Double Bass NS Design WAV4 megathread part I

[Bob Gollihur]

Damn, I have a WAVE 4 II ordered from Bob and getting too excited about receiving it. I dreamed I was playing it last night.

Think of it more as a premonition.

NS Design called me today to confirm my substantial order of WAV4 basses as their large shipment arrived. Each bass is being examined and they'll be starting to ship them to dealers very soon.

 

[Gary Lynch]

GREAT NEWS !

 

[Kwaito]

For those of you interested in the sound of the WAV4 with stock strings, here's a track on youtube from a gig last year

 

[PeteE]

Whew, I just read a lot of this thread. There's great info here.

I'm a piano player, and I've never played guitar, EB, EUB, or any stringed instrument. My wife is learning guitar. I've been accompanying her on the Cajone (percussion), but what I'd really like to do is accompany her on bass. An EUB is much more my style than EB. I played my wife's aunt's EUB (Messenger), she quickly taught me how I could do 1-4-5, and I think I got hooked.

The NS WAV4 appeals to me because of price, of course, but also because of its portability.

My questions:

1) Is the NS WAV4 a good place for a beginner to start?
2) Is the upgraded stand still recommended with this newer model? I may want the end pin with conversion kit anyway, which I think requires the upgraded stand, so this point may be moot.
3) Where should I start looking for recommendations for a small amp? Do you have a recommendation for a particular model? The dream being potentially flying across the country with it to play with people there. Is it realistic to be able to find one solution without sacrificing sound quality, or should I consider two amps, one for home quality and one for travel once I'm good enough?
4) Are most people tossing a pre-amp in before their amp to enrich the sound, or is that totally dependent on the quality of the amp?

Thanks for any advice you can give this noob. I can totally see my love for improv on the piano transferring over to EUB, and making music with my wife while doing so would be fantastic.

Pete

 

[bluegrassboy]

Welcome, Pete! There are a lot of great folks here who will give you plenty of advice.

I think the WAV is ideal for a beginner. There are dots on the fingerboard to assist you in finding certain positions. (However, you should try to stop using the dots as soon as you can.)

Amps come in just about every size, shape and price range you can imagine. However, don't try to go cheap on your amp.

If you want something portable, check out the GK MB 150S. A lot of pros carry this amp. It's small and not very heavy, but it has tremendous sound. I don't own one (yet!) but I've played through one and consider it the best amp I've ever used.

You may also want to look at the Phil Jones Briefcase amp. I tried one of these with a BG in a store. I was impressed but, IMO, the GK still wins out. You might feel differently. The Briefcase is very portable.

I don't think you need two amps. One should suffice.

The question of a pre-amp is somewhat dependent on your amp. I use a pre-amp. I think the signal coming out of the WAV needs that boost, and it provides more control over tone.

I haven't seen the new, revised stand that comes with the WAV. I had the old one. It did fine, but I was constantly having to tighten the screws on it. I wanted the endpin conversion, so I bit the bullet and bought the endpin and the higher grade stand with the conversion kit to hold it. Well worth it if you play out a lot!

Good luck!

Alan

 

[PeteE]

The question of a pre-amp is somewhat dependent on your amp. I use a pre-amp. I think the signal coming out of the WAV needs that boost, and it provides more control over tone.

Are most pre-amps created equal, or are people as devoted and passionate and opinionated about their pre-amps as they are their EUBs and amps? Do you have some suggestions as far as where to start given the NS WAV4 as the input? Do these come in small packages for easy travel as well?

I suppose the pre-amp is an easy component to start without and then add later on, which is nice.

Ah, the MK MB150S has all sorts of control goodies on it (active 4-band EQ, Adjustable Contour, high boost and low cut, not that I fully grasp what those are), why do you then suggest a pre-amp in addition?

Looks like the MK MB150S-112 runs for @$700, is there a non-112 version, or have I found the right one?

Thanks for your suggestions and opinions, I appreciate it!

 

[Bard2dbone]

That 112 version is the one everyone knows and loves. If you get it and design you want more power later, they have a 112 extension cab that makes a big difference. But it's pretty awesome flavored even without one.

 

[PeteE]

That 112 version is the one everyone knows and loves. If you get it and design you want more power later, they have a 112 extension cab that makes a big difference. But it's pretty awesome flavored even without one.

How about that one compared to the Acoustic Image Contra with the NS WAV4, anyone used it? (I can re-ask in a different thread if that's more appropriate).

 

[Gary Lynch]

Welcome, Pete! There are a lot of great folks here who will give you plenty of advice.

I think the WAV is ideal for a beginner. There are dots on the fingerboard to assist you in finding certain positions. (However, you should try to stop using the dots as soon as you can.)

Amps come in just about every size, shape and price range you can imagine. However, don't try to go cheap on your amp.

If you want something portable, check out the GK MB 150S. A lot of pros carry this amp. It's small and not very heavy, but it has tremendous sound. I don't own one (yet!) but I've played through one and consider it the best amp I've ever used.

You may also want to look at the Phil Jones Briefcase amp. I tried one of these with a BG in a store. I was impressed but, IMO, the GK still wins out. You might feel differently. The Briefcase is very portable.

I don't think you need two amps. One should suffice.

The question of a pre-amp is somewhat dependent on your amp. I use a pre-amp. I think the signal coming out of the WAV needs that boost, and it provides more control over tone.

I haven't seen the new, revised stand that comes with the WAV. I had the old one. It did fine, but I was constantly having to tighten the screws on it. I wanted the endpin conversion, so I bit the bullet and bought the endpin and the higher grade stand with the conversion kit to hold it. Well worth it if you play out a lot!

Good luck!

Alan

I agree. I would have bought a WAV 4 without the dot position markers but that is not offered. What the heck, the price was great and it's a super instrument for the money.

I also have a GK MBS-III and the extension cab for when you want to move more air. I like the sound of that amp plus the bonus of it's easy to transport. I had a thick padded case made for it. It sounds good enough for the girls I go with and even works out fine at low volume with my Fender fretless electric bass.

There are many preamps and there are many options on them. Myself, since I play a fretless acoustic bass guitar, a acoustic guitar, and a Weissenborn, and recently purchased a DB and a WAV 4, I wanted to buy one that had all the options for those instruments. I also wanted one made of metal that could stand up to travel. Mine was around $160 if I remember correctly.

There are many options and many opinions. I appreciate all the kind advise Bob Gollihur has given me. He has to stand behind the products he sells and knows his stuff.

 

[bluegrassboy]

As far as pre-amps are concerned, I use a SansAmp Bass DI. I already owned it before I got my WAV, and it gets the job done. If I want to go direct to a mixer or a PA system, I can do it, but I can also just use it as a pre-amp into my amp. Works fine, but there are many other, newer pre-amps on the market.

I second the idea of dealing with Bob Gollihur. He gives expert advice, is an honest and reputable businessman, and a nice guy! He won't steer you wrong.

 

[Bob Gollihur]

Whew, I just read a lot of this thread. There's great info here.

I'm a piano player, and I've never played guitar, EB, EUB, or any stringed instrument. My wife is learning guitar. I've been accompanying her on the Cajone (percussion), but what I'd really like to do is accompany her on bass. An EUB is much more my style than EB. I played my wife's aunt's EUB (Messenger), she quickly taught me how I could do 1-4-5, and I think I got hooked.

The NS WAV4 appeals to me because of price, of course, but also because of its portability.

My questions:

1) Is the NS WAV4 a good place for a beginner to start?

..snip..

Pete

I just wanted to chime in with one suggestion. The length of the fingerboard can be intimidating, but using standard upright bass fingering techniques can help you conquer it. It does this by segmenting the board into positions like "invisible frets" and enforces certain habits that can help your intonation. You'll probably find that most players use the Simandl method, but I wouldn't go out and buy that book unless you have a teacher working with you. There are some good books and visual teaching aids out there worth considering if you don't have a teacher.

I make this suggestion not just for the WAV4 but for any EUB, especially those with standard 3/4 size scale lengths, as it will help you learn the habits that will enable you to transfer your knowledge to the real deal in the future if you want.

 

[Gary Lynch]

The new WAV 4 is here! I see Bob has them ready to go..........

check this man getting some out of the box style and notes on his WAV 4

 

[sapo2]

Hi everybody . May anyone tell me about the colours of the ns wav ? I`m confused about the amberburst . Look at the pictures , both suppose to be amberburst , but there is a big difference in the colour sheme . Look at the back , one is dark red and the other completely black . Mine is an amberburst like photo 2 , darker than photo 1 , with black color on the back side , not dark red . Other thing is about the logo on the back of the bass , photo 3 , ns with and without logo. why ? Thanks in advance and sorry my english.

 

[Gary Lynch]

Mine is the color of photo #2 also. I think the first photo is not the real color but poor color photography. Mine has the WAV logo like #3.

 

[Gary Lynch]

I just received my Obligato strings to put on my WAV 4. I see how the instructions tell you to do it but before I do, I wanted to ask any of you folks who also used regular length bass strings if there were any issues.

What it looks like to me is that if I wrap the strings around that backside area like the instructions tell me to do, it would bung up the finish of the instrument. There is no protection there. It looks like the lacquer finish as far as I cal tell?

All advise appreciated.

 

[Gary Lynch]

The WAV 4 sounds great with the amp and preamp. I have been playing it for a few days now. The WAV sounds a bit too synthetic for me so I ordered Obligato strings to get more earth out of the tone. The strings have arrived and I am ready to put those on soon.

The thing is, the WAV allows you to really work the high notesd like I could never hope to accompish on my DB. It's a whole new way of considering what notes to play.

 

[Gary Lynch]

I installed standard Pirastro Obligatos on my WAV 4. Here is what I found out.

The standard size Obligatos are much larger than the strings that are sent with the WAV 4. The tension between the stock strings and the Obligatos is huge. After I did get them on, getting the E to pitch is about all the tuner can take. It is way undersized for the standard DB stings. The A tuner is as well but not as bad. If NS Design is going to state that the WAV 4 can take standard DB strings, they really need to install larger tuners. As I brought all the strings to pitch I could hear some 'creaking' going on. I was hoping nothing would fail. I am serious about the tension difference. If NS Design designed this instrument for their stock strings and did not take into account a standard DB string size and tension difference, I bet we see some bridge failures or possibly even the head where the tuners are mounted could crack. I only say this because I really had to torque that E string to pitch on that tiny tuner.

I also had to enlarge the hole the E string goes thru the body. No way was the wrapping material on the end of the E string going to get thru the stock hole. A simple drill out worked fine but that is what it took.

One more note; because the tuners are so tiny, it is very easy to cut the string too long, or too short. There is very little lead way each direction. Too long and there is too much to wind on the tuner shaft, to short and you are screwed and will need to buy another string.

After all this, I washed my hands, retuned the strings because the are really stretching out, and started playing. The feel and tonal difference was very noticeable right off. The Obligatos are like a REAL bass string and cause the WAV 4 to lose a lot of the synthetic tone it has with the stock hybrid strings. I like it 100% better now. If the instrument holds up under the tension of the standard DB strings I will be very happy with it. I did not have to adjust the neck from the stock setting. I like my action low on this and it works well.

The idea for me is to play this stress free with low action. If I want to grunt a bit I'll play my DB.

Conclusion, the string change was worth it but I held my breath the whole time!

 

[Matthijs]

I had a WAV 4 on order for months without any result. Luckily I decided to change over to the Gollihur family and it arrived within a few weeks.

It's just out of the box now, and I plugged it in right away. Despite the low action and flimsy strings the sound is as advertised. I've got a set of Tomastiks ready, can't wait to do the setup and dig in. I want the action to be as close as possible to my ub. I hope putting on the Tomastiks won't be to much to handle for the tuners.

 

[Matthijs]

I guess frede likes it that way, mine are straight, so it's not nescecary to fit them at an angle.

The tuners are much smaller compared to fender style tuners. The hipshots are the 3/8 size ultralights.

 

[frede]

...It appears, however, that the tuner for your E string is turned (or bent) at an angle compared to the others...

I know the pictures are dark and it's hard to see, but I took these shots during installation. The new tuners (silver) are at an angle compared to the original tuners (black). I turned them so I didn't have to drill a new hole for the screw. If you look closely you'll notice the "A" tuner is an original wav design.