If you are ever in Gatlinburg, TN, be sure to check out Firewater Junction and their fiery blend of bluegrass at Davy Crockett’s Tennessee Whiskey Distillery and Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery. A great band with some big low end from the NS Omni Bass.
NS Design RADIUS Bass Guitar string change and tuning
This new video highlights one of the unique features of the RADIUS bass: the tuning system, which features a self-clamping, precision tuning machine, built into the body. As Ned Steinberger demonstrates, this fast, simple system accepts any standard single-ball end, full-scale bass guitar string. No tools are needed: simply rotate the knurled knob to change […]
Back to Front: Peter Gabriel with Tony Levin
Tony Levin and his NS Bass will be hitting the road again with Peter Gabriel, on their Back to Front Spring 2014 European tour. Focusing on the entirety of that multi-platinum album, the tour features Gabriel with many of the members of the original band he toured with 25 years ago and highlights the album’s […]
Introducing the NXT Viola
NOBLEBORO, MAINE (February 21, 2014) – NS Design is proud to announce the arrival of the NXT4 Electric Viola, designed by Ned Steinberger. Made to meet the demands of studio, stage, and other challenging performance environments, the NXT4 frees the violist from the limitations of an amplified acoustic viola. Based around a comfortable 16″ viola […]
Introducing the CR4 RADIUS bass guitar
NS Design announces the arrival of the CR4 RADIUS bass guitar, joining the ground-breaking CR5 recently introduced by Ned Steinberger. Crafted in the Czech Republic, the RADIUS embodies Steinberger’s breadth of experience, insight and design brilliance. Steinberger approached the RADIUS by re-exploring each facet of a bass guitar, leading to numerous innovations, such as […]
CDZA performs at first annual YouTube Music Awards
With a large collection of viral music videos to their credit, Collective Cadenza (CDZA) was invited to help kick off the first annual YouTube Music Awards, which streamed live on November 3rd and have amassed 3.8 million views since. CDZA features violinist and NS artist Charles Yang on the CR-4 violin. Also don’t miss CDZA’s […]
Electric Violin + Talk Box: Jason Yang covers Daft Punk
After a year of touring with Madonna, Jason Yang has gotten back to making viral music videos. Check out this fantastic medley of DAFT PUNK covers—awesome combination of CR-4 violin and Talk-Box effects!
Layered looping with the CR-5 electric violin
Performing with loops is a new and difficult art. Emmy Award-winning composer and violinist Gary Kuo demystifies the process with this beautiful video demonstration of “Nearer, My God, To Thee”. You can watch as Gary lays down the different harmonies with his CR-5 violin, creating a magnificent, symphonic effect and showing how powerful and moving […]
Bass Player Live 2013
We were delighted to exhibit our electric upright basses and bass guitars at Bass Player Live back in November. We love spending time with many of the world’s finest bassists who gather for this event at SIR Studios in Los Angeles. At the NS Booth, we hosted performances by Chance Wilder Onody, Hal Henckel, Jonathan Moody, Nathan […]
Premier Guitar Loves the CR5 RADIUS!
Premier Guitar writer Steve Cook gave high marks to the NS CR5 RADIUS Bass Guitar in an online review this month. Marveling at the instrument’s sophistication and detail, Cook writes: Steinberger has once again pushed the boundaries of interesting features while at the same time enhancing a bassist’s overall comfort and interaction with an instrument. […]
NS Design exhibits at IBMA 2013
The International Bluegrass Music Association‘s annual World of Bluegrass conference is the epicenter of all things related to the music. NS Design returned to this event to share our instruments with our Bluegrass friends. Our electric double basses—and increasingly electric violins too—have enjoyed a rapid rise to popularity among Bluegrassers due to their good looks, […]
The CR5 Radius Bass Guitar in Action!
Big thanks to Premier Guitar for shooting this great video about the CR5 Radius Bass Guitar. A great introduction to the instrument from Ned himself, followed by a demo by Chance Wilder Onody. The sound in this video is great! Thanks for a great profile of this exciting new instrument! (You can download a brochure […]
Introducing the CR5 Radius Bass Guitar
Ned Steinberger has created a new classic for the bass guitarist. This long-awaited instrument earned praise from virtually every player who tried it at the 2013 NAMM show. The Radius, which weighs just over 8 lbs. and is beautifully balanced, embodies a number of extraordinary design and performance innovations, including the Diradial™ curved body shape, […]
2013 Catalogs Now Online
Hot of the presses! Our 2013 catalogs for the CR and NXT series instruments are now online. Click below to download them. CR Series Catalog NXT Series Catalog
NAMM 2013 Artist Highlights
NAMM, the international music trade show held in Anaheim, California, brings together manufacturers, dealers, distributors, musicians and other leaders in the music industry. At this year’s NAMM, NS Design hosted a wide variety of musicians, and showcased the entire NS product line of electric double basses, Omni basses, cellos, violas, violins, and accessories. Bassist Noor […]
Introducing the NXT Omni Bass
NS Design is pleased to announce the delivery of the NXT-series Omni Bass. With the familiar 34-inch bass guitar scale, the Omni Bass is designed for the bass guitarist interested in adding the character and expressiveness of an acoustic upright bass, or the NS electric upright, to his performance palette. Available in four- and five-string […]
Fretted Violins
NS Design is delighted to announce delivery of the NS Fretted Electric Violin series. Created by the world renowned designer, Ned Steinberger, the fretted models are now available in both the NXT series, which features a self-powered pickup system, and the CR series, with its active electronics. The CR and NXT models are both available […]
Delta Rae on VH1
The NXT4 double bass hit the national airwaves last week in the talented hands of Delta Rae’s Grant Emerson. The band covered Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” in a version “so stormy and impassioned,” according to VH1’s Zara Golden, “that the original sounds like a lullaby in comparison.”
NS Design Partners with Composer Julie Lyonn Lieberman
NS Design is proud to announce a partnership with composer Julie Lyonn Lieberman on her recently published Bollywood Strings Project, based around an orchestral score composed by Ms. Lieberman for orchestra and electric violin. Written either for Junior or Senior High School level players, the parts can be performed independently, but they also can be […]
JackPot potentiometer receives patent
NS Design is pleased to announce that our high-performance JackPot™ volume control has been awarded U.S. Patent No. 8,253,007. Invented by Ned Steinberger, the JackPot is a combination potentiometer and rotary switch. It allows the player to bypass an instrument’s volume and tone circuitry, delivering a stronger signal, richer sound, and greater overall intensity. Most […]
Laurie Anderson premiers new solo show
This Fall, performance artist and longtime NS Design endorser Laurie Anderson will debut her new solo show Dirtday! at a series of concerts on the West Coast and in the Southwest. Centered around her playing on the NS Viola, the show explores the issue of fear in American culture. Part of a trilogy that included […]
Blown away by the NXT bass
We love hearing people play great music on our instruments. Even better, we love it when our instruments show people new musical possibilities. Thanks to Dave Norris from Melbourne for writing—this is what it’s all about! Dear NS Design, My name is Dave Norris and I’m a bass player from Melbourne, Australia. I have a […]
Wytold
The six-string CR-Series cello offers cellists enormous dynamic and tonal ranges. Hearing the music these instruments inspire is a special treat. That’s certainly the case with Wytold (William Wytold Lebing). Raised in northern Virginia, Wytold grew up playing with the cello and the guitar. Going electric with the CR-6 opened up huge new musical and […]
Grant Emerson: fusing genres on the NXT4 double bass
“Carry the Fire”, debut album from North Carolina band Delta Rae, comes out today on Sire Records (Warner Brothers). Delta Rae blends country, rock, and blues with their rich four-part vocal harmonies, creating an energetic new brand of pop. Check out these profiles of the band from Rolling Stone and The Washington Post. Delta Rae […]