Celebrating the 20th anniversary of NS Design’s founding, this special limited edition of the NXT four-string upright bass is now available to consumers.  Featuring a cream finish, each of these instruments will be signed on the back by Ned Steinberger.  Only 20 were produced for the U.S. market.  You can click on the pictures below for bigger versions.

On January 16th, at the 2010 Winter NAMM convention, NS Design presented the Museum of Making Music with the first of a Limited Edition NXT upright electric bass, created in celebration of 20th Anniversary of the founding of NS Design by Ned Steinberger. Museum curator Tatiana Sizonenko, along with and Carolyn Grant, museum executive director, accepted the bass on behalf of NAMM. Making the presentation to the museum were Ned Steinberger, founder of NS Design, and Gary Byers, managing director.

Crafted in the Czech Republic, the anniversary bass is part of the NXT series which made its market debut in November 2009, and is the latest example of Mr. Steinberger’s concentration on beauty, aesthetics and performance. The NXT incorporates the trademark shape, feel and construction of NS Design’s original CR series, and includes a patented Polar™ Pickup System which provides optimal sensitivity to either arco or pizzicato playing.

Located in Carlsbad, California, the Museum of Making Music was founded in 1998 by the NAMM Foundation. Its collections explore the history of the music products industry in America, from the 1890s to the present day.

In partnership with D’Addario, NS Design has developed a full range of NS Electric strings.  These steel-cored strings are available in standard lengths for violin, viola, and cello. Smooth-polished Omni Bass strings will also fit any standard 34″-35″ bass guitar, giving a rich bass tone and clear singing upper register. Upright bass strings are available in the NS Standard Double Bass string length (46.5″ wound, 54″ overall).  The Traditional Double Bass set offers a warm tone and great bowed response; the Contemporary Double Bass set produces a brighter sound and offers lower tension.

NS Electric strings fit all NS Design instruments as well as other bowed electrics.  Some acoustic players may also appreciate these strings for their subtlety of expression.

NS Design and D’Addario will launch the NS Electric line at the NAMM show in Anaheim, California, January 14-17, 2010.

Read more…

Scott Laird, NS Design’s ambassador to the world of string education, has produced a series of videos for D’Addario strings introducing aspects of the electric violin.  Using his CR-4 as an example, Scott talks about amps, effects, tone controls, and what to look for in your first electric violin.  Check them out!

Transitioning from an acoustic to an electric violin

Electric violin tone quality

How to Use Electric Violin Tone Control Knobs

Electric Violin Effects Processors

The Difference Between Active and Passive Electric Violins

NS Design is pleased to announce the name of its new line of electric bowed instruments: the NXT series.

The NXT name was selected from among over 1,100 entries in an online contest, held from June 1st to June 15th. Bass-player Catherine Konrath made the winning entry—time-stamped at 3:27 PM EST on June 1st. However, in a narrow miss, fellow bassist Rob Harris also suggested the NXT name exactly 50 minutes later.

Konrath wins one of the NXT basses, to be delivered when the instruments reach the U.S. market later this year. It will be Konrath’s second Steinberger-designed instrument, joining an L2 Bass. She writes:

Wow…I cant believe it! Woohoo!

I turned in several suggestions and this was one of my favorites…I’ve always been a big fan of your instruments and infact have an old L2 Bass that is in desperate need of a refret at this point; Or possibly retirement.

Thanks so much…

catherine

I will be smiling for days, if not longer…

NS Design thanks all its online supporters for the hundreds of name suggestions they entered in the contest, and for their great enthusiasm for NS instruments. The NXT series will become available in the U.S. later this year. Stay tuned to this site for pictures and more details.

Back in the NS Design shop this month, after 12 years’ absence, was a very rare instrument. Known simply as “the black violin”, it’s a prototype that Ned built by hand shortly after leaving Steinberger Sound Company. He says that in many ways, it’s the culmination of the design ideas he began working on with bass guitars at the beginning of his career.

Ned built the black violin intending to put it into production; he approached Zeta Instruments with that idea. At the time, Zeta was still part of Gibson, which had purchased Steinberger Sound Company. However, Zeta decided not to manufacture the instrument, concerned that it would not gain a wide enough following.

“I understood then—and I understand even better now—that it’s not what people generally want in a violin,” Ned said. “It’s too radical.” Read more…

In Prague to visit the NS factory, I came across the “Original Prague Syncopated Orchestra” playing 1920s Jazz on the beautiful Charles Bridge. What caught my eye was the violinist, who was playing a strange hybrid violin with a brass horn wrapped around the back of his head.   I introduced myself to Jan Simunek, who explained that the design, called a violinophone, gained some popularity early in the last century, and that the sound is perfect for the jazz music he loves to play.

I thought that those of you who, like me, enjoy inventive instruments from the past, would find this interesting.  It’s a bit like it’s better known cousin, the Stroh violin, which also uses a horn, but this one is even more fun. As you can see in the photos, it incorporates a shoulder rest for the right shoulder and none for the left!   The sound is pure and sweet, but a little thin and quiet compared to a normal violin.

We’ve just sent a formal mailing announcing this blog to the thousands of people who’ve signed up to be on NS Design’s mailing list over the years.  We’ve had some great letters from musicians whose careers Ned’s instruments have shaped.  Bassist Jonn Stevens wrote a touching note about his Steinberger bass and his NS Bass Cello.

Good Day All,

Yes I play a Steinberger…. I have in my possession a rare 1985 XP2 4 string Bass with active EMG’s (yup !!! that is the way it came from the factory).  Yes it was purchased back in that year so long ago (and I’m the original owner) and it still plays as well now as is it did back then, and I still play today. That bass has seen all of North America and parts of Europe and the Far East. It has racked up over a million miles and is still going. But that is another story.

But as time moved on so did I, and I got a new Steinberger…. an NS Designs Bass Cello 5 string tuned low. Ned has once again lived up to his word….. this is a fine instrument worthy of the name.

I play a lot of country & bluegrass mixed with blues & jazz so it is quite a mix. This bass handles it all.  A number of people have seen me play and I walk in with this bass and they look at me rather strangely and as they go to ask me “what is it ???” I say wait and listen then you’ll see, and as I start to play and they hear that richness & depth when I run down not up….. they are stunned at the sound, so rich, so full so sweet and deep. I catch them by surprise, they look at me and I smile nod once and they go away with a whole new outlook on Bass.

I am part of a Trio ( Guitar, Bass, & Vocals ) and yes we are all Canadian. I will try and get some sound bytes your way so you can hear and maybe a pic or two for you to see.  It’s like father & son—both of these basses are phenomenal in both appearance & sound and I wouldn’t trade them for the world. So I’m a Die Hard….. so sue me !!!!  Once you play a Steinberger…. You won’t want to play anything else.

Ciao, Jonn

There are as many stories about NS instruments as there are musicians who play them.  If you have a story to tell us, we’d love to hear from you.  Leave us a comment or write to news_editor@nedsteinberger.com.

Strings magazine is giving away an NS design WAV violin!  Enter their online contest by filling out the form on this page.

Strings says:  “The WAV is famous for its affordability, but it doesn’t get more affordable than free! So enter today for your chance to win your own, courtesy of Strings magazine and NS Design.”

Hurry!  Drawing is May 31st, 2009.

Once you are accustomed to the Balanced Shoulder Rest, the chin rest is optional. Here’s a solution that eliminates the chin rest and the chin rest arm entirely.