NS Design NXT5a upright bass, Sunburst

Tone

The dual mode Polar™ pickup responds to both lateral string vibration for bowing, and vertical vibration for pizzicato playing. (A body-mounted two-way switch lets the player change modes easily.) The resulting sound retains the essential timbres of a fine acoustic bass, but is easily modified—via on-board controls or post-processing—to suit almost any sonic palette.

Active Onboard Electronics

An active onboard circuit gives the NXTa an output signal that’s ready to plug into any amplification equipment. A rechargeable Mi-Si super-capacitor makes the NXTa a battery-freeactive bass, eliminating the hassle and cost of batteries while helping protect the environment.

• Active mode is engaged by pulling the tone knob outward. Using the supplied charger, plug the NXTa into any AC outlet for 60 seconds to power the capacitor-powered active circuit for up to 16 hours of performance time. The instrument can then be plugged straight into any low or high impedance device, no direct box necessary. Since there is no signal loss over the full frequency spectrum of the instrument, the fundamentals of every note remain clear and strong, even with extra-long cables.
• The bass is in passive mode when the tone knob is pushed inward. The NXTa can be played in this mode when using a direct box or an amplifier with high impedance input. (This mode provides performance capabilities identical to the original NXT.)

The NXTa bass comes with an NS Design tripod stand, which is adjustable for height, forward/backward tilt and side-to-side angle. A compact gig bag (with bow holder and gig bag pocket) are included. EVS performs a full shop setup and testingof each instrument we ship, free of charge. NXT Bass Specs:

• LENGTH: 132 cm (52")
• WIDTH: 15 cm (6")
• THICKNESS: 10 cm (4")
• WEIGHT: 4.8 kg (10.5 lbs.)
• SCALE LENGTH: 106 cm (41.73"")
• BODY/NECK: Solid, straight grain maple, with maple face (Black model) or flame maple face (Sunburst model) on body.
• FINGERBOARD: Hand-graduated. Intonation referenced with cascading dot markers.
• TUNING HARDWARE: 12:1 ratio, fully encased worm gear tuners, black finish.
• POLAR PICKUP: The Polar™ directional piezo pickup system responds selectively to lateral string vibration, for bowing and for the percussive plucked response of a traditional acoustic instrument, or to vertical string vibration, for remarkable even and sustained plucked sound more like a guitar. A switch allows the player to choose the desired response.
• ELECTRONICS & CONTROLS: Active mode circuit powered by batteryless super-capacitor. Volume control and Tone control
• CASES Gig Bag standard: Nylon 137 cm (54") long; 8.2 kg (15 lb) loaded weight with handle and shoulder strap. Flight Case optional.