NS Design - cr5m
Reviewer: doug kallmeyer
Amplifier Used: fine audio systems in venues worldwide
- Vintage: 2003
- Number of Strings: 5
- Bowable: Yes
- Position Markers: Yes
- Playable Seated: Yes
- Balance While Playing:
(8/10)
i purchased this instrument because i believe it is the best multi-purpose eub i could find. i have owned half a dozen others in the last ten years to compre this to. it holds alternate tunings effortlessly (e down to a for example) and the combination of piezo and magnetic pickups allows realistic tone and ease in the use of effects. the onboard electronics sound great, especially the polarity?/filter switch on the piezo which allows you to maximize the tone for either arco or pizzicato playing.
the truss rod along with a fantastic bridge design allows for maximum flexibility for set-up. the magnetic pickups adjust individually in height and the piezos have individual volume control which allows for precise, even sound.
an over two-octave fretboard allows for a nice extended range.
here's the horror part of the story:
i auditioned a number of these instruments and was impressed enough to sell my '65 hagstrom electric and my other eub to offset costs... i ordered a cr5m from a great store which could ship the instrument tax free....i inquired about set-up, and was told the instrument came meticulously set-up from the factory. upon opening the box, the first thing i noticed were pencil x-marks on the fretboard. i called the store, they said that was just a slight mistake, erase 'em and enjoy the instrument...further inspection showed a missing 0-point on a knob, a completely loose truss rod, and worst of all, pure crap for strings. no set-up at all! not to mention the case was a joke.
i called the store, and after some juggling of info they put me in touch with ns who immediately shipped me a new instument. this instrument arrived, and although better than the first, still lacked any kind of decent set-up, had a 0-point missing on a different knob, and had some bad spots on the fretboard. frustrated, i contacted david gage in new york and made an appointment. i ordered a decent set of strings, and had them check out the instrument.
they informed me, quote:"this instrument has massive imperfections on the fretboard" they worked the fretboard into shape, ($120.00) and finally, with a new set of strings, ($150.00), and a decent gig-bag ($180.00) the istrument became what it should have been all along. ns did pick up the fretboard work costs, and i have to give them and the store i purchased the bass from credit for taking such good care of me.
unfortunately, the bottom line is that it took me two and a half weeks, a trip to new york from washington d.c., extra material expenses ($330.00), not including my time, phone calls, and lots of stress , in order to get what i initially paid for.
ns needs to put a bit more effort into their care of instruments and quality control. it should never end at the design stage.
if you are interested in one of these instruments, i would suggest trying to work a decent set of strings and case into the deal, and take the instrument to an authorized ns repair shop for checkup immediately after purchase.
Text copyright © doug kallmeyer.
