Long time lurker... Recent Owner... First time poster (poser..?)

So I'm new to the Stick - wanted one since the 80's and it only took 25 years to get there. I'm finally starting to warm up to it and I've discovered a few important things:

This is going to take some time. It's the first instrument I've ever picked up and not felt that I could be musical right away. I'm mostly a jack of all trades - master of none, but I can usually pick up an instrument and do SOMETHING with it. I don't get that sense of noodling that I have with anything else, stringed, keyed, beaten, blown or otherwise...

I'm not trained in any real sense, but It's shed aircraft landing lights on how much work I need to do on my hand independence. I also have to stop playing it fortissimo like a an old player piano that's lost it's hammers. (Old bass touch habits die hard)

But the real reason I'm posting is this: I know I'm getting older (hopefully not deaf) but I never thought the stick would be so acoustically null. I mean, my strat, basses or any other electric I own sounds like the a circus in the Sistine chapel in comparison...

I've got a few options for playing it through headphones, and it can sound great when I amp it up. The problem is I can't always blast my amp, and even my good headphones start to bother me after a while. I try just sitting with it and I can barely hear the thing. I feel like if I can't just pick it up and play It's going to take forever... Now having the stick, I'm really, really lusting for Culbertson's 'Acoustik' - even if I can't play it yet.

So the big question is this: Between all the wood types, the aluminum, the composite - Is there a difference in acoustic properties? Could one be said to be more resonant than another? Does anyone else have these issues?

I'm debating whether I should switch to a different model. I keep wondering if the NS stick might actually be more forgiving because it has a body - but then I lose two strings and the tuning. There is the Warr Artisan, but that seems to be a bit much for starting out. and I can't find any proof that says it would be any better.

So short of finding investors for more Acoustiks, any suggestions or ideas?

Oh yeah, currently have a late 80's model, pre-adj bridge in case anyone is curious...

Thanks to everyone, looking forward to hanging about,

Sid

It's an electric instrument with not much of anything coming off it acoustically. Them's the cold hard facts. It's all about the physics of the way it's lightly tapped to produce sound and the lack of a resonating cavity or very much mass. Even the 2 existing Acousticks need a little help being heard. Headphones get old pretty quick for me too. What does work for me around the house is a small stand mounted Roland CM-30 monitor. It's got more than enough mixable inputs for both sides of the Stick, a mic, an iPod & a stereo drum machine. They're about $200 or so new and $125 used if you look around. It has no effects but I just sit a GFI Specular II reverb on top along with a TC dual multi-band compressor and I got a surprisingly loud, very toneful punchy, tiny footprint rig for living room or intimate coffee house levels. It can be a silent headphone amp as well. You can spend a lot more money for something similar but a bit bigger and louder but why - if you're just mostly shedding? [youtube2]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nTHdgbOTxM[/youtube2]

And why isn't the YouTube link working? I took off the "s" on https and used the YouTube wraparound. It used to embed just fine......??? Has something changed?

Thanks for the reply captain. I know I'm asking for the impossible... or at least improbable.

It just bugs me a little that I can't just get lazy, sit down (or maybe lying down is more appropriate for the stick) on the bed and noodle away like I can with a guitar or bass. I know I can't do that with my piano either, but i can grab a Casio or a Yamaha board with built in speakers and play about.

Although, maybe I've just come up with the next Stick accessory... I wonder if I can set up some outrigger speakers on the lapdawg like an Iphone speaker set...

Too much thinking, not enough playing.

I think maybe it would be helpful to hear more about practice setups or routines, but I would still like to hear if anyone has opinions on any differences in the stick materials. Especially the NS or any one with Warr experience for reference.

Captain, what's you experience with the Acoustik's sound? The only references I have are the recordings I've found that would make up for any acoustical shortcomings. Your comment makes me think of when all the acoustic basses came out in 90's. Sure they were 'acoustic' but acoustically they sounded like an electric with a cardboard box around it. I don't get that impression from the acoustik. For a performance it might not ring true, but what about sitting in a room with others on guitars - would it hold it's own?

Sorry for the novellas, I'm still learning my way around.

I have found the extremely compact Roland Mobile cube with its stereo input to be the perfect small footprint practice amp. It has a few effect settings, (which i mostly ignore) and a decent reverb. Spent many late night practice sessions on headphones, with a little reverb, it's easy to get lost in the sound. Not quite acoustic, but relatively unencumbered playing.
Harry

I can tell you that it's the same with the NS, it's very quiet unplugged. One thing that I've noticed, having owned an NS, a 10 string, and an alto, (Railboard arriving today!), is that the melody strings aren't hard to hear acoustically, but the heavier strings really clank against the rails and rods, making those notes really hard to pick out. It's just the nature of the way the Stick is played, tapping the string against those frets.

Kris

You might try an iRig Produo or other headphone amp with a set of headphones. I use a 2nd gen focusrite scarlet 2i2, but it requires USB to power it. Since getting it, I've stopped using my regular amp to practice.

Hi
I wouldn´t play with an electrical instrument only accoustic. You learn a hammering style from this and lose the fine motoric in your fingers from this behaviour.
This was the one of first things my bass teacher (and stickplayer) told me - (30 years ago...) and looking back - he was right.

The solution i found for me ist to have a small setup in every place i want to play. This means:

In best case I go to my cellar and play with all the G&K, Boss, TC..... stuff.
If not possible I have a small amp in the Living room
if not possible some Logitech Computerboxes
if not Possible my JBL alarm clock

The Important thing: everything needs to be ready prepared and cabeled ready for playing - means : Plugin the Cable to the stick, Power on the device and PLAY

The BassLabs prototypes actually had a very nice acoustic property to them! Its too bad those didn't work out!

Does anyone know why they did not go to production?