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Double Bass NS Design WAV4 megathread part I

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Check it out.
 

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Hey everyone. I'm really close to pulling the trigger on one of these but someone just told me about unwanted neck bend with the WAV4's. has anyone here experienced that? One reason I like the WAV is because of the adjustable truss rod for stability. I would have thought that the truss rod would take care of any neck bend issues that might arise.
 
i dunno about "unwanted". it seemed more like the natural bend in a neck with strings on it. I grabbed my trusty unwanted-neck-bend-remover and just tightened the truss. after letting sit for a while i just tuned back up and thenlooked again. it is a viscious cycle but it is just like adjusting a neck. Tighten, Tune, Try it. if you don't like the way it looks, then go through the three T's again. this is by no means a scientific way to do it, and i am sure some people would tell me that i am wrong. this is just how i did it. No unwanted neck bend here anymore.
 
Hey, I searched back through this thread...and I now see why it's a MEGA thread!

Does anybody know if the pickup switch could be modified to a blend knob instead?

Or, I suppose if there were two outputs from the pickup, one could hook up a stereo TRS cord to go to an external blender unit...

I guess the question is...are there actually two separate pickups on this bass (one for arco, one for pizz)?

Do they make a schematic for this instrument?
 
This is the description of the WAV from the NS Site:

"At the heart of every NS bowed electric instrument is the multifaceted Polar™ pickup system. Developed for the original EU bass, the Polar pickup is really two pickups in one, allowing the player to select percussive and sustained modes. If you were to take a high speed video of a string, when plucked and then bowed, you'd find that it moves in a different pattern. The essentially dual pickup lets you match the pickup pattern with the action of the string. Further, the WAV 4 Bass is equipped with unusually powerful piezo crystals that do not require on-board battery power. "

So it's two, two, two pickups in one? If it was originally developed for the EU series, I suppose it could be wired to enable a blend knob. But is the preamp the same as the EU? If not, might a massive rewiring/parts replacement be necessary?

However, since blend switch is used to blend the mags with the piezo, I have to think blending pizz/arco probably isn't possible or, at least in the opinion of NS, desirable.
 
Hey, I searched back through this thread...and I now see why it's a MEGA thread!

Does anybody know if the pickup switch could be modified to a blend knob instead?

Or, I suppose if there were two outputs from the pickup, one could hook up a stereo TRS cord to go to an external blender unit...

I guess the question is...are there actually two separate pickups on this bass (one for arco, one for pizz)?

Do they make a schematic for this instrument?

I've posted the schematic on my web site: http://www.eclecticbass.com/WAV4Schematic.pdf

I don't know of anyone has installed a blend pot.
 
Thanks Bob,

I forwarded the link to my tech geek bass buddy here in town.

I think a blend knob would be the best option.

Each setting (pizz/arco) seems to have its own strengths & weaknesses.

I like the punch of the arco setting (playing pizz) but the decay sounds very compressed. OTH, I like the growl of the pizz setting, but it's still very fretless-like.

I guess a second option would be (if possible) installing a stereo jack so the cord could split and go to a DTAR blender/preamp, or something like that.

Thanks...I'll look into this...
 
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