For more than 30 years, Ned Steinberger has been designing and building some of the most ground breaking instruments in the world.
Here's a new example of his work: the brand new Omnibass
The idea was to create an instrument that would combine the range of the bass & cello in a single instrument that would sound great either pizz or bowed.
The 34" scale will feel instantly familiar to bass players.
The sound is full and deep, with that nice NS trademark sustain and definition.
The very effective Polar pickup system captures both the vertical (pizzicato) and horizontal (arco) movement of the strings, and ou can blend these modes depending of what you need. What's more, a set of custom made EMG magnetic pickups have been added, and these turn the Omnibass into one of the best fretless basses around. The Neck thru maple neck, solid ebony fingerboard and non metallic bridge are the perfect platform to get the best possible fretless sound.
What you get is an instrument that can sound remarkably close to an upright bass, and go to a perfect fretless tone just by tirning one knob. The stock lightweight strings make bowing really easy, and we encourage you to try it; with a little practice, the results are amazing.
The Omnibass comes tuned EADGC in 4ths but can by tuned BEADG with the right strings, or can be tuned in fifths like a cello. What's more, you can use standard electric bass strings on it. If you don't want to be bothered with a fretless fingerboard, there's a fretted version too, which actually is a twist to the Viol or Viola da Gamba from the 16th Century.
Price includes the tripod stand and a great quality gig bag. Optionally you can order a Boomerang stand, which allows to carry the bass around in optimal position both for pizz or arco playing. Neat!
You can see a picture comparing the size of this instrument and the regular NS Bass
Note: this instrument was formerly called Basscello
