Shop Keyboard Deals, Financing, and More

NS Design NXT4a Radius Bass Guitar - Sunburst

4-string Bass Guitar with Maple Body, Flame Maple Top, Maple Neck, Ebony Fingerboard, and 2 Active Humbucking Pickups - Sunburst
Write review Item ID: NXT4aBGSB
$2,249.00

Earn $113 back in Bonus Bucks OR pay $94/month with 24 month financing*

We Can Get It!

While this isn't an item we normally stock, we can still get it to you as fast as possible due to our great relationship with NS Design. Go ahead and place your order and we'’ll follow up shortly to let you know when to expect it.

Add to Cart
Notify me about deals

Ask An Expert

Our expertly trained Sales Engineers are ready to help!

What is a Sales Engineer?
Sweetwater Gear Exchange

Have one to sell?
Check out Sweetwater's Gear Exchange!
Learn More

Most Popular Accessories & Related Items

NS Design NXT4a Radius Bass Guitar - Sunburst
We Can Get It!
$2,249.00
Add to Cart
Add to list
Back to navigation

This article was Written By

Our Product Research Team

Get to know them!

A Forward-thinking Bass Guitar

The NS Design NXT4a is one of the most forward-thinking bass guitars on the planet. Its innovative Diradial body boasts a concave back, radiused front, and wedge-shaped body that supply unprecedented playing comfort. Its balanced NXTa Radius maple neck eschews a headstock with heavy tuners to give you a balanced, lightweight instrument. Add to that an easy-playing RichLite fretboard, and you have a bass that's hard to put down. As for the sound — the NXT4a's NS/EMG-designed pickups capture every ounce of its natural tone, while Dual Mode Output Electronics deliver a wide palette of sonic textures. Complete with an ultra-stable self-clamping tuning system, the NXT4a is meticulously crafted in the Czech Republic.

Innovative body and neck design redefine the modern bass

We love innovation at Sweetwater, and the NXT4a Radius is pushing the boundaries of bass guitar design. Never one to rest on his past creations, Ned Steinberger has pushed the realm of instrument design with his latest bass creation. The NXT4a's Diradial body shape sports a maple body with a flame maple top. Its concave back profile is extremely comfortable, while its tightly radiused front and wedge-shaped body create a comfortable orientation to the right hand. Beyond that, this bass's NXTa Radius neck features string slots in an aluminum headplate, which eliminate the need for a headstock with heavy tuners. The result is a balanced, lightweight instrument that's a joy to play.

Dual Mode Output Electronics with NS/EMG pickups

The NXT4a Radius comes loaded with a set of custom NS/EMG-designed magnetic pickups. These pickups boast a radiused top and magnetic structure that capture every nuance of your playing. A familiar Volume/Volume/Tone knob layout makes the NXT4a Radius easy to dial in. But that's not all — this bass's push-pull Tone knob toggles between passive and active output modes, unlocking a plethora of thunderous tones. Best of all, the active mode's innovative battery-free design features supercapacitor-based circuitry that charges in 60 seconds via the included AC adapter to supply active output for up to 16 hours.

The latest Steinberger masterpiece

Ned Steinberger breathed new vision and life into stringed instruments when he introduced the L2 bass at Summer NAMM in 1979. Innovatively designed without headstocks, the L2s astonished the music world and prototypes were quickly sold to such esteemed players as John Entwistle of The Who, Tony Levin of King Crimson, and Andy West of The Dregs. Since then, Steinberger basses and guitars have continued to impress musicians the world over. Their cutting-edge self-clamping tuning systems make way for stability never thought possible, while their Diradial bodies, Radius necks, and EMG humbucking pickup systems allow for an extensive range of tonal possibilities.

NS Design NXT4a Radius Features:

  • Solid straight-grain maple body with eye-catching flame maple top
  • Innovative Diradial body design has a comfortable concave back
  • Balanced NXTa Radius maple neck eschews a headstock with heavy tuners
  • Easy-playing RichLite fretboard with 15" radius
  • Dual Mode Output Electronics with passive and battery-free active modes
  • Pickup system designed by NS Design and EMG
  • Self-clamping tuning system is ultra-stable and easy to use
  • Meticulously crafted in the Czech Republic

Why Buy Your Guitar from Sweetwater?

See how Sweetwater goes to great lengths to give you the very best online guitar buying experience. From our online Guitar Gallery that allows you to see and select the exact instrument you want to our 55-point Inspection process and our in-house guitar techs, we take the guesswork out of buying your next guitar online.

Additional Media

Warranty Info

Sweetwater's FREE 2-Year Total Confidence Coverage Warranty

Extra peace of mind at no extra cost.

  • Save money with FREE parts and labor
  • Get back to making music with the industry's fastest turnaround time
  • Fix it the first time with our award-winning, factory-certified Service Department
Learn More about Total Confidence Coverage

Free 2-year Warranty

Sweetwater's 2-year Total Confidence Coverage™ Warranty gives you extra peace of mind at no extra cost.

Learn More about Total Confidence Coverage
Tools Icon

Save money with free parts & labor!

Fast Icon

Get back to making music with the industry's fastest turnaround time.

Award Icon

Fix it the first time with our award-winning, factory-certified Service Department.

Back to navigation

Tech Specs

  • Number of Strings: 4
  • Left-/Right-handed: Right-handed
  • Body Shape: Diradial
  • Body Material: Solid, Straight Grain Maple body, Flame Maple top
  • Body Finish: Satin
  • Color: Sunburst
  • Neck Material: Maple
  • Neck Shape: NXTa Radius
  • Neck Joint: Bolt-on
  • Radius: 15"
  • Fingerboard Material: Richlite
  • Fingerboard Inlay: Dots
  • Number of Frets: 24
  • Scale Length: 34"
  • Nut Width: 1.6"
  • Bridge/Tailpiece: Aluminum 1-piece
  • Tuners: NS Self-clamping
  • Neck Pickup: EMG Custom Radius Humbucker
  • Bridge Pickup: EMG Custom Radius Humbucker
  • Controls: 2 x volume, 1 x tone (push/pull active, passive modes)
  • Strings: D'Addario EXL170, .045-.100
  • Case/Gig Bag: Gig Bag
  • Manufacturer Part Number: NXT4a-BG-SB

What Makes Our Sales Engineers Great?

Sweetwater Sales Engineers are a world-class team of experts dedicated to you. Hand selected from across the globe, each brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the world of music gear to provide you with unparalleled service completely free of charge. Friendly relationships, real trust, and the right gear are only a call or a click away!

Back to navigation

Customer Reviews

Write your review
Rated 4/5

I like it!

I bought this bass as a backup for my Steinberger M-series bass. The nxt4a has excellent balance, no neck dive, and is lighter than my Steinberger. I primarily use it in passive mode and can get a good range of tones from it, but the super capacitor can be charged up in 60 seconds for 16 hours of charge for active mode. No need to buy batteries.

The new bridge design allows for the use of regular strings instead of having to find double ball end strings. I got the action set low, this bass is very easy to play. The neck isn't too thin. The fretwork is very good, no sharp ends. My Steinberger may end up being the backup.
Rated 2/5

It’s okay

I"ll try to be as descriptive as possible with this NS Design Bass review, It"s a very full sounding Bass compared to the WAV bass for starters. A definite upgrade from the WAV without having a Harsh Piezo bridge for a pickup. I really liked the sound out of this one and it weighed a bit less than the WAV (it even felt a bit smoother from the neck), with the ability to charge this bass through a wall charger really saves yourself a couple bucks and the trip to get yourself a 9V battery.

This instrument definitely cuts through in the mix but I couldn"t justify the price and the limitations of this instruments only having 2 volume and 1 tone knob. Wish it had more tone control despite having a really nice rechargeable battery. It"s an OK sounding bass for me.
Music background: Session player
Rated 1/5

Great looks but poor functioning

It's a super nice design in terms of looks and curved back. I really wished the bass played well. After professional attempts to get rid of neck/fret buzzes, even with an open string with sustain, it just couldn't be done. I actually am really bummed about it because I really love the design in terms of looks, weight, unique charging. I was super surprised at the malfunctioning it had, despite attempts to fix. Sadly returned.. very sadly.
Close Close $2,000 Pick Your PRS Giveaway -- input your email address below to enter or click here to learn more.

See giveaway details & rules or check out our past winners!

Success!

Your email, has been entered to win this giveaway. Good Luck!