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Double Bass NS EUB megathread

#142
Can i challenge the NS design fan club to diss the NS design???

I have an opportunity to buy a second hand NS CR4 this weekend, as far as i know this has the piezo pickup. I have heard only good things about the NS EUB range and they seem to be highly regarded as EUBs go... I have some reservations though...

The CR4 is made in the Czech republic, my bass teacher warned me that if i was gonna get an NS (he has a 5 string NS but dunno which type), i should make sure it was made in the US, the Czech basses are 'made to a price' which means cheaper materials which means rubbish bass ....True or false? can anyone help me out here.

Next, i have a piezo pickup on my palatino bass which i bought last year, this is the cheapo bass from china. I bought it cuz i couldnt afford to pay for a more expensive EUB or DB... The piezo pickup picks up LOADS of string noise and squeeks when i played a gig last monday in london with it, and i wasnt happy with this. Does the Piezo NS design suffer the same fate, and is this just a 'feature' of piezo pickups?

I really am wanting to get this bass, and they are super rare in the UK to get second hand... new ones cost a friggin fortune and i cant afford a new one as i have surf trips planned this year too.... :cool:

Please be honest and brutal. whats the downside of the NS, if any?

HELP!!!!!

Thanks
Mr Driko...
 
#143
RIKODRIKO said:
The CR4 is made in the Czech republic, my bass teacher warned me that if i was gonna get an NS (he has a 5 string NS but dunno which type), i should make sure it was made in the US, the Czech basses are 'made to a price' which means cheaper materials which means rubbish bass ....True or false? can anyone help me out here.
Click to expand...

False!! Definitely!!

I have owned a Czech-made NC CR5 for about 3 years now and the build quality is excellent - no problems whatsoever!
Czechs have a long tradition of making quality instruments -all those I've seen in shops have looked immaculate and they are very hard-wearing as well.

Your teacher is plain wrong!! ;)

Next, i have a piezo pickup on my palatino bass which i bought last year, this is the cheapo bass from china. I bought it cuz i couldnt afford to pay for a more expensive EUB or DB... The piezo pickup picks up LOADS of string noise and squeeks when i played a gig last monday in london with it, and i wasnt happy with this. Does the Piezo NS design suffer the same fate, and is this just a 'feature' of piezo pickups?
.
Click to expand...

No - not at all. Mine has piezos only and has a very deep,warm sound, that many people have commented on and been surprised by.

I think your problem may be that you need the right pre-amp for piezos - but of course in the NS EUBs, that comes included as standard!! :)
 
#146
None other than... Mr banks... Bruce... you know him? Gimme the lowdown...

anyways, since no one is prepared to talk badly about the NS , i might take it subject to its condition.... where can i get a membership form for the fan club ? :) do you have to be able to play to be in the club?
 
#149
I'd just like to re-iterate what Bruce has said about the CR range. The build quality of these things is fantastic; I have never owned or played anything which comes near in terms of quality. I couldn't stop touching my NS when it arrived two years ago. It screams quality. Before buying my NS CR4M, I tried other EUB's and the sound quality was pretty poor in comparison. I soon found out that the old addage "you get what you pay for" was totally true.
Let me also say that the piezo bridge in the NS is fantastic. As you're probably aware, there is a mode switch, which allows you to switch between pizz and arco modes. Although my NS has the magnetic pickups, I tend to favour the sound from the piezo much more; it seems to add a resonance and depth to pizz playing. Which reminds me, you won't hear better sustain anywhere than on an NS upright!

Now, go and get that CR4 Rikodriko! You know it makes sense! :hyper:
 
#150
The EU series actually has an even cooler way to get the tone you want...

Ok, so the EU has magnetic pickups and the Polar pickup. The Polar pickup can pick up both the lateral and perpendicular string vibration, and knows the difference between the 2.

Now, the EU has 2 knobs for blending between pickups; 1 for blending between the magnetic and the Polar, and 1 for blending between the 'pizz' and 'arco' modes (not a switch) of the Polar pickup. Which means that if you set both of these at 50% your tone will consist of 50% magnetic, 25% pizz mode, and 25% arco mode. So, you can pretty much get any tone possible.
 
#152
I know why Mr. Banks is dissing the Czech range...it's because he bought his US-made NS Basses, many years ago - long before the CR range was around. So he paid top-dollar for them and huge sums of money - now he's a bit annoyed that all of us are buying up virtually the same bass, for a fraction of the price!!

Also - the re-sale value on the multiple US basses he owns has dropped like a stone ! So he has a "vested interest" in maintaining the myth that they are that superior.... ;)
 
#154
Just to say that I agree with all the good things said on here about the build quality and sound of the Czech built basses - I love my CR4. Gigged it for the first time last night and got some really good comments about how it sounded and how cool it looks - although one well meaning soul thought it looked like a cricket bat with strings?! Played it through a vintage 1960s Selmer valve (tube) head with Ashdown 1x10 Mini Cab.
 
#155
Well, even if everyone was gonna slag it off, i went and bought it, turns out it was a CR4M in as new condition, not a scratch, and i got it for something like £800 off the retail price. :)

So, my digital camera is bust and i would take a pic of it if i could, but please accept my intention to officially join the NS design fan club.

Great, no gigs lined up and got a cricket match this weekend, my new bat will go down a storm. 6!
 
#156
Welcome, my son, to the wonderful world of NS Design. :D

So, it was the magnetic model after all eh? You'll have to let me know what you think about the difference between the piezo and the EMG's. As I've said before, I tend to use both, but love the resonance of the piezo.

Good price too, by the sounds of it ;)
 
#157
I'm still trying to find the tone I'm most happy with, but when playing pizz style I really like using a blend of both the magnetic and the Piezo, and then running the Polar about 60/40 (pizz/arco) because you get a nice 'thump' from the initial note attack.

Am I the only one with one of the new EU basses, I haven't seen anyone else mention one. Everyone has CR's?
 

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