Violin
NS Design NXT5
Price: 1.458 EUR – 1.458 EUR
Price history
Cheapest seen
Most expensive seen
Availability: 0/10 (Very rare)
A minimalist solid-body 5-string electric violin with a dual-mode Polar pickup that responds to both bowing and pizzicato playing, at less than a third the weight of a full acoustic violin body.
About the NS Design NXT5
The NXT5 strips a violin down to essentials: a solid, straight-grain maple body with a flame maple face, no soundbox to resonate, at just 610 grams total - far lighter than any acoustic violin thanks to the absence of a full body cavity. NS Design's patented tuning system places fine tuners directly on the body behind the bridge rather than at a traditional tailpiece, and the height-adjustable black-dyed maple bridge lets action be fine-tuned without a luthier visit.
The dual-mode Polar pickup is the model's signature feature: it separately senses lateral string vibration (from bowing) and vertical vibration (from pizzicato plucking), rather than treating both techniques identically the way a simpler piezo pickup would - producing a more natural-sounding output across both playing styles. It's a fully passive circuit with no battery required, just volume and treble roll-off tone controls, and as a 5-string model extends down to a low C below standard violin range.
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Sound character of the NS Design NXT5
The NXT5 is a true solid-body electric violin with no acoustic chamber at all - its tone comes entirely from NS Design's piezo pickup system and onboard preamp, giving a very clean, feedback-resistant signal that takes well to stage amplification and effects, without the natural resonant character of a wooden acoustic body.
Technical data for the NS Design NXT5
| Body | Solid maple, flame maple face |
|---|---|
| Fretboard | Ebony |
| Weight | 610g (5-string) |
| Pickup | Dual-mode Polar (passive) |
| Strings | 5 (adds low C) |
Price history for the NS Design NXT5
Cheapest seen: 1.458 EUR · Most expensive seen: 1.458 EUR
Cheapest seen
Most expensive seen
The history of the NS Design NXT5
NS Design, founded by bassist and luthier Ned Steinberger, applies the same minimalist solid-body design philosophy from his innovative bass guitars to electric violins, and the NXT series remains one of the most widely used electric violin platforms among touring and studio string players.
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