Ok, so maybe "vs" is not entirely accurate, as I'm not trying to start a "which is better" arguement.

I was curious, since there do seem to be a fair amount of Warrists on here, is how do you feel the instruments differ from each other, or any important disctinctions you've felt from playing the two instruments.How are they similar as well.


Just curious.

Ok, Ive played 3 warrs. one 10 string and 2 12s. They were real nice looking for sure! However the necks were way too wide or 'something was just weird for me and I couldn't get a comfortable position. I guess I play almost totally vertically though so maybe that was a factor. And I never really tried hybrid techniques on them so my opinion doesn't count for that. The tone was pretty nice and had a sorta unique sound, maybe rounder or more mellow? Im no expert at at all just my passing view. I will say that teed rockwell is the best warrist I've heard and alot of that is due to his indian music and raga stylings. I highly reccomend his hindustani cd, quite well done and authentic I think. Nice extreme string bending too. Oh, and I tried a megatar at a pawn shop recently with those fanned frets. Now that was really weird, could not wrap my head around either the width or the frets. I wish I could have tried one without the fanned frets.

FYI:I play 10 string stick, mainly sitting on the floor or on a chair with a lapbar. I'll stand too sometimes if needed. Also, I play NS with all techniques(slap,pluck,pick,tapping mainly ect) in a normal manner, but am now playing it vertically on the floor like the 10 string and that is working really well so far.

My primary instrument is the SG-12 but I have other tapping instruments as well, including a Warr Artist 8 which I got for the piezos. It is a quality instrument and I like the sound. However, even this smaller Warr model is somewhat unwieldy. Before getting something like a Phalanx as a first tapping instrument, I think people might want to consider just how many hours they are going to have to put in before getting some tangible results (this is true of any make and model); comfort during long hours of practice is a crucial issue. Personally, I think the short-scale SG-12 is easily the best choice of practice instrument, and I learn things on it which can be adapted and performed on one of the other tappers if a different sound is desired. Just a thought.

Mad Monk.

It really does depend on which approach you take to music, and what ergonomic requirements you have. The Warr does indeed have a fuller tone than a Stick, more akin to the way a bass sounds when it's tapped. Not better, just very different. Some cannot bear the hugeness of the neck or the fact that they do not remain perfectly rigid on the body, while some cannot perform the music they wish with such rigidity. Speaking for myself, it's not that the Stick cannot make such music, only that I cannot perform it with the ease I do with my Warr. Someone else will feel entirely the opposite.

My Phalanx weighs around 14 lbs... twice as much as a Stick. Some jazz guys just aren't gonna go for that no matter what the tone is like. Some folks prefer the Stick's tone, as I used to, and still do for some applications. I cannot play the same music I used to play when I used to own a Stick.

The tone of a Warr is MASSIVE. Those same jazz guys might not want such a massive tone...

Which is better? Well, I like like apples better than oranges... they're both fine fruits, loaded with vitamins. I love my Warr, will likely never part with it. I'd like to have both.

K

Well I haven't played any Warrs myself... but according to most of the recordings I've listened, warr sounds rather like bass + guitar, while the stick, especially with the stickup, has its own distinctive recognisable sound.

I have both so here is my view.
I have a 10 string 36'' rosewood stick with ACTV-2 and an 12 string Warr Raptor, mahogany body, padauk top, ebony fingerboard, active barts.
Ergonomics:
The Stick is way lighter and stays almost vertical, comfortable playing position. I don't really like the belt hook so I play with a slider strap with a piece of wood to support the belt hook.
The Warr is much heavier but it's OK with the slider strap; the Raptor model has a smaller body and a single set of PU, I'm not sure if I would be able to wear a Phalanx or a full equipped Artist for a long time. Although the instrument is quite stable with the strap and you can wear it almost vertical it moves a little bit; I almost always play seated so that's not a problem for me.
String spacing is narrower on a Stick; this can be good or not depending on the length / thickness of your fingers. The Warr is too wide for me to play crossed so I uncrossed.
The Fret rails on a stick feel very precise (I like them a lot) but it's easier to slide on rounded frets IMHO (fret rods or normal jumbo frets).
Tone.
The Warr has more pronounced mids and low mids which is Bartonlini's trade mark and I like a lot. The Stick has a very characteristic brighter tone which I also like (maybe more in a solo / folk context). Maybe part of this bright tone comes from the stainless steel frets.
Another big difference is sustain; in my case the Warr has more sustain than the Stick; it sustain forever! I guess that having more mass and through the body strings really makes a difference here.

Basically both instruments are really beautiful, easy to play and with a nice tone, but my main instrument is the Stick.


My 2 cents, Daniel.

Before I bought my first tapper, a Grand Stick, I listened a lot to clips on YouTube and I actually liked the Warr tone better. But the looks, the price tag, the weight and the wide neck made me look a second time at the Stick and I finally ordered one with the PASV4, the Stick pickup that I thought could provide the fattest tone. And I loved it! Saved up for a SG-12 too ASAP. Today, after about a year of playing, I have found a way to make the Stick PASV4 tone go my way. I still like the Warr tone, but I would guess a Warr would not be half as playable for me - with my rather small hands - compared to the SG-12. I went to a concert with Trey Gunn when he passed Stockholm to play with some Swedish musicians (among them the two guys that used to be in Zappa's band, if you recall...) and Trey sounded just amazing! What a sound, wow! Massive is the word. For a period he sat down on the floor with the Warr in his lap and played it Kelstone-wise which sounded like conga drumming. A great musician. I also like Randy Strom (Warr player) on the jazzier side. Can't imagine that sound would be possible with a Stick.

All I can say is this is a very interesting thread and I'm VERY glad it's stayed a respectful and non-argumentative thread ... the way it should be! Way to go guys!

Im curious to see some warrs played in an almost totally vertical fashion. Anybody like to play em like that? Maybe some vid clips. I guess I usually see warrs played in a bit more guitaresque position, not that thats bad in any way. I guess I am slighly mutant like in that thru the years I gravitate more and more vertical. Even my NS is going vertical more of the time. MAybe its because Im playing more arppegio like with string skipping as opposed to scale type playing. Just therorizing though. When I play ns in a more bass style it is horizontal though so I do like that method too, its just been phasing out for me. It depend on what song/style I play.

Regarding Warr & neck width.
I don't have the exact measures but I would say that a 10 string Warr guitar and a 10 string Grand will have a similar neck width.
I also have a 10 string ADG and I have to say that it's very comfortable to play; a little bit more forgiving due to the extra spacing and still very natural hand position.
The ADG tone is not as good as the other Warr but it's quite nice (dark jazzy but very polite sound). The body is of course much smaller but the sustain is still very good. I bought it in order to experiment a little bit; my plan is to install the Graphtech ghost system on it

Another difference is the neck adjustment.
Warr are massive instruments, and my Warr is much more stable than my Stick (it requires less truss rod adjustments between seasons) but on the other hand, adjusting the Stick is much more easier. The effect of a truss rod adjustment in the Stick is IMMEDIATE while I have to let the Warr settle down for a while when I tweak the truss rods (10 mins or so).


Cheers, Daniel.