People are selling sticks for $8,000 now. What a racket. Good luck on that.
Sucker born every minute.

Somehow I feel SE should start raising their prices considerably.

I think Emmett wanted to get his Sticks to players not collector's.

I heard he did not want his instruments sitting on a shelf or in a closet. He wanted them to be played, not looked at.

It's sad that people want to make a dime on the misfortune of a great family.

I hope no one buys these instruments for this price. If they do, then it's about money not music.

Sad state of the world today.
SMH.



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I don't understand why the Stick cannot be mass produced and sold to millions of people as an affordable consumer product? With the automated technologies that exist today, this should be easy to do.

There are a very limited number of Stick players in the world today. This is mostly due to the fact that not many people can afford to purchase them. It's not just the cost of the instrument but the cost of plugging that instrument into some sort of amplified rig.

The Fender Mustang Micro is small enough that it could theoretically be embedded into the Stick pickup module. My 1978 Stick is happily using this system for the past several months. Albeit, there's only one setting on this micro rig that pleases my ears, it works very well for what it is.

I think Emmett wanted to have the lowest, best action, and tone possible. When he figured out how to do this he would upgrade his older sticks to make them better. Newer Sticks play better than older ones .

He would do fret work on the sticks to make them sound better, play better, and have the easiest touch to create a great sound.

I may be wrong. But I think most people hit the strings too hard. Touch maybe a better word than tap.

I hit the strings too hard and I realize it. It's hard to get a light touch. When you find that light touch. You want the better action, and playability.

Turn up the amp he told me a few times. Not that I interacted with him much, but I realized what he was saying.

Mass production if you want generic. The work involved on this type of instrument is ntense and mostly for the person who is finicky, you could say, or a perfectionist, or someone who learned the instrument and how to use it. I don't think there's such a thing as a cheap good stick.

The Rail board is probably the closest thing to mass production you can get.
I think, although I could be wrong the bass relief may be cut into the aluminum per the tuning of the Stick.via the CNC milling process. Which would normally be fourths fifths tunings, dependent on the string gauges some feet work may be involved to get the best action, sound, and intonation.

Stick theory is definitely a rabbit hole of great depth.

I digress.
I think SE is doing the best they can. I think there are techniques and processes that are not known to the masses, in the creation of the instrument even if you are a Luthier.

I just think selling a used Stick for $8k is sacrilege I don't care who owned it, It's just wrong and not in the mindset of the creator.

Just pissing and moaning. if they can get it good for them. I hope they have to send it back to SE to make it work.
I'll shut up now.

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Make that "hoping to sell Sticks for $8,000"?


Indeed.


People! Huh! Can't live with them. Can't live without them...

My opinion too.


Justice of a sort, but probably on the duped buyer rather the seller?

A genuine "I want to play a Stick" buyer needs it to be playable, but at least some types of "Collector" may not care if it's playable?

Great subject. And excellent quote, looking into Emmett's heart and reason for being.

I have never shared this publicly...it's a private affair.

During an email conversation from May 2017, Emmett offered me a discount, should I ever order a new Stick. At that time, I had played the same Stick for over 20 years. I was new to Canada and was lamenting the horrid exchange rate between the Canadian dollar and US (CAD/US). Example: a new set of strings cost around $50 US. Which equates to almost $100 CAD after exchange rate, shipping, and customs/duties. I avoid changing strings flippantly.

Emmett wrote,

"About ordering another instrument from us, the currency exchange may
fluctuate but so does my mood, so to tilt the balances I'll offer you
a $(XXX) professional discount on any new Stick model (Railboard
included).

We'll also pay shipping and insurance costs to Canada. Only the
"customs" or "duty" charges remain.

All the Best, Emmett."

In 2021 when I finally had the means to order my new 10-string Bamboo, Grace, Jeff, & co. honored this discount...EVEN THOUGH I wasn't expecting it as this email quote was from 5 years earlier.

Yes. Getting Sticks into the hands of players.

There's a recent story of some poor Stick busker on the streets of Portugal who's Stick was stolen. Rodrigo Serro organized a fundraiser among us to get this guy a new Stick, which was HEAVILY discounted by Emmett.

I find it hard to leave behind my entrepreneurial and business experience, and frequently have “thought experiments” as to how I would scale up production and distribution to get more Sticks “into the wild.”

But as when I was consulting with early-stage startups, I ask what is the goal?

The cost of Sticks by itself IMO isn’t really that prohibitive (look at what you have to spend for a decent trumpet or violin!!) A much more significant factor is just getting one’s hands on one. We can all tell stories about how long it took us to get our first Sticks, whether new or used.

I can’t see Grace & Co. looking to get filthy rich, but I do think getting more instruments into the hands of musicians is perfectly consistent with Emmett’s vision for the company. That’s what makes thinking about this fun…the business model for improving the supply of instruments is very different than growth for growth’s sake and a big acquisition payout for the founders.

correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't that the whole idea of the Railboard, to make them more affordable and easier to [mass]produce ??

*I am still considering ordering a second Railboard, but this time a 12 string with 5 bass 7 melody strung crafty.... but I have to get some things taken care of first...

Sort of. However they continue to offer wooden Sticks.

Way back (I think when the polycarbonate was introduced?) they tried to stop doing wooden Sticks, but eventually they returned. IIRC that was "by popular demand"?

At least a small part of my change of order from Railboard to Bamboo with Stickups mid wait (having checked I'd not loose my place in the queue) was the thought of "get one mad eto order while it's possible"...

Sept '21 and waiting. Last I heard I'm not expecting to hear it has reached 'production' for a good few months yet...

Just for contrast or point of view.
Try buying an American made guitar for under $4,000.

Do you want off shore cheap labor made sticks?.

The Stick is a boutique instrument that is accessible for someone who wants to play, the price is very reasonable. Even considering the wait, if you get lucky you can get one sooner.

Handmade in the USA.

I think a few people tried to cheap it down. I don't know if they're still around.

People who play Sticks, know what they have.

And it's a bargain.






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