I've never been taught to play an upright bass, so my meager attempts sound exactly like that- meager. I did give this NS Design a small whirl and the first thought that came to my mind was that it has an exceptionally warm and smooth tone. I can only imagine wht it will sound like in the hands of a bassist that knows his/ her way around the instrument. I also thought I had better post the specs on the bass so it is clear on exactly what we are all looking at. Here they are:
SPECIFICATIONS:
    LENGTH: 132 cm (52")
    WEIGHT: 4.8 kg (10.5 lbs.)
    SCALE LENGTH: 106 cm (41.73")
    STRINGS 4 or 5 (Low B or high C)
    CONSTRUCTION: Solid rock maple neck and body, flame maple face
    FINISH: Traditional amber stain with clear semi-gloss polymer coating.
    FINGERBOARD: Macassar Ebony;
        4 string: 43.1mm (1.7") wide at nut; 89.0mm (3.5") max. width.  5 string: 47.6mm (1.875") wide at nut; 101.6mm (4.0") max. width.
    BRIDGE: Black phenolic; radius 7.9cm (3.1") string spacing 81mm (3.19").
    NUT: Macassar Ebony; radius 7.9cm (3.1"); string spacing 30mm (1.19").
    PICKUPS
    BRIDGE: The Polar™ directional piezo pick-up system responds selectively to either vertical vibration (for the sustained plucked sound, like an electric bass guitar), or lateral vibration (for dynamic bowing, and a percussive plucked sound).
    MAGNETIC (for CR4M and CR5M only): Low impedance EMG™ magnetic pick-up system, with individually adjustable coils, and low-noise, hum-canceling pre-amp.
    ELECTRONICS: 18 volt active circuit by HAZ Laboratories. Mono output.
    TRUSS ROD: Double rod design. Accessible at nut.
    TUNING MACHINES: Schaller 20:1 ratio, fully encased worm gear tuners; black finish.
    STRINGS: Compatible with most standard upright bass strings. D'Addario stainless steel flatwound strings standard.
    TRIPOD STAND (standard): Black steel, fully adjustable, standing tripod design. Weight 3.2 kg (7 lbs.)
    GIG BAG: (standard) Padded tube with handle and shoulder strap, 137 cm (54") long; 18 cm (7") in diameter. Loaded weight is 8.2 kg (18 Ibs.), including stand. Fits in the overhead luggage compartment of most commercial aircraft.

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