NS Design (Ned Steinberger) CR5M 5-String Electric Upright Bass
NS Design Homepage | EU Bass Page (formerly US series) | CR Bass Page
(click for large US stock photo) | (click for large CR stock photo)
Ned Steinberger is an innovative instrument designer who developed the headless electric guitar and bass design in 1979. (for which he won the “Design of the Decade” award from the Industrial Designer Society Of America). In 1986 he sold the company responsible to Gibson guitars, though he remains a consultant.
In 1990, he founded NS Design to develop electric versions of classical string instruments. His idea was that the electric versions need not sound identical to the acoustic counterparts (as previous electric instruments had attempted), but that the electric instruments could have much greater possibilities (like the electric guitar).
Jim's original stage instrument (which I believe he may call "Ned"), was a US made 5-string model. The US models are expensive and were made in limited quantity. I believe they have now shifted the production to Europe and replaced it with the EU series. The bass had a round mirror on the head that was remained from a Burning Man performance he did with Brothers Creeggan. I believe he has finally removed it.
Jim also had an off-stage bass for a while, which is of the lower-end CR series. For reasons that I am not privy to, it has recently shown up with Jim at performances. It too is a 5-string.
Jim uses the tripod stand, and has a Leather-style bow pouch on the stand.The main visual differences between the basses are that the US bass has long slots for the strings at the body, and the 5 round black magnetic pickups. The CR model holes just larger than the strings, and the magnetic pickups have 5 smaller black circles above or below the larger magnetic pickups - I'm not sure what they are for. The site doesn't indicate any difference in the magnetic pickups on either model.
All the tech-specs are easily available on the NS site, so I won't bother repeating them here. I don't have information on whether Jim uses a low 5th string or a high one - the basses are designed to work both ways. I'm sure if I listen to a performance with the bass I could figure it out but I haven't bothered doing that yet. Based on the sound and the fact that the NS Site has a clip of One Week, I believe he used the NS to record that song. Another Postcard may also be recorded on the NS bass. It has that type of sound.
"I'm loving the hell out of this bass" - Jim
