Hey, hope this is in the right place but I was just wondering if there are any Kelstone players on the board here? I just acquired one and have been enjoying it. There doesn't seem to be much on the net about the instrument, I am guessing there were so few built. I have had two Chapmans in my life with mixed results.

thanks for any info

Jack

Hi,

I had one for a few weeks at home. Mixed feelings : the sound is awesome, right from the box. But I found the playability to be meh (too wide touchboard), and I prefered the position of the hands around the board, like a Stick. And the classic stick tuning makes totally sense to me (after a few years of practice)

When it comes to alternative touch style instruments,
I like my Roli SeaBoard Rise 49.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ROLI_Seaboard
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP7w_Xxypn4

I also had a Kelstone many years ago and for me the issue was the tuning. I don't really like the tuning system and the fact that it was not really stable. The concept is fun though. To combine 2 Kelstone was a very nice solution to get a better range.

Thanks guys for the info!! I agree, I think the chapman stick is a lot more diverse in it's ability. But as mostly a lead guitar player, the Kelstone feels a little more familiar. Plus I bought this one for about 1/5 the price of a chapman stick. Hopefully some "current" kelstone players will chime in.

Fascinating to watch those played. That HAS to be fun to work with.

The inventor of the Kelstone, Jan, Died in late 2019. Sad news. I read on his Facebook page that he took his own life

https://guitarinternational.com/2011/01 ... interview/

It's definitely a lot of fun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11Qprwtzl6s

Tonegod, where are you located? France?

By 'stable' do you mean pitch stability? Or the instrument when attached to a keyboard stand moves around too much when you play it? Or something else?
Just wondering as i am very interested in tapping instrument design