NS Design NXT4a-DB-SB Double Bass

Nice instrument

Great sound, great instrument

Fretless electric on steroids

The sound is like electric fretless on steroids. Not the oompha-boompha of an acoustic upright bass.

It can be made to sound somewhat upright-like with a lot of EQ:ing, but that also removes the output from the lighter strings, so it's not optimal.

That being said the natural tone is beautiful and really useful.

It's a blast to play! And it's a real attention-getter on stage with regular rock type bands.

The only downside of this product is the rather flimsy stand supplied with the instrument. That is for sure the first thing that will break.

I wish it would come with the more sturdy stand delivered with the more expensive models (and I would gladly have paid some extra money for that).

Sleek Quality

This is a fine quality bass. The bass, as delivered, was strung with NS Contemporary strings, which are light gauge and a bit too electric bass-sounding for me, so I replaced them with NS Traditional strings. They are a slightly heavier gauge and you need to dig in a bit more, which improved the instrument immediately. The action is adjustable via the bridge (and truss-rod) so it's very easy to get your ideal set-up.

Sound quality, using an AER Bass One, really approaches a double bass, but you are never going to replicate a big acoustic box. The instrument is well-built from maple, with an ebony fingerboard.

The minimalist design is a continuation of Ned Steinberger's bass guitar work from the eighties, and is very easy on the eye. It is extremely portable using the gig bag.