Best NS Design CR5M-DB Amber Bass Alternatives

Based on 1 reviews

As a bass guitarist and improviser I was long interested in an electric upright with enough fingerboard curvature to be bowed and a standard bass guitar scale for a minimal learning curve. Several years ago NS did a very good thing having designed such an instrument, and recently they did another good thing introducing the affordable Indonesian-built WAV series, so that's what I went for. First of all, the build quality is very good. I'll probably replace the tuners some day, but everything else is flawless. Also, the Indonesian series has rosewood fingerboard - of course I'd prefer ebony or some other harder wood, but I hope the flatwounds won't eat it too much. I like the tone the polar pickup delivers, pizzicato with strong fundamental and very powerful arco. It took me some time...

Based on 1 reviews

This awesome instrument is pure gold. If you are a traditional double bass player perhaps you will miss that instant feeling of natural sound coming out of from your instrument as well as the lack of body references, On the other hand, of course, you'll love portability and the beauty of its design. But if you are NOT a double bass player and you are used instead to bass guitar, this is your cauldron at the end of the rainbow. The ellegant tiny marks along the freetless board help you in the struggle of adaptation to longer scale and position of playing., what gets you into real fun very soon. In this model the extra B string won't make you miss the 5 string feel if you are used to it. Maybe you have to work on the sound through your pre or amp to get an "acoustic" sound but...

Based on 1 reviews

The sound is phenomenal, particularly the low pizzicato. The stock strings it comes with are not really meant for arco playing, but it's easy enough to put whatever string you like on. There are some design choices I would tweak: a faster way to switch between arco and pizz pick-up settings would be nice (the in-between setting is a fine compromise, but it's not the same). The lack of body, ribs, and neck heel means there are no physical reference points on the instrument. As an upright bassist, that makes intonation in the middle register a bit dangerous. They do make a thumb stop attachment, but that has it's own problems. Finally, this thing seems to eat batteries. If you leave the cable plugged in overnight, a new pair of 9v's will be necessary. I used to think that was a myth,...

Based on 2 reviews

Great Sound, Easy to play, Robust build. I bought this to perform with a function band. It saw me through hundreds of gigs. Beautiful sounding fretless electric bass vibe. Big thump for swinging jazz walking bass. No feedback issues at loud volumes like with a double bass with a body. Just great and highly recommend.