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Double Bass NS Design NXT Megathread
- Thread starter dbassnut
- Start date
I just bought the NXT from an on-line dealer (MF). So far, I'm glad to have made the choice. It is a well made instrument and the finger board is marked...a real help for a bass guitarist like myself. I have a small Peavy practice amp and have not yet tried the NXT through my WT 800 and 15XLT Eden cab rig. Even with an inexpensive practice amp, the sound is close to that of an acoustic upright.
I gigged with mine last Friday. Tiny room full of people talking. The instrument takes up no space and cuts really well despite the noise. Amazing deal and great instrument!
I have an NS Omni bass. I agree that the value is good. Sorry, I can't agree that the NTX sounds *close to an acoustic upright*. To my ear, it sounds someplace between a fretless bass guitar and an amplified upright. I think they're really their own instruments. If you really think that it sounds like an upright, then I have to recommend that you listen to more uprights because I think to an educated ear they're not very close. The casual listener wouldn't notice, nor care, about the difference. They all have their place, IMO.
Has anyone had a chance to play both the NXT and the CR (+/- /M) versions of the NS EUBs, or for that matter the NXT vs CR versions of the Omnibass?
Hoping to get one in a few months but won't be able to find a local (i.e. Aussie) store with both in stock in order to try them both out myself and compare, and curious to hear what people think of the differences between the two?
Hoping to get one in a few months but won't be able to find a local (i.e. Aussie) store with both in stock in order to try them both out myself and compare, and curious to hear what people think of the differences between the two?
- Jul 19, 2000
- 2,014
- 2,224
- Disclosures
- Owner/President, Gollihur Music LLC
I have an NXT5 EUB. I have been trying to use the bow with it but the difference in string height between the strings seems rather shallow compared to my double bass. It is tough to dig in very much with out hitting 2 or more strings. Does anyone have any tips on using a bow with an NXT5 or is it possible to modify the bridge to get more of an arch?
- Jul 19, 2000
- 2,014
- 2,224
- Disclosures
- Owner/President, Gollihur Music LLC
Is your double bass a 4 string or a 5? Adding the extra string is certainly going to make the angles between each string much shallower.
As for cutting the bridge, actually, it's pretty easy. If you take all four strings off the bridge, it pretty much just "falls out" of the front of the instrument. It has some stabilizing plastic threaded posts on it to keep it upright when put in place - but the pickups and threads for adjustment are not (at least, mine weren't the last time I had it apart) ON the bridge, but rather built into the adjustable bridge mount inside the instrument - so the bridge itself comes out with no drama. And removal would make removal and possible re-shaping possible.
Of course, you would likely want to make some changes on the neck profile, too... so that becomes a bigger job.
I love the instrument. Strung it with contemporary strings. Tried a set of classic strings and they just didn't fit the vibe of the instrument for me. I take it for what it is and don't try to make it sound like something else. Do a tune or two per set with it. Very expressive instrument. Very fast with the low strings. Not for every song out there, that's for sure, but it breaths a new life into a lot of tunes that are just blase without it. The thing is almost embarrassingly effortless to play. I do wish there was a lower stand for it. Maybe someday I'll buy a second and cut it down. I just love to noodle with it and sometimes I would like to just sit down.
Never played an EUB but I'm tempted by this deal for church... not a ton of loss if I dont like it
NXT 5 for 1100
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003EV6EH0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
NXT 5 for 1100
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003EV6EH0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
As an Amazon Associate, TalkBass may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via links on this site.
That is a really good price. That thing has got to be thunderous with that extra B String on the bottom. You'll have to be careful. You'll have the ladies passing out in the pews. Nail down the pulpit. Just got back from a rehearsal with mine. Not my main group. Played a bunch of their songs on it. I love this thing more every time I dig into it. This group does a lot of original ballads. What a treat for all. So full round an rich. With the sustain, it adds a whole new dimension to sliding. On one hand I'm temped to record a couple of songs, "Move Over" by Joplin comes to mind. On the other hand, I'm not sure I want to advertise my secret weapon. 
Jaywbee3, Yashkoo, I too like to sit with my NXT often. Usually in my pitiful "studio" and occasionally on a long gig I'll alternate standing and sitting. Here's my solution: A sitting stand I cobbled together out of a piece of 3/4" plywood (tried this in 1/2" thick, too flimsy) and some other common stuff. The pics are a bit grainy, taken with my 4th gen iTouch, so bear with me on this.
Overall view. I measured with a yardstick and figured out how high I wanted it from the floor to the mounting bolt hole on the back of the NXT for my chair. Then I cut the plywood in the shape you see.
On the sides of the stand that touch my leg, I cut a couple pieces of swimming noodle foam to hold my legs against, slit them to fit around the plywood on each side, and covered them with black drawer liner. My legs grip this real well. I used that thin sticky back foam sheet you can get in the states from Michaels and Joann's and covered the side that would touch the bass, after I painted the stand black of course!
The “Peg” at the bottom is a ¾ inch wood dowel, and I hand drilled a ¾ inch hole up from the bottom of the pointy end to slip it into. You might want to make this a bit long and then cut down for final sizing I capped it with one of those rubber thingies. I also thought of strapping on a monopole camera stand for adjustability, but I digress.
For the mounting screw, I used a knob with a 5/16-12 thread on it (I think, whatever matches the stock stand) and put a washer on the back side of the stand, and 4 washers on the other side to simulate the “chimney” they use on the stock stand. Then I put the bolt in my drill press ( a drill would work too) and filed a notch for the clip to hold it in place. You don't really need the washers and clip, just makes it nicer.
I also added a couple of short ½ inch dowels to hold the NXT from moving side to side, and covered them with sticky back loop velcro to protect the sides of the NXT... works a charm.
I crudely cut the hole for the jack on the back with a jigsaw. The hole is this big on mine for when I use a headphone amp, the kind that plugs into the instrument (like Vox, etc.). Obviously, you wouldn't need such a large one if you're not going to do that. You could probably get away with ½ or 5/8 inch plywood too.
Here it is on leaning against the stand, and a couple closeups. The stand is the one I made and discussed in a previous post( #428) in this thread.
Couple things I'd like to note. The green thing on the fngerboard is a 1/8 inch thick piece of packing foam I put under the strings to prevent string impressions on the fingerboard if it ever got dropped. Just an ounce of prevention, you know? Also, as I needed a stand for it when using the sitting adapter, I cut a piece of 4 inch PVC pipe, and mounted a piece of wood to the back of the PVC, and used a 5/16-12 T nut in there to attach the PVC pipe to the stand. I covered the inside of the PVC with cork, so as not to scratch the neck. Works real nice. And finally a pic of me sitting with it. In the photo it looks like the bass is a bit too high, but I lean it a bit more when playing so the nut is about eyebrow height.
Overall view. I measured with a yardstick and figured out how high I wanted it from the floor to the mounting bolt hole on the back of the NXT for my chair. Then I cut the plywood in the shape you see.
On the sides of the stand that touch my leg, I cut a couple pieces of swimming noodle foam to hold my legs against, slit them to fit around the plywood on each side, and covered them with black drawer liner. My legs grip this real well. I used that thin sticky back foam sheet you can get in the states from Michaels and Joann's and covered the side that would touch the bass, after I painted the stand black of course!
The “Peg” at the bottom is a ¾ inch wood dowel, and I hand drilled a ¾ inch hole up from the bottom of the pointy end to slip it into. You might want to make this a bit long and then cut down for final sizing I capped it with one of those rubber thingies. I also thought of strapping on a monopole camera stand for adjustability, but I digress.
For the mounting screw, I used a knob with a 5/16-12 thread on it (I think, whatever matches the stock stand) and put a washer on the back side of the stand, and 4 washers on the other side to simulate the “chimney” they use on the stock stand. Then I put the bolt in my drill press ( a drill would work too) and filed a notch for the clip to hold it in place. You don't really need the washers and clip, just makes it nicer.
I also added a couple of short ½ inch dowels to hold the NXT from moving side to side, and covered them with sticky back loop velcro to protect the sides of the NXT... works a charm.
I crudely cut the hole for the jack on the back with a jigsaw. The hole is this big on mine for when I use a headphone amp, the kind that plugs into the instrument (like Vox, etc.). Obviously, you wouldn't need such a large one if you're not going to do that. You could probably get away with ½ or 5/8 inch plywood too.
Here it is on leaning against the stand, and a couple closeups. The stand is the one I made and discussed in a previous post( #428) in this thread.
Couple things I'd like to note. The green thing on the fngerboard is a 1/8 inch thick piece of packing foam I put under the strings to prevent string impressions on the fingerboard if it ever got dropped. Just an ounce of prevention, you know? Also, as I needed a stand for it when using the sitting adapter, I cut a piece of 4 inch PVC pipe, and mounted a piece of wood to the back of the PVC, and used a 5/16-12 T nut in there to attach the PVC pipe to the stand. I covered the inside of the PVC with cork, so as not to scratch the neck. Works real nice. And finally a pic of me sitting with it. In the photo it looks like the bass is a bit too high, but I lean it a bit more when playing so the nut is about eyebrow height.
- May 4, 2003
- 148
- 15
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Kiesel/Carvin Basses. Trickfish Amplification.
I recently purchased an NXT-4. I was unsatisfied with the arco quality, so I thought maybe replacing the strings would help. I had read that the NXT would accept Pirastro Obligatos, using the key slots in the back, so I purchased a used set to try. The G and D string fit OK, but the A and E are too thick to fit in the slot of the tuning peg (also the string reaches the peg well beyond the silk end wrappings, which means the string is still too long for this instrument). Has anyone successfully strung an NXT with Obilgatos, and if so, how did you do it?
- Jul 19, 2000
- 2,014
- 2,224
- Disclosures
- Owner/President, Gollihur Music LLC
Yes; for the A, I used a pair of needlenose pliers to jam the string end (after shortening) into the center hole. It's a trick, but it can be done. The E string, you may have to use an alternate method (crossover winding, just through the slot but not into the hole, etc.)
Some other tips:
The strings should be trimmed shorter in the pegbox to limit the number of string winds on each tuning peg. 3-4 winds is optimal but only cut (use sharp metal clippers!) in the area of the string that is wound in silk; cutting a string on its windings (playing surface) will damage and likely destroy the entire string.
VERY IMPORTANT: The windings on each string post SHOULD NOT CONTACT the walls of the pegbox (headstock.) The strings rubbing against the wall will add a lot of friction to the turning of the tuners, and almost definitely cause the tuning machines to fail.
Never twist strings, when installing or re-installing them, and dont remove and reinstall strings if you can help it! Many double bass strings are made of a variety of materials, and almost all do not take kindly to being twisted, which can result in breakage, or irregular vibrations that will shorten sustain and possibly completely ruin the strings fundamental note.
The tuning machines on the NXT are relatively inexpensive electric bass tuners, and you may want to consider upgrading them to improve tuning stability and overall reliability if you find the originals lacking. The best tuners we've found for replacement are the 3/8 "UltraLite" series from Hipshot. They can be easily modified for left- or right-hand mounting, so you don't need to specify left or right when you order them from us (or anyone else). You'll probably have to slightly widen the holes to mount them (I had to on my WAV4) but they can be a worthwhile upgrade. They also have a larger center hole, making string changes easier. ;-)
Some other tips:
The strings should be trimmed shorter in the pegbox to limit the number of string winds on each tuning peg. 3-4 winds is optimal but only cut (use sharp metal clippers!) in the area of the string that is wound in silk; cutting a string on its windings (playing surface) will damage and likely destroy the entire string.
VERY IMPORTANT: The windings on each string post SHOULD NOT CONTACT the walls of the pegbox (headstock.) The strings rubbing against the wall will add a lot of friction to the turning of the tuners, and almost definitely cause the tuning machines to fail.
Never twist strings, when installing or re-installing them, and dont remove and reinstall strings if you can help it! Many double bass strings are made of a variety of materials, and almost all do not take kindly to being twisted, which can result in breakage, or irregular vibrations that will shorten sustain and possibly completely ruin the strings fundamental note.
The tuning machines on the NXT are relatively inexpensive electric bass tuners, and you may want to consider upgrading them to improve tuning stability and overall reliability if you find the originals lacking. The best tuners we've found for replacement are the 3/8 "UltraLite" series from Hipshot. They can be easily modified for left- or right-hand mounting, so you don't need to specify left or right when you order them from us (or anyone else). You'll probably have to slightly widen the holes to mount them (I had to on my WAV4) but they can be a worthwhile upgrade. They also have a larger center hole, making string changes easier. ;-)
Mark,
Thank you for your reply. It seems you are the resident expert on the NXT basses. My problem with stringing the Obligatos is that the slot on the factory tuners is just not wide enough to accommodate the A and E strings. I used a micrometer, and as you can see from my crude sketch below, the slot is only .086" wide. The Obligato A string is .098" thick at the base of the silk windings, and the E string is a whopping .119" It's like trying to push a 1/2" cable into a 3/8" hole. It just doesn't fit.
Question: Does the Hipshot tuner you recommend have a larger slot opening in addition to the larger center hole? I'd hate to go to the trouble of modifying my bass if it won't gain me anything.
Thank you for your reply. It seems you are the resident expert on the NXT basses. My problem with stringing the Obligatos is that the slot on the factory tuners is just not wide enough to accommodate the A and E strings. I used a micrometer, and as you can see from my crude sketch below, the slot is only .086" wide. The Obligato A string is .098" thick at the base of the silk windings, and the E string is a whopping .119" It's like trying to push a 1/2" cable into a 3/8" hole. It just doesn't fit.
Question: Does the Hipshot tuner you recommend have a larger slot opening in addition to the larger center hole? I'd hate to go to the trouble of modifying my bass if it won't gain me anything.
- Jul 19, 2000
- 2,014
- 2,224
- Disclosures
- Owner/President, Gollihur Music LLC
Yes, I'm almost certain it does. I don't have a caliper here at home, but if you email me on Monday at work (mark@ our store name .com) I'll get back to you with how thick it is.
Keep in mind it's not the playable part of the string that should jam in there, but the threaded end. I assume that you are winding the strings THROUGH the holes on the bottom, then bringing the ball ends up and inserting them into the keyhole slots on the metal back plate halfway up the back of the instrument (?)
Keep in mind it's not the playable part of the string that should jam in there, but the threaded end. I assume that you are winding the strings THROUGH the holes on the bottom, then bringing the ball ends up and inserting them into the keyhole slots on the metal back plate halfway up the back of the instrument (?)
Situated a few things with my NXT5 - tightened up the nut for the "bout" on the endpin stand so it won't flop downwards on me during performances, spent some time getting all the heights and positioning perfect & marked them with a paint pen, and added some cable ties to clean up the instrument cable.
Between the endpin stand, the Undercover case, and the D'Addario traditionals I feel like it's pretty close to being perfect. I need the K&M stand and plan on ordering that tomorrow. I know the Hipshot Ultralights are a must-do upgrade and the tuning precision definitely isn't that great on the stock tuners, but I'll push that down the road a bit.
The big thing I think I need is a built-in preamp of some sort. The passive piezo situation is too picky on what you plug it into and the couple of times I've had to plug into something other than my Peavey I use exclusively with this setup it's sounded clacky and bad. Has anyone put a preamp of some sort into a WAV or NXT?
Between the endpin stand, the Undercover case, and the D'Addario traditionals I feel like it's pretty close to being perfect. I need the K&M stand and plan on ordering that tomorrow. I know the Hipshot Ultralights are a must-do upgrade and the tuning precision definitely isn't that great on the stock tuners, but I'll push that down the road a bit.
The big thing I think I need is a built-in preamp of some sort. The passive piezo situation is too picky on what you plug it into and the couple of times I've had to plug into something other than my Peavey I use exclusively with this setup it's sounded clacky and bad. Has anyone put a preamp of some sort into a WAV or NXT?
