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The Stick Thread


prog_fiend

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1 hour ago, Lfalex v1.1 said:

I think my ideal instrument might be an SB8 (the carbon one) tuned FCGDEABF#, so eight strings, parallel 4ths.

The SB8 would be interesting, but I am not sure that is sufficiently different from a bass really. Or I guess if I was going to go that way the NS Stick would probably be more appealing.

1 hour ago, Lfalex v1.1 said:

At the moment, I'm working on ideas for an adapter plate so I can mount it on the stand from my NS5 CR EUB.

I would certainly like a stand. I am still getting the strings to a place where they are happy. And learning chords.

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Yes I remember a couple of “interesting situations with the belt hook and not tight enough belt (or forgetting to put a belt on) 😀

Although slightly unorthodox (but then that’s a Stick anyway), a stand makes perfect sense. I spent 20+ practising bass seated only to realise it’s actually much better to stand - the instrument hangs in a far more natural place. At least the Stick is relatively light and with said belt hook take the pressure off your shoulders.

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On 03/07/2019 at 22:01, Woodinblack said:

The SB8 would be interesting, but I am not sure that is sufficiently different from a bass really. Or I guess if I was going to go that way the NS Stick would probably be more appealing.

I think with the benefit of hindsight an NS Stick would have been better.  Ever seen Don Schiff's videos?  I didn't expect it to be easy though, it's just different.  In a way, I think it's more suited to a keyboard player that already has the 'both hands' thing sussed, rather than a bass player.  But it's a challenge and one that I haven't given up on yet.

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1 hour ago, TorturedSaints said:

I think with the benefit of hindsight an NS Stick would have been better.  Ever seen Don Schiff's videos?  I didn't expect it to be easy though, it's just different.

I think the NS Stick is more suited to someone coming from a guitar only world, but one think I like about the stick is that it is different, it forces you to do different things.

I have the advantage of starting life on the piano, but spending most of the time since teens on a guitar. Its still in the 'little too different' group, but I was just randomly playing it yesterday, without any concious thought of trying anything, and it was starting to make some noises that weren't too unmusical!

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  • 1 month later...
On 08/07/2019 at 17:29, EMG456 said:

That's when it starts to be fun!

Agreed! I spontaneously played what can only be described as a double-stop except it was across 2pairs of octaves that were 2 octaves apart.

I nearly fell over. Just as well I was using headphones, it could've been quite scary through an amp!

It probably won't happen again! 😂

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 26/06/2019 at 10:48, EMG456 said:

The most irritating thing about the setup is the need to lift the string off the bridge saddle to adjust height. I've seen some players who have made up a little wire hook that lets you lift the strings on and off the saddle without de-tensioning them. I've never bothered but for a full setup with a radical change of strings, it might be worth your while to cobble something together.

Sorry about the lateness of this but I'm finally getting round to reading this thread as it's time I started trying to get some sort of sound out of my Megatar. One of these might be useful for lifting strings on/off the bridge: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/T-Handle-Style-Exhaust-Stand-Spring-Hook-Puller-Tool-Motorcycle-Kart-Bike-RMN0/202757549712 They work well for stand and exhaust springs on bikes.

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  • 4 months later...

Just joined the forum mates (is that how u say it across the Pond?) I can get away w/ saying "Jersey" in the U.S. because we're the only state that drops the "New" from our name but I have nothing to do with cows or islands just attitude. So yeah, I'm a bass player that made the switch to Stick...not that I'm any good, but it's alot more fun to play than bass once you get the hang of it. So...ASK ME ANYTHING. I'm gonna read this post from the beginning to catch up. 

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OK I'm caught up. What everyone says / + my own 2 cents (pence?). Yeah, I'm not a guitarist I'm a BASSIST and I want to play the stuff the guitarist THAT IS NOT THE LEAD GUITARIST in the band is supposed to play, but is too whizzed off because he's NOT the lead guitarist, and never learned how to be the rhytym guitarist. You know, comping, GROOVE, things like that. (When I told my band in the 80's I was buying a Stick our guitarist threatened cutting the Melody strings off...he didn't) I found out SamAshNYC had a Stick in the shop ('85) I drove like a maniac up the New Jersey Turnpike and the salesman handed it to me and said, "Good luck". I didn't even plug it in just mucked about then handed over my cash (1,200US). Those days-no internet, YouTube, Skype lessons, just Emmett Chapmans "FreeHands" and I WANT THE TONY LEVIN SOUND. But...I went to Berklee College of Music in Boston MA for 2 semesters, they weren't teaching me what I wanted (my music has "No Commercial Potential") & I wound up working in the food bizniz fulltime & a band part-time. Also I became a full-time drunk, so, not much Stick-playing (requires effort, study), but could slog my way on the bass. Got sober in '09, got another Stick (12-string) that I've tried every tuning on, but I'm back to what I started with on this one, which is Dual Bass Reciprocal. Even though the tuning seems "redundant" the low end of the melody side sounds different than the bass 5ths side, I play "crossed" and "uncrossed" when & however I feel like it, I play "across-the-board" grabbing notes where they lay to fill out chords or lines, etc.,etc.,etc. The thing is, whenever I put any effort in something on the Stick, (especially "things I can't play", but hear) I get back SO MUCH MORE. So, bass players out there, if you're hearing more than just a bassline, and you want to compose (write tunes), GET A STICK (and stick with it). Oh, one more thing for now, I don't miss the higher melody string too much.

Edited by StickyDBRmf
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OH, AND ANOTHER THING...I have short stubby fingers. Never could play proper chords on guitar. (That's why I do Joni Mitchell tunings nowadays). The width of the fretboard and closeness in string spacing is a help not a hinderance on Stick. First, left hand chords in inverted 5ths are EASY for me (and with 6 strings in the bass, upper chords have lots of possibilities, and I can de-tune the 12th string, and I've never broken one. Lots of guys use the High Bass 4th tuning). Also, because the right hand engages the fretboard from above, I CAN play chords on the melody side. So, I'm always telling Emmett on Stickist.com that he invented THE COOLEST INSTRUMENT IN THE WORLD. Now realize also Emmett was a jazz guitarist coming up with a new playing method of fingers on strings with both hands perpendicular to the fretboard, he just happened to also build an instrument with a REALLY COOL BASS SOUND.

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  • 7 months later...

Still having lots of fun. Played for about 3 hours this afternoon. 

By virtue of a 2mono/1mono adapter, I can now use my Pandora PX4d with the stick. Tuner works really well with it, but the stars of the show are the amp sims and, better still, modulation, delay and reverb. These really can flesh out the sound of the melody strings, and the tap delay in particular helps keep my right hand timing up to scratch. 

Ideally,  I'll get round to using the Melody side into the PX4d, and the Bass side through a Zoom B3 into a mixer.  That'll be good,  as I can use a drier sound on the bass side and save the heavy modulation for the melody alone. 

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There are quite a few Stickists in the UK go on Stickist.com and say you're interested in the Stick give yer location and see who bites. You might find one or two for sale or at least someone to invite you over and check it out...we are an extremely friendly (and talkative) bunch and passionate and not secretive at all. We want the community to GROW. And there are a lot of us coming from bass. Strings...Newtone is a good source. SE from California is prohibitive in $$$. And you can ask me anything. I play a 12-string Grand tuned Dual Bass Reciprocal de-tuned a half-step, with the Melody a half-step lower, which really makes it matched. In that the fret markers match. It's weird if you check out Stick.com (the Stick website) the explanation is Melody being a 5 or 6 string bass and the Bass in 5ths "sharing" the common low B string. But for me my tuning makes more sense. Greg Howard experiments with DBR and even shows how to "convert" to DBR from other higher Melody tunings, but does it with a Stick that has no markers and he puts tape "off-set" on the Melody...Like I said weird, or complicated, depending on how you "think" (I'm a bassist, I don't "think" like other people) Anyway, I encourage anyone that likes to play crazy stuff or likes to write but doesn't get on with a guitar or keyboard and wants to march to the beat of a different drummer to check it out...

IMG_20200815_135212722.jpg

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3 hours ago, StickyDBRmf said:

Yeah I saw you. I'm AnDroiD over there. Marty. Damn glad to meet you

I used my imagination and chose the name "prowla" - it took me a while to come up with that!

Paul (that's the "p" in the above)

Edited by prowla
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Android doesn't even make sense. The old Stickist website went down and I couldn't retreive my old moniker, Martroid, which is what my old guitarist called me - Martroid the Android. So I went with Android and all of a sudden it's a cellphone...I coulda changed it again but What The Fuss call me Marty Stick or Marty Taco everyone else does...

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  • 3 weeks later...

I tried playing mine with it horizontally across my lap whilst seated.

Why? , you ask.

I spend 40+hours a week on my feet,  and I might like to sit down! I hate, hate, hate wearing a belt and dressing like I'm Simon Cowell just to put a stick on.

 

It's not bad at all. Granted,  my hands are both approaching the instrument from what would be the top edge, but at least it's  helping my right hand dexterity with regard to fretting. It's  got 28 years' worth of catching up to do!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I was considering purchasing a left-handed bass to improve my right- hand dexterity/fluidity (by using it for fretting)

The Stick has definitely helped with that, and it's improved my ability to anticipate what I need to do next as I really have to think about what I'm doing. When I switch back to bass,  it really all just falls into place. 

 

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