I understand this is a Stick forum, but the open hostility and tribal non-sense from certain users really doesn't help build a community at all. Yes the stick is the first and Chapman was truly a visionary but there are other possibilities as well. Some are probably far from as good as the stick, some could even be better (for all I know). That said, just knocking it because it's not a stick seems completely counterproductive in the sense of building a community and an understanding for this type of playing and its musical uses. This type of gatekeeping is quite childish and I'm surprised to see it from a group of mostly adults.

?????? Have I lost something?

Anyway, .... I like the uniqueness of projects and Kevin Siebold humor. At a time when everyone color their value to sell himself better, he honestly present what he offer. Anyone else remember the intrusive marketing of Tractor Topaz? I believe that Kevin's final effect is definitely better than he presents. If I had an idea for a "non-standard tapping instrument" and would like to implement it with somebody else's hands, I would probably use his offer. Prices are reasonable, and looking at the number of copies of instruments he made, he has great experience, too.

Ps. Another thing is that I had a few ideas for these "non standard tapping instruments", and finally only dust touching them. I prefer my Sticks. Life is too short, to be devoted to unnecessary compromises.

FAN A sTICk

the other thing too is that Sticks are more vertical - which to me is super user friendly, as I have bad wrists, and my electric bass guitar playing days are over, due to the more horizontal nature of the instrument.

Warrs... they seem to be more horizontal as opposed to vertical, and I often wonder if Trey Gunn stuck with the Stick, would have have the wrist issues he is experiencing today ??

Ah yes, Tracktor Topaz.... I still don't know what to make of him !!

The original Mobius Megatars - I love the way those instruments hang on me, it's a very comfortable instrument to play but the sound is not nearly as dynamic as a Warr or Stick... but they are fun instruments to play none the less...

I can't wait to plug in my SB-8.... I can just tell that it is going to have an incredibly crisp bright but at the same time dynamic and deep sound.

I see some point out the fanatical here - and truth be told, I used to do the same thing when I first read these forums a couple of years ago, I was like whoa these cat's are nuts !!

But then, I got it.

It's more than just owning or playing a Stick - it's about being the beholder of a fine instrument that passed through Emmett's very hands, and there is no question to me anyway regarding the care and craft and emotion which goes into each and every instrument which he makes/repairs....

The other thing too, is when the whole lawsuit thing was going on, the entire Stick community had Emmett Chapman's back, and that's really saying something.

Come to think of it, I think I asked if Emmett and Grace could/would sign my SB-8.... boy, tomorrow is going to be a real special day for me !!

55 and on a new path as far as my musicianship - and health/wellbeing goes !!

*and one final instrument is in the works: a brand new Railboard 8 that will be set up in Crafty tuning which along with the Stickbass 8 will both be my flagship instruments.

As for Krappy, he's in South Jersey ??
I thought he was in like Kentucky or something like that !!

I actually get a kick out of his creations, some of them really look fun to play, and if he can do custom work for someone, then why not ??

OH MY GOODNESS...I just got my Danelectro Longhorn Bass back from my recently deceased friend and oh how I love tapping it unplugged while lying on my back in bed. It's so lightweight it resonates thru me. (can't do that with my Chapman Stick...)

Hey friends! Honestly, I don't know anything about the Krappies other than this - Pete Gonzales plays one, and it sounds fantastic in his hands. He does some epic stuff, although I bet he could do that with literally any instrument.

My post was literally just making fun of the name and I am really sorry if this offended anyone, that was not my intention at all.

There is an ocean of music in us all and it is not limited or hampered by the type of instrument we play - that's a personal decision, a choice made by the musician as to what instrument is the best choice for the kind of music they play and how they are going to go about creating it. If you create it, I will watch/listen to it and let you know what I think - Easy as that!

So anyways, I hope everyone is feeling okay and staying safe out there during this truly turbulent time...

Were both wrong! He's in NC!.... I ironically just bought a bass from Steve Wishnevsky in Winston-Salem

i have both a 10 string stick and a 10 string krappy. i can offer up my personal opinions that are pretty direct and not speculative. this website is for stick enthusiasts, and therefore to no surprise, quite a few responses are from people who only own the stick. so let me start off by saying, whether you play a stick, or a krappy or a warr or megatar or any other touchstyle instrument, you are one of very few fortunate musicians to travel this musical path. that's a big win, i hope all of us can agree on that at the very least.

i previously owned a fairly early design stick. i think it was #680. i bought it used in 1997 for around $700. loved it, but moved away from playing and eventually sold it. years later i wanted to get back into playing and making music with it, but in no way could i come up with the amount of money to buy a stick. stick's just don't sell for $700. i was incredibly lucky to get the one i had. when i learned of the krappy, and found out the cost, i knew that it was attainable. so i went for it. better than the nothing that i had. so the risk was offset by the fact that no matter how bad it was gonna be, it was still something. i recorded a few songs with it. it fulfilled my needs and desires. of course i still wanted a real stick. so eventually when i had enough money, i bought another stick #5313. a much more modern design than what i initially had.

i've been using both instruments now for a few years. here are my observations about the krappy:

- now that i have a stick, do i still use the krappy?: YES
- do the instruments have a similar tone?: the krappy sounds more like a guitar and bass whereas the stick sounds more like a piano.
- is the range the same as the stick?: YES, but the consistency in tone across the entire instrument is no where near what the stick is.
- are all the frets usable/playable?: YES
- is the action the same?: NO, the stick has considerably lower action.
- are there multiple tuning options?: NO. the one i have was made to be used in classic 10 sting tuning. the eyelets for the strings are cut for the string size, so i can't just rearrange the tuning. this may be something he can do on an instrument by request. i told him up front i was only going to use classic 10 string tuning.
- is it as easy to play as the stick? NO. the higher action and wider spacing makes it a bit more difficult for me. i'm not very proficient to begin with, so it may not be something as noticeable to someone more skilled.
- is it easy to use?: ABSOLUTELY. i mean this in the most basic way. just 2 volume knobs, so no fiddling with tone options. instrument fits into a standard guitar stand. uses a standard guitar strap meaning its as simple as throwing it over your shoulder and playing. no belt hooks, no lap dawgs, no special straps.
is the instrument well crafted?: YES AND NO. in a lot of ways it's very well crafted from the wood selection, to the body shape, to bridge, and the pickups. however there were a few things wrong with mine on arrival. very minor things that didn't affect the instrument in any way other than aesthetics. one of the screws on a tuner was broken but held the tuner just fine. also, one of the covers on the back of another tuner was missing. i had read the disclamier before i bought, so i can't complain. the wood work seems to be very nice to me. but it's not like the stick. i'd say it's much more raw looking. the 5 piece neck looks super dope though.
- was it worth the price?: ABSOLUTELY

other observations:
- in a lot of instances when i'm using heavy or overdriven tones, i usually prefer the krappy.
- in instances i when i am using clean tones, i almost always prefer the stick
- when playing stick i find myself recording direct most often whereas when playing the krappy, i prefer using an amp. the krappy is superb at getting amazing and untamed feedback from the amp. the stick gets feedback nicely as well, but it's more controlled.
- the stick has much better sustain
- strumming chords on the krappy sounds nice and full
- the stick stays in tune better overall. the krappy stays in tune very well, but does go out easier. not to any degree that it ever becomes a problem. just that it's observably not as good as the stick
- the stick is superior in almost every way. but it doesn't lessen the value or usefulness of the krappy.

the bottom line to this and to anything in life is this: it's what you make of it. if you have one or the other or both, you've got something great to work with, so it's up to you to do the work. no reason to feel any shame if money is tight and you go with a krappy.

Hi all, I've been basically absent here for several years. I have had an interesting view of these issues. I'm very much into what the Stick is and the whole point of not trying to be a guitar. I've played a number of times on various tap-guitar things and none of them were like the Stick… but… I also have embraced the importance of FLO (Free/Libre/Open) values and find protectionist/defensive attitudes around the Stick to be entirely negative. In short, I'm very Stick-centric and critical of all the knockoffs, and I think the best ideas like the things I appreciate about the Stick should be shared freely and creative evolution of instruments should be welcomed and allowed to thrive.

All that qualification is to hint at a coming announcement: my Krappy Tapper is on its way, I'll be getting it within the next couple weeks!

I didn't order it just to have something else. I ordered it because I needed the best prototype to start exploring something I've been dreaming of for 20 years: a Stick that actually can play in tune. I mean in tune like because 12-equal-temperament is out-of-tune with harmonics, and that shows up even more with the rich tone of a Stick than it does on guitar.

A musician and theorist and personal friend of mine discovered just two years ago an amazing mathematical coincidence that allows nearly-Just-Intonation on fretted instruments in a way that people for hundreds of years (including myself) thought was impossible. My Krappy Tapper is the first ever Stick-like instrument built for this dramatically superior high-resolution tuning. It will either be amazing and everything I need or it will be a good enough prototype as I eventually plan how to get even better Stick-quality something. I don't yet know how it will be in practice (though the system is great for guitars)…

Okay SO… I'll provide all the details and a review once I have this thing… and I'll tell you about the revolutionary tuning system. (Some of you might figure out something from the pic, so I felt today like just leaving it as a riddle until I have time to make a video and explain more). I just felt like posting something when I saw this active topic and had just taken the plunge.

On a side-note: I did send an early email to SE about the potential for a Stick, and I didn't get any reply, maybe email got lost in the mix I dunno. I'm skeptical about the practicality for reasons I won't get into now. But in short, it seems thirds tuning is needed and thus more strings to have range, and various trade-offs to consider. So, having the Krappy gives me the chance to actually explore these things instead of just speculate theoretically.

Very interesting.
I cheated and looked at your blog, so made a guess at what system you are using (before looking at the photo in your post that confirmed my guess)
It is really good to see another non-12TET tapping instrument, there are so few.

(I was deep into microtonal and Just Intonation theory for a few years. I have developed my own system that allows a few near-Just-Intonation tonal systems to be played on normal frets. My system also requires a thirds tuning and therefore lots of strings, which is why tappers are so suitable for the system.)

I'm not being snarky, this is a legitimate question: Does playing in Just Intonation affect playing with standard (fretted string instruments, keyboards) instruments? I know when playing with others my Stick at some point always sounds out, no matter how good the guitarist tunes, but at least with my fretless Stick I can even out the playing field.