Gear Reviews
The NS Radius Bass – A New Approach to Bass Ergonomics by Todd Urban
Bass Review, the NS Radius Bass – A New Approach to Bass Ergonomics by Todd Urban
Discomfort and injuries that stem from electric bass are issues that musicians have dealt with since the creation of the instrument. Some musicians abandon their craft, while others turn to surgery and expensive treatments. Many manufacturers have explored different designs in order to address these problems, usually at the expense of tone, playability, or instrument aesthetics. However, the NS CR5 Radius bass stands out among others as an instrument that not only offers innovation in terms of ergonomics, but actually provides sonic advancements that offer the player the ability to perform with traditional sounds or take tone to a new level.
Instrument designer Ned Steinberger, who is mostly recognized for his headless instruments, is the creator of the Radius bass. During an interview about the Radius bass, Ned stated that the headless design is what gives this bass an advantage over a traditional design.
“The benefit of headless is real. in the long run there will be more acceptance of [headless design] because great balance is so basic to making the instrument fun to play.”
The removal of the head centers the instrument’s weight over the player’s body when a strap is used, or balances the instrument perfectly on the right thigh when a player performs in a sitting position. This balance frees up a player’s left hand from needing to hold the neck and relaxes the right arm from needing to apply downward pressure on the body to offset a heavy headstock. (Ned stated that he actually added the smallest bit of extra weight to the headstock end so that players will still have the feel of a familiar downward pull from headstock, without the neck falling.)
The headless design provides an additional benefit that was not an ergonomic consideration prior to the writing of this article, total instrument weight. Neck and mid back problems are frequent symptoms seen in bassists. Even when a high end strap is used and placed on the shoulder (instead of compressing trapezius and scalene muscles), the weight of an average bass can be detrimental to the body. In the case of the Radius bass, not only is excess wood removed from the headstock, but the tuners are integrated into the bridge, ultimately removing 3/5ths the weight that traditional tuners would add to the instrument.
Bridge integrated into the curved body
Additionally, while the body of the instrument appears solid, Ned’s design bores holes through the body of the instrument to create a honeycomb design. The removal of excess wood reduces the weight of the bass and allows for the instrument to be constructed with the tone benefits of maple.
“I like the way maple rings, it is very energetic. People use swamp ash and other light weight woods because maple is too heavy for a solid body.”
A rounded top and custom rounded pickups provide comfort to players
Ergonomics usually focuses on instrument shape. The Radius bass features a curved back, which is thinner on the low string side than it is on the high G-string side. This unique shape provides a slight upward tilt of the bass for better visual contact with the fingerboard, while creating a natural slope for the right forearm to rest. The curved back is comfortable to the body of a thin player, while having a shape that fits the curves of a player who may be larger in size. This curved shape carries onto the top of the instrument providing comfort to players who anchor their right thumb on one of the rounded custom pickups while also working well for players who float their thumb over the top of the strings or body of the instrument.
Due to the deep cutaway of the bass, the left hand access involves a natural hand position all the way up to the 20th fret, with full 24 fret access through a slight turn of the hand. On the opposite end, the neck ends with a slightly thicker carving under the fingerboard in order to create the feel of a headstock at the nut.
The feel of a head is created at the nut end
These two ends are tied together with an ebony fingerboard that has a strong feel through the graphite reinforced maple neck. Ned described the neck of the instrument as the most important acoustic element in the solid body instrument since it is relatively flexible and interactive with the string. When played acoustically, the bass provided a very strong punch and loud resonance that most basses cannot rival. The B-string provided a tight feel due to the 35″ scale. However the integration of the bridge into the bass body sets the bass back far enough so that the longer scale does not present left hand problems when reaching the lower frets.
Going beyond ergonomics, the smaller size of the bass, makes the instrument lighter and smaller to carry around town or fit in an overhead on a plane. The unique construction of the bridge tuners keeps the bass in tune, even when placed in a case. Easy battery access, a long horn for grip, rapid string changing, and unobstructed access to truss rod adjustments show attention to every detail of the bass. While this review intended to focus ergonomics instead of sound, it would be difficult to avoid mentioning the expansive palate of sounds that the bass offers. Two custom EMG pickups provide a punchy modern sound, while the piezo designed bridge allows everything from a deep bass fattening of the sound, to an acoustic tone.
The Radius bass address many concerns that doctors and therapists have dealt with for years when working with musicians. The light weight, curved back, bridge placement, and perfect balance may be the solution for musicians who need a change in instrument design in order to accommodate physical limitations. While the price of $2695 runs higher than most store stocked basses, the benefit of comfort and savings on medical and therapeutic costs could rescue a player’s career!
Visit online at nedsteinberger.com
Gear
New Joe Dart Bass From Sterling By Music Man
Sterling by Music Man introduces the Joe Dart Artist Series Bass (“Joe Dart”), named after and designed in collaboration with the celebrated Vulfpeck bassist.
Above photo credit: JORDAN THIBEAUX
This highly-anticipated model marks the debut of the Dart bass in the Sterling by Music Man lineup, paying homage to the Ernie Ball Music Man original that all funk players know and love. The bass embodies many of the original model’s distinctive features, from its iconic minimalist design to the passive electronics.
The design process prioritized reliability, playability, and accessibility at the forefront. Constructed from the timeless Sterling body, the Dart features a slightly smaller neck profile, offering a clean tone within a comfortable package. The body is crafted from soft maple wood for clarity and warmth while the natural finish emphasizes the simple yet unique look.
Engineered for straightforward performance, this passive bass features a ceramic humbucking bridge pickup and a single ‘toaster’ knob for volume control. Reliable with a classic tone, it’s perfect for playing in the pocket. The Dart is strung with the all-new Ernie Ball Stainless Steel Flatwound Electric Bass Strings for the smoothest feel and a mellow sound.
The Sterling by Music Man Joe Dart Bass is a special “Timed Edition” release, exclusively available for order on the Sterling by Music Man website for just one month. Each bass is made to order, with the window closing on May 31st and shipping starting in November. A dedicated countdown timer will indicate the remaining time for purchase on the product page. Additionally, the back of the headstock will be marked with a “2024 Crop” stamp to commemorate the harvest year for this special, one-of-a-kind release.
The Joe Dart Bass is priced at $399.99 (MAP) and can be ordered globally at https://sterlingbymusicman.com/products/joe-dart.
To learn more about Joe Dart, visit the official Vulfpeck artist site here https://www.vulfpeck.com/.
Gear Reviews
The Frank Brocklehurst 6-String Fretless Bass Build
A few months ago, my Ken Bebensee 6-string fretted bass needed some TLC. You know, the one rocking those Pink Neon strings! I scoured my Connecticut neighborhood for a top-notch luthier and got pointed to Frank Brocklehurst, F Brock Music. He swung by my place, scooped up the bass, and boom, returned it the next day, good as new. Not only that, he showed up with a custom 5-string fretted bass that blew me away. I couldn’t resist asking if he could whip up a 6-string fretless for me.
Alright, let’s break down the process here. We’ve got our raw materials: Mahogany, Maple, and Holly. Fun fact – the Mahogany and Maple have been chilling in the wood vault for a solid 13 years. Frank is serious about his wood; they buy it, stash it away, and keep an eye on it to make sure it’s stable.
First up, they’re tackling the Mahogany. Frank glues it together, then lets it sit for a few days to let everything settle and the glue to fully dry. After that, it’s onto the thickness planer and sander to get it nice and flat for the CNC machine. The CNC machine’s the real star here – it’s gonna carve out the body chambers and volume control cavity like a pro.
While the Mahogany’s doing its thing, Frank goes onto the neck core. Three pieces of quartersawn maple are coming together for this bad boy. Quartersawn means the grain’s going vertical. He is also sneaking in some graphite rods under the fingerboard for stability and to avoid any dead spots. The truss rod is going to be two-way adjustable, and the CNC machine’s doing its magic to make sure everything’s just right.
Now, onto the design phase. Frank uses CAD software to plan out the body shape, neck pocket, chambering, and those cool f-holes. I had this idea for trapezoid F-holes, just to do something different. The CAD software also helps us map out the neck shape, graphite channels, and truss-rod channel with pinpoint accuracy.
Once everything’s planned out, it’s CNC time again. Frank cuts out the body outline, neck pocket, and the trapezoid F-holes. Then it’s a mix of hand sanding and power tools to get that neck just how we like it. Oh, and those f holes? We’re going for trapezoids of different sizes – gotta keep things interesting.
Next step: gluing that neck into the pocket with some old-school hide glue. It’s got great tonal transfer and can be taken apart later if needed. Then it’s onto hand-carving that neck-body transition.
For the custom-made bridge, Frank uses brass for definition and Ebony for tonal transfer and that warm, woody sound.
BTW, for tunes, Frank went with Hipshot Ultralights with a D Tuner on the low B. This way I can drop to a low A which is a wonderful tone particularly if you are doing any demolition around your house!
Now it’s time for the side dots. Typically, on most basses, these dots sit right in the middle of the frets. But with this bass, they’re placed around the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 12th frets.
Frank’s got his pickup hookup. Since the pickup he was building wasn’t ready, he popped in a Nordstrand blade to give it a whirl.
It sounded good, but I was itching for that single-coil vibe! And speaking of pickups, Frank showed me the Holly cover he was cutting to match, along with all the pink wire – talk about attention to detail!
A couple of things, while it is important for me to go passive, it is equally important for me to just go with a volume knob. Tone knobs are really just low-pass filters and the less in the way of a pure sound for me, the better.
Finally, it’s string time! As usual, I went for the DR Pink Neon strings. Hey, I even have matching pink Cons…Both low tops and high!
Once we’ve got everything tuned up and settled, we’ll give it a day or two and then tweak that truss rod as needed. And voila, we’ve got ourselves a custom-made bass ready to rock and roll.
I want to thank Frank Brocklehurst for creating this 6 string beast for me.
Gear Reviews
Review Transcript: BITE Custom Bass – The Black Knight PP Bass
This is a written transcript of our video review of the BITE Custom Bass Black Knight PP Bass originally published on March 4, 2024
BITE Custom Bass – The Black Knight PP Bass Review…
Bass Musician Magazine did a review on a Steampunk bass from BITE Guitars about three years ago, it was an amazing instrument, and we were very impressed. Now we’re happy to bring you another BITE bass, the Black Knight PP.
Everybody needs a P-type bass, it’s the standard of bass. If you’re recording, they want you to have a P bass. So why not have something that gives you a little more by having two instead of one P pickup. That’s the idea of this bass, it’s the first thing that leaps out: the double P pickup configuration.
Installing two of their 1000 millivolt split-coil pickups, BITE then went one step further and wired them up in a 4-way parallel/series circuit, a look at the controls reveal a 4-way rotary selector:
The first position, marked “B”, gives you the bridge pickup by itself.
The second position, marked “P”, gives you the bridge and neck pickups in parallel mode, that’s the traditional J-type circuit, it reduces output due to the physical law of parallel circuits.
Position number 3 is marked “N”, it gives you the neck pickup by itself.
And finally, number 4, marked “S”, gives your bridge and neck in a series (humbucking) mode which adds up resistances and thus boosts output. The other two controls are master volume and master tone.
What’s more, like every BITE bass, this one also has a reinforced headstock heel designed to give it extra output and sustain. The BITE website features a graph and explanation of what they have done to the heel, as compared to traditional headstocks.
A look at the body reveals a beautiful Black Blast body finish and underneath that we have alder wood. The bass has a matching headstock with a 4-in-line tuner setup and the traditional bite out of it, so everybody will know what kind of bass you’re playing. The pickguard is 3-ply black, the neck is vintage tinted hard maple and it has a satin speed finish at the back which keeps your thumb from sticking.
On top of that, there’s a clear-coated roasted black locust fretboard with black blocks marking the frets. The nut is a black Graph Tec nut, we’ve got diamond dome control knobs, and the tuners are lightweight compacts with cloverleaf buttons and a 1:17 ratio precision gear. The bridge is a Gotoh brass bridge with 19-millimeter string spacing.
Overall measurements: we’ve got a standard 34″ scale, a 1.65″ width nut and a C neck profile. This bass weighs 8.2 pounds, or 3,7 kilograms for our metric friends, and it uses standard 18% nickel silver frets.
Taking a closer look at the sound, this bass is a joy to play. The BITE proprietary 1000 millivolt pickups deliver an extraordinary amount of output which is surprising considering this is a passive instrument. You may even want to set your amp to active mode because of all of the juice you’re getting out of this guy.
The tonal possibilities are very versatile, it’s a straight P if you want but also much more with those different arrangements of the circuitry. So why have multiple basses when you’ve got one that can give you your basic P plus a lot more?
To sum it up, the Black Knight PP is an amazing instrument. The attention to detail that BITE puts into their basses is second to none. This bass is also amazingly balanced and gorgeous to hold and feel with the satin neck finish.
For more information, visit online at bite.guitars/product/black-knight-pp
Bass Videos
Reviews: Phil Jones Bass Compact Plus 450 and Bass Engine 17
Phil Jones Bass Compact Plus 450 and Bass Engine 17 Reviews…
In this issue, we take an in-depth look at two new amps from Phil Jones Bass, the Compact Plus 450 and Bass Engine 17.
For more information, visit online at pjbworld.com
Bass Videos
Video Review: BITE Custom Bass – The Black Knight PP Bass
BITE Custom Bass – The Black Knight PP Bass Review…
I am sure many of you saw my review of the Snobby Steampunk Bass from BITE Guitars back in February of 2021 and will remember what a remarkable bass it was. BITE has been building custom basses since 2019 and has a unique custom approach where you can configure your bass to your specs.
I am very excited to have another Bass From BITE Guitars in my hands, The Black Knight PP Bass!
The need for a P-Bass in one’s armamentarium is pretty standard for bass players and I recall chatting about this with Marty O’Brien about a year ago. It turns out that Marty and BITE Guitars got together and came up with this excellent configuration that gives you a P-Bass with a whole lot more. Marty even played his own Black Knight PP bass at the 2024 NAMM show. You can see his review here.
Join me as I take an in-depth look at this very cool instrument and share all the details.
Here is The Black Knight Bass from BITE Guitars!
For more information, visit online at bite.guitars/product/black-knight-pp
Preparing for Performance with Dr. Randy Kertz
Interview With Bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes
Working-Class Zeros: Episode #2 – Financial Elements of Working Musicians
Tour Touch Base (Bass) with Ian Allison
New Gear: Spector Woodstock Custom Collection Volume II
Preparing for Performance with Dr. Randy Kertz
This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
The Frank Brocklehurst 6-String Fretless Bass Build
Guy Pratt, Not Your Average Guy – May 2024 Issue
