NS Wav - honest opinions please

[JPJ]

Hi Guys,

 

After selling my KK baby bass earlier this year, I have landed a country/americana gig that would suit at least a bit part role for db. I'm being tempted by the NS Wav bass as I quite like the idea of the stand, especially as I will definitely be doubling on electric bass as well. The CR series are out of my price range at the moment and to be honest, based on soundclips and videos I've found online, the wav sounds more like an acoustic double bass to me.  Any Wav players like to enlighten me as to the sound/playability and any pitfalls I need to look out for?

 

Thanks,

 

Kev

[NickD]

I really like mine... still.

 

It was a early lockdown 'toe in the water' thing, so I couldn't justify one of the dearer/posher models, but now I play it a lot I have no intention of changing it at the moment. It sits on it's stand in the office/studio/living room, and I can't walk past it without at least playing something. With a heavy mute on (Ninomute), the standard strings, and the tone rolled most of the way off, it sounds fine to me. For home recording I usually favour it over my DB, as it's close enough to my ear and much easier to record. The signal is a little weak as piezo pickups generally are, but it's fine straight into the High Z input of my interface, and it surprised me by sounding good straight into my Markbass combo too. Playability wise, I like it a lot, except when I get on the DB I miss it's crazy dots on the board higher up the neck.

[petebassist]

This guy gets the best NS upright tone that I've heard, albeit on a CR5 that has the magnetic pickups as well, he doesn't say what his settings are. But I'd bet you can get a good tone with a passive WAV with the right strings, maxed-out action, preamp, and pizz technique.

[Owen]

I am certain that a passive WAV can make a fine sound. It is not going to sound like this though. I am not saying that negatively or positively. It is just a different pickup system.

[Happy Jack]

Genuinely don't think that any NS will cut it at a country/americana gig. Not only is the sound almost guaranteed to be "too modern" but far more importantly the LOOK is all wrong. 

 

I've played in country bands and americana bands and IME the audience listens as much with their eyes as their ears. If you look the part then nobody will notice your tone or your note choices. If you DON'T look the part, they'll be frowning.

 

If you can't bring a DB or a faux DB like a KK (had one for years, loved it) then IMHO you're better off sticking to a Precision throughout.

 

 

 

[Woodinblack]

I enjoy mine and am ok with the sound, but I haven't got (or want) an actual DB so nothing to compare it to. As happy jack says though, in many cases it is mostly down to the image, on stage most bass like things can make most bass like noises.

 

I haven't used mine live yet, will give it a try at some point!

[JPJ]

1 hour ago, Happy Jack said:

Genuinely don't think that any NS will cut it at a country/americana gig. Not only is the sound almost guaranteed to be "too modern" but far more importantly the LOOK is all wrong. 

 

I've played in country bands and americana bands and IME the audience listens as much with their eyes as their ears. If you look the part then nobody will notice your tone or your note choices. If you DON'T look the part, they'll be frowning.

 

If you can't bring a DB or a faux DB like a KK (had one for years, loved it) then IMHO you're better off sticking to a Precision throughout.

 

 

 

Interesting point. I never really managed to get an authentic DB sound out of the KK, plenty of thump yes but not so much of the mwah. Yes, I could get close on the D&G strings but not so much on the E&A (and the low B was for all practical purposes just a thumb rest).  Also, the KK is fairly bulky and heavy to the point where I thought "you know what, I may as well just be lugging the real thing around here". 

I understand what you mean about country music fans, but I have seen plenty of US based country musicians using the Eminence EUB live (most recently at Country to Country) and whilst this is probably an international travel related choice, I personally had no problem with it. In my case, out of a 40 song roster, I'd probably only play the EUB on 5 or 6 songs and we're going to be on small stages (at least initially) so space will be of a premium. 

[JPJ]

16 hours ago, Owen said:

I am certain that a passive WAV can make a fine sound. It is not going to sound like this though. I am not saying that negatively or positively. It is just a different pickup system.

This was the video that got me looking at the WAV (skip to around 2:14 to hear him play) as this is a fairly convincing DB sound to my ears. 

[Huge Hands]

I have had a NXT5 for about 7 years.  I am not sure the difference between this and a WAV but mine looks a fairly similar setup (albeit mine is all black) to the one in the sponge guy's video.

 

I have said this a few times, but with mine, it doesn't always sound that double bassy to me when standing next to it and playing, but when I have heard recordings of me playing it as heard from the audience, it does.  

 

I love mine but get @Happy Jack's point about the look.  I used to play in a 50's blues band with mine and would get purists scoffing...but also a lot of punters being all "what the hell is that" in a nice curious way, and would be good to see the looks on their faces when it sounded good..

 

 

[Happy Jack]

1 minute ago, Huge Hands said:

I used to play in a 50's blues band with mine  ...

 

Now that really IS brave! 😂

[NickD]

25 minutes ago, JPJ said:

This was the video that got me looking at the WAV (skip to around 2:14 to hear him play) as this is a fairly convincing DB sound to my ears. 

Not that video (he's got a few), but that was the guy who I looked at when I bought mine. I didn't even get as far as changing the strings, it sounds fine to me.

[petebassist]

2 hours ago, Huge Hands said:

I love mine but get @Happy Jack's point about the look.  I used to play in a 50's blues band with mine and would get purists scoffing...but also a lot of punters being all "what the hell is that" in a nice curious way, and would be good to see the looks on their faces when it sounded good..

I'm sure punters scoffed when musicians starting bringing precisions along instead of double-basses - I guess any instrument that looks different to what people expect is gonna get attention, good or bad. I know even some bluegrass and Nu-grass bands in the US use NS Design uprights, & they're notoriously traditional, so maybe things are slowly changing.

[JPJ]

In my neck of the woods, the audience tend to be made up of three distinct groups: 1) people who know and like what you play; 2) fellow musicians from other bands; 3) passing trade, some of whom will stay if they like what they’re hearing. 
In my experience, comments on the gear you use come exclusively from group 2 and are to be taken with a pinch of salt as there are normally dark forces at work in the mind of the commenter 😂

[Woodinblack]

6 minutes ago, JPJ said:

In my experience, comments on the gear you use come exclusively from group 2 and are to be taken with a pinch of salt as there are normally dark forces at work in the mind of the commenter 😂

 

In my experience, comments from group 2 are more interested in the gear you play and reasonably positive.

[Staggering on]

Minor derail from the OP but I plan to use my Yamaha SLB 200 at a gig on Friday instead of using my DB. The gig is part of a downtown Christmas walk in a nearby city on Friday evening and the street will be closed and various events will be going on culminating with turning on the lights on the downtown Christmas tree.

My seven piece swing band will be playing inside a store that is quite small and we will be jammed in a corner and it just makes sense to use the EUB, not just for playing but also getting it in and out of a small crowded space where our audience will be wandering by and only staying for a few minutes. The DB looks better for a this kind of music but the EUB is a better choice for this gig and out front the sound will be just fine.

[Passinwind]

7 hours ago, Happy Jack said:

Genuinely don't think that any NS will cut it at a country/americana gig. Not only is the sound almost guaranteed to be "too modern" but far more importantly the LOOK is all wrong. 

Country and Americana mean really different things here by now, I almost never see a real upright in country bands. The Johhny Cash-alike guy I used to gig with for a year or two with had an Epiphone Flying V 5 string at his place and would have loved for me to play it at shows. No problem at all with my Travis Bean or BSX EUB, or bass solos on several tunes a night. The Bluegrass Mafia were and still are a very different story though! 😉

 

As far as the WAV, fixed stands are a complete deal breaker for me, I just can't be anchored in one playing postion like that for any length of time without serious discomfort.

[Huge Hands]

8 minutes ago, Passinwind said:

As far as the WAV, fixed stands are a complete deal breaker for me, I just can't be anchored in one playing postion like that for any length of time without serious discomfort.

I have seen a few people say this over the years but I always found the stand on my NXT to be quite sturdy and often used to pivot it on one tripod leg while playing.  Not as free as a endpin on a DB, but enough to have fun with - then much easier and quicker when you want to put it down and pick up your bass guitar!

[Passinwind]

9 minutes ago, Huge Hands said:

I have seen a few people say this over the years but I always found the stand on my NXT to be quite sturdy and often used to pivot it on one tripod leg while playing.  Not as free as a endpin on a DB, but enough to have fun with - then much easier and quicker when you want to put it down and pick up your bass guitar!

Interesting, I have have never seen that. Putting my BSX back in its stand takes about three seconds, it never was  an issue at all in my case where in the very rare cases where I doubled bass changes always happened on a set break.

Edited November 23, 2022 by Passinwind

[Woodinblack]

I have a stand and an endpin - can't imagine I would use the endpin much though as if I was playing it it would have to be as well as the bass