Double Bass NS Design WAV4 megathread part I

[cairomike]

I've spent a good deal of time this weekend bedding in the new strings, is it my imagination or is it easier to play in tune with the 'real DB' strings? Maybe it's something to do with the heavier gauge and higher tension, but it just sounds more accurate.

 

[Murf]

Wow!!! I've been toying with the idea of dipping my toe into the world of EUB's for a few years now only here in Ireland its next to impossible to find a store which actually stocks them, so its a case of having to buy on-line and hope for the best... I initially had my eye on the Aria swb lite but there seems to be a pitiful lack of info about these (reviews or otherwise) so I'm a bit wary of parting with my cash for one.

Now, thanks to this thread and its contributers I've taken the plunge and ordered an amberburst wav and am eagerly counting down the days for its arrival..thanks to this thread I'm now aware of the issues I need to look out for (dodgy stands, the trials of trying to fit different types of strings, pre-amps..etc) all of which is a HUGE help to me as although I have 20 years experience on EB I am completely clueless when it comes to DB or EUB, so this thread has been most enlightening for me so thank you all for contributing the info here is invaluable

Anyway the actual point of my post is that I'm a little confused re: impedence matching with the piezo pickups. My main rig is an Ashdown Mag 600r which has both high and low inputs (for active & passive basses) with a range from High Instrument Input Impedance 3.9MOhms / Low Instrument Input Impedance 10KOhms...however from checking out Bob Gollihurs site I see that "Piezo transducers can be in the 1-2 million+ ohms range. ULTRA-High impedance." ...also I've seen some posters commenting that the WAV 4 runs "very hot" for a passive bass..so, which is the best input for me to run the wav 4 from?...also by the looks of things it seems I might need to purchase an external pre-amp like the K&K..(I have a sansamp programmable bass di will this do the job?).

Apologies if these are very simple questions..as I said I'm a complete newb in this area and I just want to get the best out of my new purchase.

Thanks in advance for any advice


cheers

Murf

 

[endorka]

The manual says that "amps with 1 meg ohm or greater input impedance are recommended". So if your amp is 3.9 meg ohms, it looks like you may not require a preamp.

Jennifer

 

[Murf]

The manual says that "amps with 1 meg ohm or greater input impedance are recommended". So if your amp is 3.9 meg ohms, it looks like you may not require a preamp.

Jennifer

Thanks for your reply Jennifer..I must confess the audio clips on your site were a HUGE deciding factor on me purchasing the WAV 4 ...great job.


cheers
Murf

 

[bluegrassboy]

As far as Obligatos are concerned, they DO stretch a lot at first. I think they take 24-48 hours at a minimum to settle down. I have them on both my WAV4 and my Englehardt URB. I just returned from a four day bluegrass festival where we played a lot, outdoors, in changing weather (with the Englehardt). The Obligatos stayed in tune, or very close to it the entire time.

 

[cairomike]

the WAV 4 runs "very hot" for a passive bass..so, which is the best input for me to run the wav 4 from?...also by the looks of things it seems I might need to purchase an external pre-amp like the K&K..(I have a sansamp programmable bass di will this do the job?).

Murf

The output level from the WAV4 is HUGE compared to every other bass I have, passive or active, so you need to be a little careful not to overload the front end of any amp or preamp. I don't use a preamp but do use a Korg PX3B effects box to do the EQ then into a G&K MB150E. For whatever reason the G&K just seems to suit the WVA4 perfectly, I tried it into my Peavey TNT150 but it sounded terrible no matter what I did to the EQ.

 

[mccartneyman]

I use the WAV most often in church, where we go direct to the board. I run the bass into the K&K Pure Preamp, then into Channel 2 of a Radial Bassbone (Channel 1, which has no tone controls, is reserved for my Lakland 5). I also use the K&K (but not the Bassbone) when I run my Mesa Walkabout for non-board gigs with the WAV Only. The passive input on the Mesa takes the bass with or without preamp, but it sounds better with the preamp. The active channel on the Mesa does not work well -- practically no sound. As Bob Gollihur has stated, the K&K is more of an impedance matching device. It does offer tone and gain, I think the WAV sounds fuller with the preamp, but I'm still struggling a bit to get a decent sound with the Mesa. I'm sure it will come. Through the Radial and in my in-ear monitors, the WAV sounds massive.

 

[spottorf]

Just curious to know what people paid for their NS Wav4? I was at a music store in Lansing Michigan and they were selling the NS Wav4 for $895, not including taxes ...

Musicians Fiend NS WAV4 for $899.99 USD, NO taxes, FREE shipping, and 12 months credit with NO interest. The price at MF was rather fixed, and one of the many local stores may consider NS Designs. Hey, we can order it for you ... what is it?

Sorry, world economy, I just couldn't pass this up. I sometimes shop at WalMart too -- They have Carbon Offsets on sale this coming weekend!

When the kids start clamoring for Levin Signature EUBs, like they do for Satriani, EVHalen, Dimebag, Vai, and SRV clone guitars, the world will be heading in the right direction. Of course ...

And always remember: Impedance is an electrical expression of capacitance, resistance and inductance in a circuit. An electrical force that opposes the flow of alternating current ... so, just plug it in and play already!

BTW Jennifer, I just listened to your audio clips, and like your playing very much.

 

[mccartneyman]

Just put a set of Obligatos (purchased from URB Bob) on my NS WAV and I like them better than the stock NS strings -- not nearly as bright, but still nice tone. I was NOT crazy about putting them in the tuners, however. I guess the synth core makes then rather, um, wimpy (at least at the top). The NS strings have a steel core and are much easier to bend to get into the hole in the small tuners. I did manage to get the Obligatos to hold although I never did get them to go into the hole. But it was trial and error for a while. I'm also wondering about the excess wrapping at the top -- I mean, there's a ton of it that has to be cut off. These were 3/4-4/4 Obligatos. Might a 1/2 size set fit better, or would there be tension issues? Bear in mind that this is my first venture into upright, so I'm not sure what to expect.

 

[Jeffn]

Anyway the actual point of my post is that I'm a little confused re: impedence matching with the piezo pickups. My main rig is an Ashdown Mag 600r which has both high and low inputs (for active & passive basses) with a range from High Instrument Input Impedance 3.9MOhms / Low Instrument Input Impedance 10KOhms...however from checking out Bob Gollihurs site I see that "Piezo transducers can be in the 1-2 million+ ohms range. ULTRA-High impedance." ...also I've seen some posters commenting that the WAV 4 runs "very hot" for a passive bass..so, which is the best input for me to run the wav 4 from?...also by the looks of things it seems I might need to purchase an external pre-amp like the K&K..(I have a sansamp programmable bass di will this do the job?).

Apologies if these are very simple questions..as I said I'm a complete newb in this area and I just want to get the best out of my new purchase.

Thanks in advance for any advice


cheers

Murf

I run my WAV through an Ashdown ABM 500 head which has similar active and passive impedance values. The impedance match on the passive setting is, in my experience, fine. I'd suggest trialling it first as-is - keep a close eye on the input meter while trying out different WAV volume/tone and amp input gain settings and playing force, as it's all too easy to get the needle swinging off full scale!

I'm still processing the final sound using my Korg PX3B in the FX loop that Cairomike very kindly worked out an excellent config. for to give the WAV some more AUB tone. I've yet to move on from the original strings, but catching up with all the valuable feedback in the thread makes me wonder whether the carefully selected string change might deliver much of that "modelled" improvement naturally.

Hope this helps a bit. Good luck.

 

[Bruce Lindfield]

Just put a set of Obligatos (purchased from URB Bob) on my NS WAV and I like them better than the stock NS strings -- not nearly as bright, but still nice tone. I was NOT crazy about putting them in the tuners, however. I guess the synth core makes then rather, um, wimpy (at least at the top). The NS strings have a steel core and are much easier to bend to get into the hole in the small tuners. I did manage to get the Obligatos to hold although I never did get them to go into the hole. But it was trial and error for a while. I'm also wondering about the excess wrapping at the top -- I mean, there's a ton of it that has to be cut off. These were 3/4-4/4 Obligatos. Might a 1/2 size set fit better, or would there be tension issues? Bear in mind that this is my first venture into upright, so I'm not sure what to expect.

I'm not sure that these basses are exactly the same as the CR - but anyway - on my NS CR5 I bought proper DB strings which are much longer than the installed NS strings.

But the idea with real DB strings is not to anchor them in the same holes as the NS strings - it is intended that you take the strings round the bottom of the bass and there are separate anchor points halfway up the back of the bass.

So you take up the whole length of the string that way.

 

[mccartneyman]

But the idea with real DB strings is not to anchor them in the same holes as the NS strings - it is intended that you take the strings round the bottom of the bass and there are separate anchor points halfway up the back of the bass.

So you take up the whole length of the string that way.

Yeah, I did that. The speaking length of the string is fine, but there's just such a lot more wrapping at the top. I cut off a substantial amount but still have a ton of winding around the post. What was more difficult was getting the very pliable Obligato wrapped end to poke into the hole in the middle of the tuners. I wouldn't call them easily accessible, although asteel core like on the stock strings certainly would help. It just did NOT want to go, I would up sticking the end through the slot and hoping that I had enough pressure from the windings to prevent it from slipping out -- which it did the first few times.

Like I said, this was my first venture changing strings. Next time I'll do better. I suppose that 1/2 scale would be too short to keep the warpping from extending over the nut.

 

[Bruce Lindfield]

Oh well - I had no problem like that with the pirastros I bought...?

 

[Murf]

Well my WAV 4 arrived today and I'm absolutely delighted with it, I got the Amberburst finish and it looks fantastic..to my eyes it does not look a bit like a "budget" instrument.

I'm completely paranoid about the stand after reading previous reports about its reliability but it seems pretty rigid to me although I'll see how it holds up after I do some serious gigging with it.

Upon first assembly I must admit I was a little intimidated by the sheer size of the neck and it took me a while to get used to it however with a bit of work I became quite comfortable playing it (I still aint straying further from 1st position till I put some serious hours woodshedding into it though ).

I was a bit concerned about the impedence issue running it through my Ashdown head but as a previous poster has said the "passive" input works a treat with no problems at all...although I think I'll introduce a preamp to the signal as the MAG heads are pretty sterile and I think I need a tad bit more warmth in the sound. I find I'm drawn more towards the Arco setting for pizz playing as well..the "pizz" setting just sounds like a fretless BG to me whereas the Arco setting has a wonderful "thud" to it.

This being my first upright I find the action fine for my needs however I will experiment with raising the bridge a bit. Overall for a "budget" instrument it feels pretty sturdy...as my flatmate said when she saw it "it looks like a piece of furniture"

I dont know if this is standard but mine came with a German bow as well and of course I had to muck around with the Jaws theme (dun..dun..dun..dundundundun)..thats the limit of my arco skills I'm afraid but I'm intrigued by the possibilities.

All in all I'm delighted with my purchase and I'd like to thank you all for steering me in the right direction, the WAV 4 seems like an absolutely ideal transition instrument from going from BG to upright, I feel like a kid learning bass for the first time all over again and am loving it.

cheers

Murf

 

[BenderR]

I always find that when I start using a new instrument, or amp, or even strings, no matter how much experience I acquire, there is always a non-negotiable adjustment time. I'm beginning to wonder if a large proportion of this is actually your ear adjusting to the new sound, rather than the other way round.

Jennifer

I've observed the same same thing except I have a different theory of why it happens. My idea is that we make minor adjustments in our technique that brings our sound back into line with our own established norm. In other word, I think we adjust to the changes to please our ears.

 

[lakesly]

I've taken the plunge and ordered an amberburst wav

Can I ask where you ordered it from & how much the shipping was? I've emailed Bob Gollihur for a shipping quote & I haven't heard back from him yet...

While I'm posting, can anyone point me to a comparison between the WAV4 and the Ergo? I'm torn between the two right now...

Thanks..

 

[Bob Gollihur]

Can I ask where you ordered it from & how much the shipping was? I've emailed Bob Gollihur for a shipping quote & I haven't heard back from him yet...

While I'm posting, can anyone point me to a comparison between the WAV4 and the Ergo? I'm torn between the two right now...

Thanks..

I don't have any open emails asking about WAV4 shipping, so perhaps your email did not reach me. I ship the WAV4 free to continental US addresses.

 

[lakesly]

I don't have any open emails asking about WAV4 shipping, so perhaps your email did not reach me. I ship the WAV4 free to continental US addresses.

Hi Bob, I guess my mail didn't make it then. Here's as good a place as any to ask, can you quote me shipping to Ireland? I think I'll be ordering an adjustable bridge for my upright soon, I might throw a WAV4 in the basket while I'm at it

Thanks..

 

[Bob Gollihur]

Hi Bob, I guess my mail didn't make it then. Here's as good a place as any to ask, can you quote me shipping to Ireland? I think I'll be ordering an adjustable bridge for my upright soon, I might throw a WAV4 in the basket while I'm at it

Thanks..

We should take the business conversation off-board, I've sent you a private message with a quote. My bobgollihur (at) yahoo.com email is available if I cannot be successfully reached at [email protected]

 

[cairomike]

Hi Bob, I guess my mail didn't make it then. Here's as good a place as any to ask, can you quote me shipping to Ireland? I think I'll be ordering an adjustable bridge for my upright soon, I might throw a WAV4 in the basket while I'm at it

Thanks..

Bob's a very helpful guy, but you might find the import taxes push the price up considerably. I got mine from Thomann ( http://www.thomann.de/gb/index.html ) in Germany they have it for around £670 with free shipping.

Mike