NS Design WAV4

About the NS Design WAV4

The WAV4 strips an upright bass down to its functional core: a solid, straight-grain maple neck and body (flamed maple under the gloss on finishes like Black), a Coform fingerboard that swaps traditional ebony or rosewood for a maple-and-acrylic composite with less string friction and no CITES trade restrictions, and a fully passive NS Polar piezo pickup that needs no battery at all. The pickup responds differently to vertical string motion (plucking) versus lateral motion (bowing), with a polarity switch letting the player optimize for either technique rather than compromising between them. Controls stay minimal - volume, a treble roll-off tone knob, and the arco/pizzicato switch - and the no-bout body design, without the pronounced waist of an acoustic double bass, is meant to make the upper registers easier to reach. At roughly 4 kg and under 1.5 meters packed length, it's built around portability: the included padded gig bag holds the bass, its folding tripod stand, and a bow, and is sized to fit most aircraft overhead bins. Within NS Design's own lineup, the WAV series sits below the Czech-made CR and NXTa models and is manufactured in Indonesia - a clear budget/travel tier rather than the brand's flagship line.

Where to buy

• Reverb NS Design WAV4 Electric Upright Bass 4 Transparent Black 1.819 EUR Best price View details
• Reverb NS Design WAV4 Electric Upright Bass 4 Amberbust 1.819 EUR View details
• Reverb NS Design WAV4 Electric Upright Bass 4 Transparent Black 1.835 EUR View details
• Reverb NS Design WAV4 Electric Upright Bass 4 Amberbust 1.835 EUR View details

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Source: https://reverb.com/item/26253623-ns-design-wav4-electric-upright-bass-4-transparent-black

Sound character of the NS Design WAV4

Out of the box, the WAV4's tone leans treble-forward with comparatively little low-end weight, according to at least one detailed owner account - a character that several reviewers trace to the factory setup and stock strings rather than the instrument's basic construction. Upgrading to quality 3/4-size double bass strings and a professional setup is reported to shift the tone noticeably closer to a conventional acoustic double bass, suggesting the Polar piezo pickup and maple body have more headroom for a fuller sound than the as-shipped configuration shows off. The pickup's separate arco and pizzicato response modes mean bowed and plucked playing are each tuned for their own characteristic texture rather than one setting being a compromise for both.

What owners of the NS Design WAV4 say

Owner feedback on the WAV4 is solidly positive overall - an aggregate 4.4 out of 5 across several customer reviews - but it comes with a consistent, specific complaint rather than vague praise: the stock E-string tuner. More than one reviewer reports it failing, sometimes more than once, with one buyer going through two broken tuners before switching to a different manufacturer's hardware for good. A separate recurring thread is the out-of-the-box tone, which at least one owner found thin and treble-forward with little low-end foundation, though another reports that a proper setup and better strings brought the bass noticeably closer to a traditional double bass character. None of this criticism targets the core concept - the body, pickup system and passive electronics - which reviewers treat as sound; the complaints cluster specifically around the cheaper tuning hardware and factory string choice that come with sitting at the entry end of NS Design's range.

Playability & handling of the NS Design WAV4

Reviewers consistently describe the WAV4 as easy to live with day to day: it's light enough to carry without strain, compact enough to store in a normal apartment, and - with its no-bout shape and position-marker dots - more approachable in the upper register than a traditional double bass shape. At least one owner found the action properly set up straight out of the box. That said, feedback on the supplied hardware is mixed: more than one buyer singled out the E-string tuner as a weak point, with one reporting it snapped after a few weeks and a replacement failed again within days before swapping to aftermarket tuners resolved it permanently. The factory setup and strings have also drawn criticism in isolated cases, with one owner noting the instrument only really came into its own after a proper professional setup with upgraded double bass strings.

Recommended accessories & strings for the NS Design WAV4

The outfit already includes a padded gig bag with dedicated stand and bow compartments plus a folding tripod stand, covering basic transport and stage setup without extra purchases. Owner feedback points to two realistic early upgrades, though: several reviews single out the stock E-string tuner as failure-prone, with more than one buyer replacing it with sturdier aftermarket hardware after it broke, and more than one owner reports that swapping the factory strings for quality 3/4-size double bass strings - paired with a proper professional setup - noticeably improves both tone and feel compared to how the instrument plays out of the box. A more rigid stand than the included one is also worth considering for frequent stage use, since at least one owner found the stock stand too flexible under regular gigging.

Technical data for the NS Design WAV4

Price history for the NS Design WAV4

Cheapest seen: 1.819 EUR  ·  Most expensive seen: 1.835 EUR

The history of the NS Design WAV4

NS Design, founded by instrument designer Ned Steinberger, built the WAV4 around ergonomic minimalist design and refined piezo amplification.

About NS Design as a manufacturer

NS Design was founded in 1990 by Ned Steinberger, who began his instrument-design career in 1976 at the Brooklyn Woodworkers Co-op and, together with Stuart Spector, created the NS-1 bass in 1977 - a design that went on to become one of Spector's best-selling basses. In 1980 Steinberger founded Steinberger Sound with Robert Young, Hap Kuffner and Stanley Jay, finding quick success with headless guitars and basses built from unconventional materials like carbon fiber, guided by a focus on ergonomics and function over tradition. He sold that namesake company to Gibson in 1987, staying on for several more years while Gibson continued producing the instruments until 1998. In 1990 he founded NS Design to extend the same design philosophy to bowed electric instruments - violin, viola, cello and upright bass - alongside further headless guitar and bass work. Within NS Design's own catalog, the WAV line is positioned as the brand's entry tier, manufactured in Indonesia, sitting below the higher-priced CR and NXTa series that are built in the Czech Republic.