LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Twiz, you're my hero!
I've got to try this myself!!!!!!

yeah i'm about too sell my prized warwick through body thumbass 4 on e-bay ,signed by les claypool, it's about the sickest bass ive ever owned but i got laid off and decided i was going to take the plunge and get a maxtapper quad. unfortunately funds are low and i need to tap , whoever gets this bass is gonna be flippin happy when they plug it in ,this thing barks, sings, snarls ,spits and groans
definitely for someone who wants to cut through and be heard. I was gonna get a stick but a year is too long to have to wait and i think the sticks are too much money for what you get . i havent heard alot of megatars but from what ive heard i think im gonna love the tone much more ,(i could never get used to the melody side of a stick .) with a stick-up

you are brilliant my friend!

Go for the 6! I used to play 4, then went to a 5 and played that for quite a while. My wife bought me an inexpensive 6 string to mess around with and I got hooked. I started picking up a lot more bass gigs so I bought a new Spector Euro 6 LX EX. I posted a pic of it here:

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=936

I absolutely love playing 6 string bass! I put a GK-3B pickup on it and run it thru a V-bass - fan-tastic!

Dave

Hi Mick,

In spite of what some advertisements would have you believe, an instrument (like a car) is not just a "feature set." In some cases an instrument is only the sum of its parts, but in the case of The Stick it's a much greater synergy. All of the elements involved come together to make an instrument that plays and feels great.

What really makes The Stick The Stick is the sensation of playing it. If that sensation was something that other builders could capture, they would have done it by now. They can't, so they throw features at you instead.

Here are some things you get when you get a Stick that go beyond the feature set.

1. An instrument designed and set up by the only man who has set up thousands of tapping instruments, and who really knows how to play them. And from a company that's been in business for over 30 years.

2. An instrument that will be custom setup for whatever tuning and string gauges you desire (light, medium, heavy), and that can be easily restrung in a different tuning and re-intonated by you if you decide you don't like the initial tuning you chose. Want to change your string gauges? no problem. Want to use straight 4ths, mirrored 4ths, or minor 3rds? no problem. And you won't have to pay some technician to readjust the arcane intonation system that you bought with your instrument.

3. Strings that are custom made and selected for tapping, in a variety of gauges.

4. An instrument with very high resale value.

5. A large informal network of supportive, imaginative and skilled players, many of whom are active professionals, who are taking the instrument and the playing method further all the time.

Some other things to consider.

There's been a spate of negative tapping instrument advertising lately, some of it even under the banner of "Christmas." I believe most people can see through that sort of thing, but it doesn't make for a very friendly atmosphere for people like you who are out there trying to make up their minds.

It's true there is a wait time for new Sticks. All that says to me is that people like them.

It's also true that recent model used instruments are sold online every day, with ACTV-2s and PaSV4s and Stickups, too.. You can buy a usd Stick, order a new one and sell your used instrument when the new one is on the way (SE doesn't usually ask for a deposit until the instrument goes into production, a few weeks before it's shipped).

Maybe used Sticks aren't as cheap as the other guy's new instrument, but maybe they're that much better...

Learning how to play The Stick isn't hard. it just takes a little time. SE sells and recommends a wide variety of proven instructional materials written and produce by skilled players and experienced teachers who really know how to play and teach their instruments.

I'd suggest you check out these pages for some more input from people who play The Stick:

http://www.stick.com/commentary/

I hope that's helpful to you or anyone else considering the same choices you are.

Thanks for your eminent wisdom ,as i know youve seen it all in the tapping world ,thats for sure .You're advice is always appreciated (i didnt mean to sound derrogatory in any way , i'm just a little frustrated atm ,unemployed and i really dont want to sell my prized bass . But ever since I owned my first stick ive considered myself a stick player (it became like second nature within about a week of playing it ) i havent played a stick or tapping instrument for about 10 years now. all i know is that trying to create music with others, who are not interested in going farther in their musical endeavors than 12 bar blues jam's ,has caused me to just want to completely crossover into the tapping domain for good and make bass my secondary instument. ive been playing for nearly 30 years. thanks again greg . I know you understand how i feel i'm sure

Hi Mickfizz,

I do understand what you are saying. I felt that same connection to the instrument from the beginning. A big part of that connection is the feel that you only get with The Stick. I gave a demo to someone yesterday who was asking me about other instruments, and quite plainly I saw how his hands wrapped comfortably around a 10-string Stick, I can't imagine his hands fitting comfortably around one of the other instruments out there with much bigger necks.

Every time I show one of these instruments to someone I'm proud to talk about the ergonomics, the feel, the action, the easy adjustability, and now with the bamboo, the incredibly light weight and very rigid structure.

I love to see their faces when they realize how easy a properly set up Stick is to tap compared to a more guitar-like instrument, and how the positioning of the fretboard, because of the way the belt-hook and strap leans it back toward the shoulder, means that they can see everything and reach everything.

When I explain to them how they can get a host of nice spread out chord voicings on only three frets because of the inverted 5ths tuning, and how the range,even with only 5 strings is enough to play a wide variety of accompaniment concepts.

All the elements that go into the 10-string Stick make it a fantastic instrument for someone to start tapping on.

I hope you can find a Stick that suits your needs. Don't give up looking.