It may be your setup. I recently recorded with the NXT and felt like it sounded fine by myself, but in the studio it sounded choked and thin. Raising the action totally fixed it.
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Double Bass NS Design NXT Megathread
- Thread starter dbassnut
- Start date
- Sep 9, 2007
- 5,309
- 4,977
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Eventide, GHS Strings, G&L Guitars, NS Design, Tsunami Cables
For those that are interested, I am doing a live streaming presentation today at 3pm EST, unveiling a new set of strings for the NXT upright bass. I'm pretty excited about them (having prototyped them for months on my CR series), and hope you will be too.
Link Removed
Link Removed
- Jul 19, 2000
- 2,014
- 2,224
- Disclosures
- Owner/President, Gollihur Music LLC
This was cool, and thanks for all the name-checks! ;-)
Any chance that this will be archived for viewing for those who missed it?
- Sep 9, 2007
- 5,309
- 4,977
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Eventide, GHS Strings, G&L Guitars, NS Design, Tsunami Cables
You deserve it, sir! We owe a lot of thanks to you for all your guidance and assistance in helping us bring them to market.
At this point, no. I'm in talks with a software company that deals in screen capturing software to allow me to archive these videos as we do them.
Can anyone tell me what the string gauges are for the NS Design Contemporary and Traditional EUB strings supplied by D'Addario?
TIA
TIA
- Jul 19, 2000
- 2,014
- 2,224
- Disclosures
- Owner/President, Gollihur Music LLC
I generally find that string gauges tell you a lot less useful information about strings for uprights and EUBs (than they do for electric basses), due to the varying methods of construction, materials, winding types, etc...
But here are the gauges, measured on my trusty electronic caliper:
"Traditional" Set String Gauges:
- E: 0.111
- A: 0.080
- D: 0.057
- G: 0.050
- High C: 0.033
- Low B: 0.140
- E: 0.092
- A: 0.068
- D: 0.052
- G: 0.048
- High C: 0.034
- Low B: 0.125
Standard 4ths Tuning Strings
Low B:2.40 mm.095 inches
E:1.85 mm.070 inches
A:1.40 mm.055 inches
D:1.20 mm.050 inches
G:.95 mm.040 inches
C:.75 mm.030 inches
5ths Tuning Strings
C:2.40 mm.095 inches
G:1.60 mm.60 inches
D:1.20 mm.050 inches
A:.85 mm.030 inches
E:.60 mm.025 inches
Hello, New topic...has anyone noted the recent (within days) street price increase of $100 from 1399 to 1499?
That's a good point Mark, however if I'm comparing different steel or steel rope core strings I like to evaluate gauge so I have a good idea if the strings will work okay with existing grooves in my bridge/nut setup so I don't have to do too much adjustment.
Thanks for the info on the gauges
So far so good with the Cafe Walter piezo preamp. I need to figure out why my tone knob doesn't work anymore but that was an installer error. Also has a drastic change in output now arco vs. pizz, but manageable and I tend not to switch modes anyways.
- Jul 19, 2000
- 2,014
- 2,224
- Disclosures
- Owner/President, Gollihur Music LLC
There was a manufacturer price change effective March 1, 2014 - some dealers may have been "lazy" and not updated their websites until recently.
Yeah, I was planning on buying one and when I finally did towards the end of April it was $100 more. Happy with it though...
I just bought a used NXT and it came with strings that look to be made for the NS basses. The strings appear to have black windings on both ends. They are very growly and bow really well. Anyone know what they are? I will probably order another set.
- Jul 19, 2000
- 2,014
- 2,224
- Disclosures
- Owner/President, Gollihur Music LLC
Those are the strings that were originally manufactured specifically for the WAV4 basses, and they used them as the OEM strings on the first couple runs of the NXT (before they moved to the D'Addario NS Electric Contemporary strings, which have been the stock supplied strings ever since).
I just checked, and I have two brand new sets in stock, which I only mention because our store is likely to be the only place you can get them.
Really? So many people have complained about these strings (or maybe the new contemporary strings). I put on my trusted Spirocore solo G string and it did not sound as good. Weird. I do have a set of Obligatos, however. How do they sound on the NXT? Also, if these strings were on the bass, that would tell me bass is one of the first NXTs. It is in dead mint condition.
Anyway, I do not want an old school thumpy sound out of this bass. I want a singing sound with lots of sustain. Do you think these WAV strings are the best bet for that?
One more question, if you don't mind? There is a large volume boost when going into arco mode. It would be great if there were a 2 channel preamp or something that I could hit a foot switch and flip the arco switch on the fly. I do have an EA Doubler. Could this be achieved with the Doubler? Or, perhaps find a way to put an attenuator on the arco circuit somehow.
Thanks for the help Mark.
Anyway, I do not want an old school thumpy sound out of this bass. I want a singing sound with lots of sustain. Do you think these WAV strings are the best bet for that?
One more question, if you don't mind? There is a large volume boost when going into arco mode. It would be great if there were a 2 channel preamp or something that I could hit a foot switch and flip the arco switch on the fly. I do have an EA Doubler. Could this be achieved with the Doubler? Or, perhaps find a way to put an attenuator on the arco circuit somehow.
Thanks for the help Mark.
- Jul 19, 2000
- 2,014
- 2,224
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- Owner/President, Gollihur Music LLC
Different strokes for different folks. The Obligatos do work well on the instrument, but they (pursuant to your comments about old school thump below) probably won't be your cup of tea.
I'd take that bet. Since the WAV strings are not widely available, the most likely explanation is that they came on the bass, and that would make your bass one of the earlier models. Not that it would matter, the only thing that's changed is the addition of the Jackpot, which I don't really find to be a very big deal.
You seem to like them, so yeah... you'd probably also like the newer NS Electric Contemporary Strings, which are kind of a better-made version of those strings, and possibly even the new Crossover strings from GHS, which I helped those folks conceive of, as well as tested prototypes of. They have a big sound, with a brighter attack than the NS Electric Traditionals.
You can do it with the Doubler; you just need a Invalid Link Removed; plug the bass into one of the channels (leaving the other channel "empty") and you can switch back and forth between the two channel settings (set one for arco, one for pizz) with a press of the footswitch.
Intelligent Input Switching (IIS): The Intelligent Input Switching feature of the Micro and Doubler is a microprocessor controlled input section that automatically senses how many instruments are plugged in and changes the way the amp functions. If you have one instrument and want a “normal” and “solo” option, the IIS will switch between the EQ on Channels 1 and 2.
Hope that helps!
Thank you Mark. How do the new GHS strings sound compared with the WAV4 strings? Same amount of sustain? Arco? I was just surprised at how these OEM strings sounded after hearing all of the complaints about them. I don't dislike old school thump, I have a URB for that. 
- Jul 19, 2000
- 2,014
- 2,224
- Disclosures
- Owner/President, Gollihur Music LLC
It's been a while since I played the Wav4 strings; I think that the Crossovers have a "fuller" bottom end, but they have a fair bit of sustain and "zing" as well. Arco is a little scratchy for my taste, probably similar to bowing Spirocores.
OK, Thanks. I actually have Spirocore Med. on my URB and have gotten used to bowing them. I will make an order soon!
- Sep 9, 2007
- 5,309
- 4,977
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Eventide, GHS Strings, G&L Guitars, NS Design, Tsunami Cables
I had Spirocore meds on my CR5-M bass prior to working with Mark on the Crossovers, so I had a pretty decent idea of what I wanted after our initial talk. For me, I've found using a lighter, less grabby rosin (I'm using Petz right now) on the Crossovers strings helps to get them to speak better than something more sticky like Pops or Nymans.
But Mark is pretty dead-on in terms of where the tone and playability lie, but that's no surprise.
