

Sorry, not an NS owner, but I want one, hence reading the thread.

Edit: I was typing as you posted.

 

[jglunt]

Well it is a starter bass. I’d honestly look into the CR line if you want a better pickup that’s active.

Wish I had the money. I could barely afford this.

 

[jglunt]

If the pickups are standard EMG sizes, why can't you just substitute in the passive or active pickup of your choice? I've got standard EMGs I've subbed into factory basses with varying radii.

Sorry, not an NS owner, but I want one, hence reading the thread.

Judging by my measurements, any standard soapbar, active or passive, would fit. And I do love EMG actives. But the WAV4 has an active preamp. I'm thinking that to power both an active preamp and an active pickup, I'd need to convert it to an 18 volt system, like the Steinberger Synapse. That would mean routing a hole for either another battery box or at least a bigger battery box. I really don't want to start cutting on this beautiful bass. And I haven't had this bass long. I have other things to try to get that EMG pickup sounding better, like different strings. I'm just brainstorming right now.

 

[Snert]

But the WAV4 has an active preamp. I'm thinking that to power both an active preamp and an active pickup, I'd need to convert it to an 18 volt system, like the Steinberger Synapse.

Nope. Just run power from the battery to the active pickup and it will work fine. The bass I've just put down has a factory 9V preamp and woeful passive pickups I've changed to active EMGs.

 

[jglunt]

If the pickups are standard EMG sizes, why can't you just substitute in the passive or active pickup of your choice? I've got standard EMGs I've subbed into factory basses with varying radii.

Sorry, not an NS owner, but I want one, hence reading the thread.

The body of the bass is arched, convex on the front and concave on the back. The neck has a 15" radius. The top or front or whatever you call it of the pickup matches that radius, and the magnet is supposed to follow that radius inside the pickup. (I don't know if anybody knows for certain if it does or if the magnet is actually flat inside.) This is designed to give a more even string response. Plus, the ends of the pickup covers are slightly rounded. This I'm sure is for appearances sake, and it works. Everything flows beautifully. But a regular soapbar pickup should drop in there if my measurements are correct. There will just be a slight, rounded gap at either end. I hope I'm making that understandable. Here's a picture of my bass so you can check out that EMG pickup.

 

[jglunt]

Nope. Just run power from the battery to the active pickup and it will work fine. The bass I've just put down has a factory 9V preamp and woeful passive pickups I've changed to active EMGs.

Wonderful to know. I will check into that. Thanks for expanding my horizons!

 

[Snert]

The body of the bass is arched, convex on the front and concave on the back. The neck has a 15" radius. The top or front or whatever you call it of the pickup matches that radius, and the magnet is supposed to follow that radius inside the pickup. (I don't know if anybody knows for certain if it does or if the magnet is actually flat inside.) This is designed to give a more even string response.

Thanks, I get what you're saying about the radii of the body and neck, but I have instruments with flat magnetic structures in instruments with a 7.25 to 37" neck radius.

 

[jglunt]

Thanks, I get what you're saying about the radii of the body and neck, but I have instruments with flat magnetic structures in instruments with a 7.25 to 37" neck radius.

I suspected as much. As I said, all my basses (and guitars, too) have radiused necks and flat pickups. Now I can consider regular active soapbar pickups as well. Thanks!

 

[Snert]

Now I can consider regular active soapbar pickups as well.

Sure, or passive Nords, or Barts or Aguilars or QTuners or Lace or...

 

[slimefuzz]

new to bass, so this is far future for me, but how much higher would
the action be on the omnibass compared to the radius bass fretless?

 

[Jeff Scott]

I just looked it up on the NS website and the radius is 15"/ 380mm so not all that far off flat anyway. Plenty of guitars work fine with flat poles a 7.25" radius.

All my Jazz Basses were quite unbalanced between the strings due to that small radius.

...the "Radius Pickup" is rounded at each end, and nobody I know makes a pickup shaped like that. My measurements show most any regular soapbar pickup will drop in, but there will be a small gap at the ends where the body is rounded. I could either devise some kind of filler or just say "Looks okay; the heck with it."

Pickguard to the rescue!

 

[Snert]

All my Jazz Basses were quite unbalanced between the strings due to that small radius.

It's not been an issue for me as long ago I was told Leo was infallible and like many I have accepted the truth of his divine knowledge.

 

[Jeff Scott]

It's not been an issue for me as long ago I was told Leo was infallible and like many I have accepted the truth of his divine knowledge.

So, in other words, you drank his Kool-Aid.

I tried many times, too, believe me, but I finally gave up.

 

[jglunt]

It's not been an issue for me as long ago I was told Leo was infallible and like many I have accepted the truth of his divine knowledge.

So I guess everyone else is like Leo since about 99% of our pickups have flat fronts. Honestly, it's the magnets that matter. Does anybody have proof that the magnet inside that EMG radius pickup follows that curve?

 

[Snert]

So, in other words, you drank his Kool-Aid.

No, it was sarcasm.

But I've generally not found enough string to string level issues on most basses, even those with a tighter radius. I think mine average out at about 12" and I have more designs attributed to another man with a 3 letter first name than those of Leo's.

 

[jglunt]

I've decided to swap out the EMG passive magnetic on my WAV4 for a Lace Alumatone. The pickup is on its way, so that will definitely be a project for a day next week. It looks like a pretty straightforward swap, wiring it in the way the EMG is now currently wired in. I contacted NS Design tech support about this, who told me they had no idea if it would work. There comment was: "I guess you could try it." So I'm playing the part of intrepid explorer, going where (apparently) no man has gone before.

My thinking is this: The criticism of the "clacky" brightness of the piezo in this bass is because it has to be dialed in so much. The magnetic pickup has no mids or highs, so the piezo has to be used to supply that. The mids on it are also weak, so you end up with a sound that's all dull lows and brittle highs with very few mids. The magnetic pickup is placed in a good spot on the bass--essentially, the "sweet spot." So if a pickup with good lows, mids and highs is placed there, the piezo can just be used as "color," thus limiting that clacking sound in the bass's mix. Wish me luck. I'll keep you posted.

 

[jglunt]

Pickguard to the rescue!

Actually, what I thought of doing about that 1/8" rounded gap at the end of a standard rectangular-shaped soapbar is either (1) nothing--after all, it's only 1/8" OR (2) put a small blue (or some other color) LED light under the pickup and let it shine out of that gap. Those LED lights take almost zero power.

 

[Snert]

I've decided to swap out the EMG passive magnetic on my WAV4 for a Lace Alumatone. The pickup is on its way, so that will definitely be a project for a day next week.

Please post your impressions and if you want to, some clean clips for them. They're on my radar for another project and have only read people's impressions, which can be hard to make much of, and a small number of clean clips.

 

[jglunt]

Please post your impressions and if you want to, some clean clips for them. They're on my radar for another project and have only read people's impressions, which can be hard to make much of, and a small number of clean clips.

I will do so, but don't give up on me...I'm an old retired guy, so I only work when I feel like it. I still play bass regularly, for 52 years now. I'm gonna keep doing it until I get decent at it.

A friend of mine put a set of these on his ESP 5-string, and he absolutely raves about them. The best bass pickups I've ever played are G&L MFDs. If they offered a soapbar pickup, that's what I'd be using, but my friend tells me these are amazing pickups, possibly as good, and he owns a G&L bass with MFDs. I'm excited to pop them in (though I know it won't be quite that simple).

 

[Snert]

I will do so, but don't give up on me...I'm an old retired guy, so I only work when I feel like it. I still play bass regularly, for 52 years now. I'm gonna keep doing it until I get decent at it.

A friend of mine put a set of these on his ESP 5-string, and he absolutely raves about them. The best bass pickups I've ever played are G&L MFDs. If they offered a soapbar pickup, that's what I'd be using, but my friend tells me these are amazing pickups, possibly as good, and he owns a G&L bass with MFDs. I'm excited to pop them in (though I know it won't be quite that simple).

No pressure, when you can find the time will be great.

I've heard the MFDs in some clips and but for needing to rout, I'd probably have some. The routing itself isn't the issue, but if I decide I don't like them in use, they'll leave an exposed gap to go back to the more common SB sizes.