It´s an interesting question, it is a matter of what kind of sound you want to get out of it, at the moment i have only one Stick, it´s a mapple Grand Stick with the Stickup-classic tunning but i´ve had 5 Sticks, Two Grand with stickup, one 10 with stickup, a 10 string graphite with the Active two and another 10 mapple with the Pasv 4.
I have to say that from the three with the stickup even though they had different woods, one was made of rosewood, other one was mapple and the other bamboo i didn´t hear any difference in sound, and the other two with Pasv 4 and Active 2 were very different from each other and from the ones with the stickup.
Me personally i preffer any Stick with the classic stickup, i know it´s a very simple pickup with less options but i have the classic Stick sound stuck in my head and i love it, specially on the Bass side...that´s one of the reasons i´m not into the Railboard so much, i admit it´s very appealing, i love the design, the colors etc, i think it looks just amazing but the pickup doesnt convince me...i just hope Emmett will make them one day with the classic Stickup, i think that would be the Killer Stick...

I love the Stick.
I might not be very good at it, and I may not be a musician, but it brings me joy, and sends my mind into a different galaxy when I am playing it.

This is the question I've been wanting to hear for quite sometime myself, as my own opinions have shifted greatly over the past year, so this will be a long read.

At first, it was none of the above - as I had a 12 string Warr Phalanx that was serving me well, and I had just backed out of purchasing a used Ironwood from S.E.

But, by springtime of this year I could not help but think that what I really want was a Stick, and not just any Stick - but a Railboard.

As luck would have it - the one I was after at S.E. was already sold, so back to the drawing board... which produced a M.Megatar tuned like a Grand Stick in Classic tuning and a very interesting Toneweaver set up in Major 3rds.

I still - while most pleased - still longed for a Stick.
I so loved the sound of Tony Levins Stick on The Sheltering Sky....

I wanted one BAD............

Then, a miracle: two Ironwoods appeared on Reverb one after the other and I wasted no time.

Finally: Two older - real - Sticks !!!

As time went on, I started thinking Grand Stick - early 1990s era.

Now - I need to state that I am in a situation where I am considering a major career change once I hit 55 next year - so I need to purchase these instruments which I was after one after the other - because this time next year, all bets are off... so this is why my Stick collection is blossoming so rapidly.

Meanwhile, Grace last year was trying to convince me to go the Stickbass route, which I ended up having no interest at all - until I saw that used one on S.E. which if I were to guess might arrive just in time for Christmas.

As luck would have it - the Railboard which I wanted - showed up for sale here on Sticklist - but by now I could not commit because I had other ideas, a brandy new RB-8 set up in Crafty tuning, which I need to see if Cambria needs anything else from me, as I am hoping the Gods allow this to arrive near my 55th birthday next year...........

For some reason, as much as I loved the idea of having a 12 string Stick - I suddenly shifted gears when I realized that Grace was right: 8 is indeed the way to go - which I came to the conclusion of from dabbling with my mid 80s Ironwood....

But just this week - and this was the result of what Juan has posted - and another person up in Canada - all of a sudden the last instrument I ever considered - the NS Stick suddenly made sense.

As a huge fan of Ned's creations - this was completely logical.
After detailed research - this was completely practical.

As luck would have it - one with a Moses neck showed up again on Reverb....

I mused over this - liked the way it was set up - except for the tuning, that we can forget because that is a single region instrument IMO.....

So yesterday I said "why not..." and clicked the right buttons, and the seller was most happy that it's going to another Steinberger fan's home and this should arrive early next week I'd say...

Now - I have not played it - I have not set it up yet - but I've already jumped the gun and listed it in my signature picker here because to me IT'S THE NS STICK THAT IS THE ONE INSTRUMENT I COULD NOT LIVE WITHOUT.