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Double Bass NS Design NXT Megathread

#461
bassyboy said:
just curious has anyone tried the eminence EUB how does it compare to the NS basses
Click to expand...

It's a completely different animal.

The NS Basses are solid-body, tightly-constructed electric basses; the Eminence is essentially a small-bodied laminate upright bass (it actually has a soundpost and a bass bar, just like the big girl.)

Out of the box, with no modifications, the sound from an Eminence is generally much closer to the amplified sound of a full-sized upright with a pickup on it (which is the best an electric upright could ever aspire to, anyway, no?)

The NS Basses, in my experience, are more of a "crossover" instrument - combining elements of electric and upright basses to create a hybrid between the two. That said, you can do things (string choice, bridge height, technique, preamps, etc. - read this thread!) to make an NXT or other NS bass sound more "authentic" if you'd like to.

So which one you would want to get depends on what you are looking to achieve with the instrument.

Hope that helps.
 
#462
I had an Eminence and now have an NXT. In my opinion the Eminence had a more UB sound due to the acoustic chamber and the Realist pickup. The workmanship is better on the NXT and the NXT is capable of a wide range of voices. That said I would not swap my NXT for an Eminence. Just one mans opinion for what it's worth.
 
#466
I have a few spots on the fingerboard that buzz like there are high spots on thr ebony surface the G string at the octave and B on the G string I have adusted the bridge to the max. and played around with the truss rod but still get the buzz, is it possible to get the fingerboard resurfaced, I don't dare want to start trying to sand these out I think I would end up in trouble, anyone else had to deal with this thanks in advance for any ideas, I did put a set of NS traditionals on (big improvement), I still got the buzzing with the stock strings so its not a string issue, I just have to avoid those two notes I guess..
 
#467
I have an NS NXT 4 that I've had for about three weeks and I love the bass. I need to decided on an amp but haven't a clue what to get. I want it to sound as much like an UB as possible. I have an Accoustic Image Contra amp that I've had for several years but have used very little that I thought I could use but the E string is just to much for the amp and it sounds like a cracked speaker cone. I have considered a Fender Rumble 150 but would hear from other NXT owners their recommendations.
 
#468
Bluegrass89 said:
I have an NS NXT 4 that I've had for about three weeks and I love the bass. I need to decided on an amp but haven't a clue what to get. I want it to sound as much like an UB as possible. I have an Accoustic Image Contra amp that I've had for several years but have used very little that I thought I could use but the E string is just to much for the amp and it sounds like a cracked speaker cone. I have considered a Fender Rumble 150 but would hear from other NXT owners their recommendations.
Click to expand...

I play a couple of 6 stringers, and a upright bass which I happen to play during the same gigs... I have a EA "Doubler" amp, and a Wizzy 12 M-Line, and it handles my low B's very well, and my UB without any problem at all, and it's great to be able to have a setting for the electric on one channel, and a setting on the second channel for my UB.... Worth a look and listen.. Lots of stuff on YouTube!!
 
#469
I personally like speakers larger than 10" with UB and NXT, but there are exceptions to that rule. 10's haven't worked for me personally (I really prefer 12's or 15's), but that's me. I also think Wizzy is certainly a good recommendation. If you play larger places, or with a loud group, or just aren't liking what you are hearing from your amp, maybe a single 12, a pair of 12's (GK Neos or MB 212), or a 15" would work.

I have played through a Rumble 150, and it performed adequately. For the work I do, I need more volume, but otherwise was a nice amp. The Rumble 350 is a 2x10 that auditioned reasonably well for me, but I still preferred a larger speaker. I also tried an Acoustic Image Ten2. I felt that the sound was thin (the opposite of what I seek), and the volume was atrociously lacking for what I do. If you like a modern jazz sound and play at low volumes, it certainly might work. I need lots of volume and a full, fat old-school sound. (My UB is strung with guts, and I get a very similar sound from my NXT 5.) So... a 2x10 might work for your needs, depending on what those needs are. When I took my NXT to the SacJazz Festival, one of the venues had an SWR amp (WkPro 400, I think) and SWR 4x10 (Goliath). The EQ was set just right, and the NXT kicked butt. Could have had a little more breadth to the sound for my taste, but it was pretty nice anyway. I have an SWR WM 4x10 that collects dust because it doesn't work for what I want to achieve, and it is not as portable as I prefer. YMMV.

If you have a music store nearby, take your NXT with you and plug into some rigs and see what can produce that sound you hear in your head. Put out a call to area players to see if they have any models you'd like to try. The worst they can say is "no".

Happy Hunting!
 
#471
I haven't strung mine with guts yet, although I'm curious how they would work. Might do just fine, since the pickup is piezo, not magnetic. I have mine strung with NS Traditionals, and the sound is quite upright-like. I think any string that produces a gut-type sound would work. Obligatos, Garbos, etc. I'm tempted to string mine with Zyex just to see the difference, but I do like the sound I get from my Traditionals. If guts weren't so expensive, I would have experimented already.
 
#473
I've thought about setting it up like my UB - plain gut G and D and Zyex A and E. The Zyex have a softer, gut-like sound, and the size shouldn't be an issue. The Zyex were slightly zingy at first, but they broke in nicely. I'd only have to be concerned what I would use for a B string, and in that case, I could keep the Traditional B on. I hypothesize that a set of half gut and half Obligato should work well regarding size, and the performance would be everything you expect from those strings. Hmm... Lots to think and dream about, but, just as you said, very expensive to experiment.
 
#474
Hey all! I had my first gig last night with my NXT5 and it crushed!!!! I only had it for two days before the gig and it's been about 10 years since I last played an EUB for a gig, but it all came back quick as this instrument is so easy to play (thank you for the dots!!!!)

I run a Thunderfunk 550B into a Schroeder 1212L cab and the sound was amazing! I'm using a Bassbone to balance out my instruments since I run my main electric bass through it as well.

The only thing that was chomping at my ear is that when the switch is up and volume is maxed, any time I play anything on the E string, I get an insane compressed thud with much less note than the other strings. Any ideas?

Here is a little pic from last night.

PS- nothing like the band leader pulling out Spain as the second song to really put me to the test...
 
#475
I am a complete newbie to a bass of any kind and have just started Simandl on my new NXT EUB. I have a cheapish ($300) Chinese carbon bow and the original strings that came with the bass. As most of you know, Simandl starts with practicing whole, half and quarter notes on the open strings (I am playing at 72bpm). I find that with whole and half notes I can grip all the strings and play quite smoothly. However, when I try to play quarter notes, especially the A and G srings are hard to smoothly play. Catching them is very difficult. Are there some technique issues I should be aware of when trying to play the shorter notes or is something that will just come with time. I've been playing for 1 month, about an hour a day - so I wasn't kidding when I said I'm a real newbie. For geographical reasons I wasn't able to buy a real acoustic bass and I have no teacher. I do have a low brass background from many years ago, so the basic theory of music is not a problem. I also have a good ear. Any advice would be much appreciated and I hope the terminology I've used is okay to generate some feedback. Thanks all in advance.
 
#476
Hi Abbyx007,

don't use the arm to start the string with the bow, use your fingers (and a bit of wrist movement probably), that way you get the bow speed quicker. Of course the arm movement needs to get in too, but a little bit later. It is basically the same on german and french bow. It would be best to check that with a teacher.

Additionally you can put a small "pressure" impulse (out of the wrist, I think) on the string with the bow at the begin of the bow stroke (the string will stick to the bow for a short moment) if the string is not in motion.
It depends on the kind of music and the room you are playing in if you want to do this, but even professional classical players do that if the room acoustics are a bit muddy to get a clear start of the note. It might help in the beginning, later you can try to reduce the impulse as much as possible and still get the quick string response you want.
Also check your bowing angle constantly, it should be perpendicular to the string. Use a mirror to check yourself bowing.

I don't know what kind of strings you ue on your NXT, but for bowing you should at least use flatwound strings, not roundwound.
 
#477
DoubleMIDI, thanks for the suggestions. What you say makes sense as the hand and wrist are much more immediate to the string than just the arm. The strings I have are "NS Electric Strings by D'Addario Standard Fit Stranded Steel Core" which means nothing to me. Do you have any thoughts about bow tension and rosin? How can I easily check that bow tension is correct?

Thanks again!
 
#480
If you like to stick to NS strings better get the NS traditionals for bowing. I don't have a NS (only Clevinger and Stagg) and therefor never used their strings, but once got upright bass strings from a electric bass guitar string manufacturer that sounded like an electric bass on my EUB. So, I think, the NS electric might be similar and not the best for bowing.

Personally I like a bit more bow tension, but I'm far from being a professional bass player. But I need a bit more bow tension for my 5-string to avoid getting two strings at once (the bowing angle is smaller). Generally beginners tend to use a bit too much bow tension.
So it needs to be enough to avoid bowing the strings left and right of the string you want to get but not much more. It may also depend if you have a rather weak bow or a string bow. The best sounding bowing position is on a twelfth of the string length (which means you need to move your bow closer to the bridge for stopped notes).

For rosin I usually use what I got with my second bass: Nymans. This is rather popular, so a good point to start.
I recently got Kolstein All-Weather and this is nice too.
Other also use Pops, which is very soft, probably too soft in a hotter climate.
But which is the best rosin for you might heavyly depend on your climate. Here in mid-Europe my selection is good for me.
You might also like to use different rosin in winter (softer) and summer (a bit harder). And keep it away from direct sunlight or it might melt.

You best check you bow, rosin and bowing with a double bass player. It is nothing we can explain by writing.
If you have a new bow (without rosin) it might take some time to apply some amount of rosin until the bow grabs your string well. After that, usually two or three strokes of rosin on your bow is enough.
Don't use active pressure on the bow/string, only arm and bow weight (and probably release a bit of that weight).
 

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