Man, electric uprights are SO COOL but SO HARD TO PLAY! Especially if you're used to the electric bass [or "bass guitar" as upright-players like to condescendingly specify]. It seems like it should be easy: same tuning, same musical role -- heck, it even says "bass" right there in the title -- but those super thick strings! That super long scale! The utter lack of frets! A few-too-many bouts with carpal-tunnel and intonation nightmares scare most away from tackling the upright monster.

Leave it to Ned Steinberger Designs to develop the Bass Cello. It takes a standard electric upright [though in the case of NS Design, "standard" is a bit misleading a term] and shrinks the scale to 34" . . . just like a P-Bass! Here's your chance to make like Tony Levin or Jeff Ament and sneak a little upright growl into your set, without having to readjust your left hand's brain* to a longer scale. Huzzah!

The Bass Cello comes in 4- and 5-string models, and both feature:

• 34" scale neck
• arched fingerboard with cascading fret markers
• NS Polar System piezo bridge pickup
• EMG special design magnetic pickups
• Active EQ and blend controls for both pickup systems
• can be plucked or bowed

The CR4 comes with NS Design's Boomerang Strap System, so you can switch between upright and bass guitar style positions in a snap! Observe:

What did we learn from these pictures? Bowing is no fun.