Double Bass NS Design WAV4 megathread part I

[philip singer]

I did see that post, and last night before another gig I looked at the pins, they look like they're fine.

The stand is OK, but it definitely twists if I play hard.

Anyone have any luck getting NS to replace the tripod? If so, was there a charge?
I believe I read that newer ones will ship with an sturdier set-up, but I got one of the earlier ones.
Also, as a total newbie to electrics: it is normal for the treble response to be weaker than the bass, or is that a characteristic of this particular kind of pick-up? On my Kay, it's the lower strings that need more coaxing; on the electric, just the opposite...

 

[cairomike]

Anyone have any luck getting NS to replace the tripod? If so, was there a charge?
I believe I read that newer ones will ship with an sturdier set-up, but I got one of the earlier ones.
Also, as a total newbie to electrics: it is normal for the treble response to be weaker than the bass, or is that a characteristic of this particular kind of pick-up? On my Kay, it's the lower strings that need more coaxing; on the electric, just the opposite...

I had a problem with my stand. I phoned NS and they immediately arranged a new one, I had it in a week direct from the Czech Republic with no charge. If you believe your stand is faulty then discuss it with the NS technical dept, the phone number is on their web site. They are really on the ball and take customer support seriously (unlike all too many others), also the guy I dealt with in the Czech Republic couldn't have been more helpful.

 

[endorka]

Well I've ordered one in Amber Sunburst from Thomann. Looking forward to its arrival - should be interesting getting my intonation back together again after all these years away from fretless

Jennifer

 

[cairomike]

Well I've ordered one in Amber Sunburst from Thomann. Looking forward to its arrival - should be interesting getting my intonation back together again after all these years away from fretless

Jennifer

Good luck Jennifer, I look forward to hearing your opinion.

I did my first gig with it on Thursday, and it went pretty well considering I've only had it 3 weeks and never before played a fretless instrument. However, I still need to use the electric bass (Ibanez ABG-140 semi-acoustic) on some numbers and switching between the two was a pain, my G&K combo has only one input and the level from the WAV4 is huge compared with the Ibanez so there was a lot of fiddling around. I think I need to find a better way to do this.

 

[mccartneyman]

Bob Gollihur recommends using a preamp along with the Radial Bassbone, and I plan to do that when I start taking the WAV because I have the BassBone and we go direct to the PA. You'd be looking at spending another $300 or so, but you'd have great flexibility. The BassBone ofer a DI as well and an effects loop.

 

[Chef]

the radial is a nice bit of kit...

 

[smakbass]

I got the K & K pre amp for my incoming Wav and my Markbass LMK has 2 channels so I am thinking that should be a good set up...got a footswitch so I can change channels and make changes quick.

 

[endorka]

My wav4 arrived this morning - first impressions were that it is lighter than I thought, and should be relatively easy to get around with. I've had time for a good play on it, although it took me a while trying to figure out the right angle, height, stance etc. for it from the sparse information I have on these matters.

I think I've managed to get a good tone from it, although I can't really say until I've tried it with a band, of course. It is as some have described, neither electric bass nor double bass, but somewhere inbetween. I have the feeling that more substantial strings will change this.

The signal is pretty hot - more or less the same as my regular bass which has active EMG 40CS pickups. I plugged it straight into my Eden WT330, and was able to get the signal hot enough without overcranking the gain, so I'm still a bit unclear as to why I would need a preamp before this one. I tried it with two cabs, a cx110 and a d112xlt; the cx110 definitely gives a better tone "out of the box", although this may change at louder volumes or with a band. With either I had to add a fair bit of bass, but was able to leave the mid and trebles alone. I reduced some of the harshness from the pickup using the tone control on the WAV4 itself.

So far I've used what I presume is the "arco" mode - the one that sounds most like a double bass - exclusively. The other setting I find... odd. It is like a fretless bass, but weird. I'm not sure how to describe it, but pizzicato sounds better in "arco" mode anyway, to my ears.

One point of concern is that the neck has a bit of a bow in it - is this normal? If not, I'm assuming that the truss rod can correct it.

Jennifer

 

[cairomike]

My wav4 arrived this morning - first impressions were that it is lighter than I thought, and should be relatively easy to get around with. I've had time for a good play on it, although it took me a while trying to figure out the right angle, height, stance etc. for it from the sparse information I have on these matters.

I think I've managed to get a good tone from it, although I can't really say until I've tried it with a band, of course. It is as some have described, neither electric bass nor double bass, but somewhere inbetween. I have the feeling that more substantial strings will change this.

The signal is pretty hot - more or less the same as my regular bass which has active EMG 40CS pickups. I plugged it straight into my Eden WT330, and was able to get the signal hot enough without overcranking the gain, so I'm still a bit unclear as to why I would need a preamp before this one. I tried it with two cabs, a cx110 and a d112xlt; the cx110 definitely gives a better tone "out of the box", although this may change at louder volumes or with a band. With either I had to add a fair bit of bass, but was able to leave the mid and trebles alone. I reduced some of the harshness from the pickup using the tone control on the WAV4 itself.

So far I've used what I presume is the "arco" mode - the one that sounds most like a double bass - exclusively. The other setting I find... odd. It is like a fretless bass, but weird. I'm not sure how to describe it, but pizzicato sounds better in "arco" mode anyway, to my ears.

One point of concern is that the neck has a bit of a bow in it - is this normal? If not, I'm assuming that the truss rod can correct it.

Jennifer

According to the user guide (attached, if you haven't got it) the switch is Pizz down, Arco up, I use mine in the down position.

As for the preamp. If you get the sound you like without one then that's fine. I eventually cancelled the order for the Fishman preamp, the supplier messed me around too much with delivery dates, and when it did eventually arrive it was the guitar version . So I still use the Korg PX3B which seems to do the job for my setup.

The neck on mine has a slight forward bow, like an electric bass. I am not unhappy with that, but don't know if it should be adjusted to be flat or not. Anyone help?

 

[endorka]

Thanks Mike, I didn't receive a copy of the manual with my EUB so the pdf you posted is handy. It says in there that a slight bow is desirable, so I guess that it is ok. It might still be interesting to tweak it to see the effect though...

Jennifer

 

[Moog1000]

As for the preamp. If you get the sound you like without one then that's fine. I eventually cancelled the order for the Fishman preamp, the supplier messed me around too much with delivery dates, and when it did eventually arrive it was the guitar version .

That happened to you as well Mike? You didn't happen to order it from a certain Guitar Amp and Keyboard centre from down on the coast did you?

 

[cairomike]

That happened to you as well Mike? You didn't happen to order it from a certain Guitar Amp and Keyboard centre from down on the coast did you?

You got it.

 

[cairomike]

Thanks Mike, I didn't receive a copy of the manual with my EUB so the pdf you posted is handy. It says in there that a slight bow is desirable, so I guess that it is ok. It might still be interesting to tweak it to see the effect though...

Jennifer

I just got a copy of Todd Phillips' 'Essential Techniques for Acoustic Bass' DVD. The first thing he discusses is the set up of the instrument and the slight forward bow there should be on the neck. It's also useful to get a good close listen to a 'real' acoustic (through a good Hi-FI not the TV!) and tweek the WAV4 / Amp settings to try to match it as far as is possible. The one thing I noticed is that where I had rolled off the treble a lot, in fact an acoustic is quite 'toppy'.

Mike

 

[frede]

Hello everyone, I just started playing the electric bass about two months ago and I’m loving the heck out of it, this thing speaks to me. I'm working mostly with bluegrass, and as I was looking around for my next Bass, I found the Wav 4 and this forum. Thanks to everyone comments, I ordered one from Bob. So you’re all to blame…

This "black finger" thing has me a little worried, so I was thinking I could pay Bob to switch out the stings when he gets my order in. Another post in a different tread stated the wide belief in using “Orchestral URB” strings, and to check this tread. Well I don’t see anything on them here. Anyway, given that kittle bit of info, could you folks recommend a good set of strings for me?

I’ll be running the Wav through a Yamaha BBT500H hooked to the 4x10” cab. If anyone has any insight as for settings I’d be most appreciative.

 

[Low Song]

Welcome, frede! Although I'm new to the EUB world as well, I can give you my impressions of a string change. I had researched the forums (much as you have) prior to ordering the WAV4 (from Bob) and had opted to order a more "traditional" set of strings to swap out for the originals. I did this in large part to hopefully optimize the arco sound (figure I should learn both, as all the URB forums emphasize arco as the way to hone intonation). Anyway here's my 2c:

What: changed the native WAV4 strings for TI Belcantos

Thoughts: The most dramatic difference seemed to be in the E/A strings. The amount of sustain and brightness dropped off considerably. To my (admittedly less experienced) ear, this sounded more URBish. The D/G strings also showed less sustain, but the notes still ring through. Perhaps it's just my playing, but I also noted less buzz in the D/G on the "pizz" setting with the Belcantos. I did try arco playing with each set, but my lack of experience there makes it impossible to offer a reasonable comparison. Perhaps I'll post more as I get more time on the "stick".

With regards to the preamp question: I initially didn't order a preamp, as the specs on my amp (flameguard on: a Line6 LD300) state that the impedance for the active input should be 1Mhz. Well, I tried the WAV4 in that input as well as the passive, and both revealed a slight "irregularity" in the sound...almost like a warble that wanted to break up. This was worst with the volume knob on the WAV cranked up and with any attempt to dig in to the strings. I ended up ordering the K&K Pure preamp, and now I can thump to my heart's delight. As always, YMMV.

No problems with the stand yet, but I've only gigged it once, and I wasn't at my most animated.

Finally, kudos to cairomike and all the others here who helped push me down the path to my current favorite addiction.

 

[cairomike]

This "black finger" thing has me a little worried, so I was thinking I could pay Bob to switch out the stings when he get my order in. Another post in a different tread stated the wide belief in using “Orchestral URB” strings, and to check this tread. Well I don’t see anything on them here. Anyway, given that kittle bit of info, could you folks recommend a good set of strings for me?

Don't worry about the dreaded 'black finger', it is just when the strings are new. I have no problem now that the strings are played in . My biggest problem is a very sore 'plucking ' finger

 

[mzh000]

Anyway, given that kittle bit of info, could you folks recommend a good set of strings for me?

I’ll be running the Wav through a Yamaha BBT500H hooked to the 4x10” cab. If anyone has any insight as for settings I’d be most appreciative.

See this for results of string tests done on a CR4M, which should be similar to what the Wav would sound like.

 

[cairomike]

See this for results of string tests done on a CR4M, which should be similar to what the Wav would sound like.

That's an interesting comparison. The Belcanto's seem to cut through the mix better than the Spirocores. What do you think?

I also use a GK MB150, but straight in with everything flat is way too bright, maybe the WAV4 is rather different to the CR4M after all.

Mike

 

[smakbass]

I got mine today and I am pretty happy with the sound I am getting, I got a K & K pure pre amp to go with it and have that going into my Markbass LMK which has two channels so I can tailor one channel to the WAV,,,so far so good, the stand certainly could be better where it attaches to the bass itself its easy to change the sideways angle and I still have to work on my body position but all and all, I think I can work with it...very impressive playability out of the case I think I will probably raise the G string a little as well...

 

[adje]

I'm planning to take the plunge with a WAV4 soon - really looking forward to that, after 30 years of BG only. The only other affordable EUBs available in the Netherlands were the Landscape models, which always looked awkward to me.

From those CR4M clips, I really liked the TI Belcanto set - the only ones without that nasty buzz. My wife also preferred the Belcanto, without me suggesting anything.

Then I read a comment that TI Superflexible had more or less the same character, but was more affordable. Any recommendations?

There seems to be some confusion what length string to use for the WAV - 3/4 or 4/4?

Also, the classical music store in my home town says they can't find Belcanto for DB, only for cello and violin. They carry TI strings, just not for DB. They suggested Spirocore or Superflexible, in either Orchestra or Solo "tuning" - would that be different gauges, or really different pitches?