NS Design
2009 NEWS. We are proud to be recognized as the most successful US dealer of the NS Design bowed stringed instruments. We did not set this as a goal, it just happened as a result of our enthusiasm for the instruments, product knowledge, careful setup, and service after the sale. Let EVS help you choose the right NS Design for your needs!
Ned Steinberger has always been a genius at ergonomics and design. From his headless electric basses and guitars to his current line of bowed electric strings, he has a rare gift for re-imagining traditional instruments into visually compelling yet amazing playable new shapes.
WAV Series Violins and Basses
For the value-conscious player, NS Design now offers the WAV series violin and electric upright bass. Made in the Far East, the WAV series instruments offer the same ergonomic principles and outstanding design that have made the CR series a hit. The WAV basses and WAV violins are also equipped with the Polar" pickup system, however, they are passive instruments, lacking the battery-powered preamps of their CR siblings. The amplified sound is still quite good, but much of the tonal sophistication that results from the many different settings possible in the CR series is lost. The WAV series basses and violins still represent one of the best pure values in the electric bowed strings market.
How do the WAV violins stack up against the CR series instruments? Check out our WAV vs CR Showdown Page, to find out.
CR Series Violins, Violas, Cellos, and EUBs
NS Design builds exceptional solid-body electric instruments of for the entire violin family. Their CR series violins, violas, cellos, and electric upright basses (EUBs) are manufactured in the Czech Republic to exacting quality standards.
Ned's patented Polar&0174 pickup senses the vibrations of the bridge both forward to back and side to side. Active preamp on all of these instruments work with the Polar" pickup to provide great versatility of tone whether you're playing arco, pizzicato, or both. Volume, bass, and treble controls allow you to further shape your sound before it goes out to the amp or mixing board. The amplified tone has a great deal of complexity, and ranges from an amazingly convincing acoustic sound to slightly edgier timbres, depending on the position of your bass/treble and three-position mode-selector controls.
CR series violins
Available in four string and five string versions, the NS Design CR Series Violins are among the most comfortable and playable instruments that we carry. They also have amazing tone, very open and naturally acoustic-sounding, with a great deal of complexity and versatility to the amplified sound. Ned has also done a great job with string spacing at the net and bridge curvature, so the CR Series five strings make the transition from four strings to five relatively painless.
Are the CR Series violins good enough to justify the price difference with the WAV violins? That's a whole 'nother page!
NS Design Cellos
NS Design currently only offers its electric cellos in the Czech-made CR series, but cellists can choose from four string, five string, and six string models. The cello itself is non-traditional, with almost none of the physical reference points of your acoustic cello. Some classically trained players have a problem with this, but for those who like the look and feel of the instrument, there are no obstacles in your way when you want to shift up the fingerboard. You can even keep your thumb braced behind the neck when you're up near the end of the fingerboard -- thumb position is not required!
Tone from the Polar" pickup has so much complexity and richness that if you're playing through a good acoustic amp, someone listening from the next room would swear you were playing an acoustic cello. The bass, treble and volume controls and three-position mode-selector switch ensure that you'll have maximum control over the sound that goes out to your amp or sound system.
NS Design offers a variety of playing options, to accommodate almost any cellist. The instrument comes with the tripod stand, which allows you to play seated in the traditional position or standing. Traditional cellists can purchase an end pin kit, which gives you the knee braces and chest support to make the NS cello feel more like your acoustic. For the truly adventurous, there's also the shoulder strap system, which allows you to run around on stage, strutting your stuff with the best of them -- you could even get a battery-powered amp, and march with the band!
NS Design Viola
NS Design only makes one viola, but it's a great one. The CR 4 viola is built in the Czech Republic, and has the same amazing ergonomics, outstanding electronics, and exceptional tone as the CR series violins and cellos. Great complexity of tone, quite like an acoustic viola, and you have a ton of flexibility -- the amount of control you have over shaping your tone before it goes to your amp or the PA is unmatched by any other instrument on the market.
Vibrating string length is 14ΒΌ", and the scale length is roughly the same as a 16" viola. Includes a headphone jack for "silent" practice, so you can play it in an apartment or a hotel room when you're on the road, without annoying your neighbors.
NS Design CR Series Electric Upright Basses
NS Design's CR series EUBs are recognized throughout the world for their near-perfect balancing act of outstanding tone, exceptional playability, and portability -- their electric upright basses will go places a full-size acoustic bass could never dream of, and sound great when they get there.
CR Series basses are available in three models. For the most traditional players, the CRT bass comes with an endpin kit, and has the most traditionally acoustic sound of the NS Design basses. It uses only the Polar" pickup system, and is equipped with D'addario's Helicore Hybrid strings.
The CR basses are available with either just the Polar" pickup (in the CR-4 and CR-5 basses) or the Polar" pickup plus a separate EMG magnetic pickup for each string (CR-4M and CR-5M). Controls on the bass allow you to control your volume, bass, and treble, as well as the mix of signal from the magnetic and piezo (Polar") pickup and the balance between arco and pizzicato sensitivity. CR basses are available in amber maple, zebrawood, and burled European poplar.
The flagship of NS Design's line-up of basses is the popular EU model. The EU basses are similar in most ways to the CR series, but where they depart, the differences are profound. The biggest of these differences is in the neck construction. Inthe place of solid maple, the neck of the EU bass is made of a laminate of layered rock maple and graphite. The result is an instrument of exceptional physical strength, with gobs of sustain. The back of the neck is curved inward to match the curvature of the fingerboard, making for a thinner neck more forgiving to players with smaller hands, as well as faster and more comfortable to any player.
In keeping with Ned Steinberger's personal history of and reputation for innovation and quality construction, NS Design is producing a full range of outstanding professional-quality electric instruments for all players of bowed strings.