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Double Bass NS Design WAV4 megathread part I

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#761
Bard2dbone said:
So for the surprisingly low price of the WAV you can have a nice playing, and somewhat useful sounding EUB. But why not mod it to be more like the CRM? Those things have amazing preamps built in. And not only on the model with the magnetic p'ups, either. So why not mod it by dropping in a pre like the CRM has?
Stands back to watch the excitement. :hiding:
Click to expand...

I bought a K&K Pure Preamp so the piezo impedance would match up to my amps better. The difference in tone and response to finger inputs is really quite noticeable. Nice little preamp - 3 band EQ, gain control and hlf the size of a pack of smokes. It hangs off the backplate on a strip of velcro. Total investment: $85.00

But it gets into that fuzzy area where after a set of decent tuners ($90.00), a piezo preamp ($85.00) and a good setup ($150.00) it starts getting into used CR4M territory. A TB'er just sold one over on eBay for $1600.00.

So for what it is, it's still a good deal, but IMHO there's a point of no return as far as modding it out. BTW - any idea what an NS CRM preamp sells for? Just curious. :confused:
 
#762
I wasn't even necessarily thinking of the exact same preamp as the CRM.

There are a lot of onboard preamp circuits out there. The only absolute need is a high input impedence. That and being small enough to fit in the cavity provided, but this thread has left me with the impression that the cavity size is pretty ample.

Maybe an OBP-1? How's their input impedence? Bartolini TMBT circuit? The possibilities aren't necessarily endless, but they're extensive.
 
#763
Yeah, the cavity is quite spacious - there isn't a lot going on in there.

OBP's would work well, they rate at 1 megohm input, so I don't see why not. An OBP-1 or 2 with a battery door installed on the back-plate would be kinda trick. The only thing that might be at issue is the brightness of those pre's. The Aggie stuff (in my experience w/OBPs) makes me think it might be a bit brittle with a piezo. Just my opinion.

There's a neat thread around somewhere on this board about someone doing 2 discreet pre's and a blended output. They effectively split the output on the piezo between arco and pizz and ported through two pre's into a blend circuit. Neat concept, but an expensive proposition. Makes me go back to the "diminishing returns" argument.

It's definitely a good platform for experimenting as shown by a lot of owners on this forum doing different stuff. It's fascinating reading.

Cheers!
 
#767
OK... to say I'm overjoyed would be an understatement. This bass sounds awesome, is easy to play and even arrived almost in tune. My only decision now is whether I want to keep the red one or go with the sunburst brown! :cool:

To anyone still on the waiting list... hang in there. You'll be glad you did. I'll write more later. I'm kind of busy right now!
 
#768
Decided to stick with the red one. I really liked the looks of the sunburst brown, but the fingerboard on the red one had a deeper/more uniform look and feel.

The sound through my WalkAbout/Aguilar GS112 setup is killer... and when bowed it is simply the Voice of God. I tried playing through an Ampeg tube combo and it sounded weak and anemic. I can see where certain amps will require an impedance matching pre.

So I'm back to a question I asked some time ago... what would be the best pre that I could mount internally? Would the Bartolini MPB2-918 Piezo-Magnetic Pickup Buffer be suitable? How about the Aguilar OBP-1? What model Fishman would work?

This is a very nice sounding/playing bass. I can see why so many people are going this route.
 
#770
My bow is German. It's a Domenico from Ken Smith, I think it was about $200. I've never used a graphite bow, but it's part of the overall package that creates tone... I don't know, call me a traditionalist, but I don't think I'm ready to make the jump to graphite or carbon fiber. My two cents... stick with wood.
 
#776
Krispy said:
Yummy, I've never seen a CRM in quilt. Please post pics when you open it, I'd love to see it.
Click to expand...

How's this for some NSD CRM porn: Slate Gray, Zebra, and Poplar Burl.
 

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#779
I've had a bit of a revelation with the sound of my Wav during the last week ( some of which may seem obvious to more experienced uprighters so apologies if I'm preaching to the converted :hiding:)

I've still got the original strings on it but got an almost perfect double bass sound for pizz and arco by keeping it on Arco at all times and the tone control on zero, and then putting the Vintage Loudspeaker control on my Little Mark II at 12 o'clock which took out the slight harshness I sometimes get from the piezo.

The gigs were with a New York vocalist, Marlene Verplanck, whose been doing gigs with "real" bass for years and she was happy so I guess it must have been OK :hyper:

Cheers
Alun

PS Has anyone else found the strings getting quite dry and sticky during gigs? Might just be me being used to coated Elixirs on my bass guitars, but they felt a bit weird!
 
#780
Glad to hear that your LMII works nicely with the Wav4. I also have a LMII head, and I should get my Wavin a couple weeks (I've been waiting for 6 months since I ordered it from my local music shop).

I have a question: do you plug the Wav directly into the LMII, or do have another preamp for impedance matching?

Oh and I have another question for everybody: has anyone of you tried using the Sadowsky outboard preamp with the Wav4?
 
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