So if one was to jump head first into this Chapman Stick thing with a background of playing rock guitar and bass would you recommend a 10 or a 12 string Stick ???

I’m 6 feet tall with big hands and like to bend the strings A LOT….so the idea of the 10 string grand seams to be tailor made for me, but I’m nervous that I’ll miss the upper string on the melody side once I know what I’m doing. However, I keep reading that the spacing on the 12 string’s are tight…which I intuitively fear might not work so well for my hands/fingers on the whole. Then again, the touch on this instrument isn’t going to be what I’m used to (as in digging into a guitar chord or the mechanics of bending a note high on the neck) so I’m not sure how much to worry about that….it’ll be different and that’s part of the fun. My gut tells me the 10 string will sized best for my hands and in the end be more than enough of a musical tool for me to continue my musical explorations.

.…any advice

Where are you from? see if you can test drive one or more?

Brett

The string spacing on a Grand is tighter than a 10-string, but you get used to it very quickly. This is, however, coming from someone with pretty small hands . If you have a big pair of mitts, the 10-string Grand may just be the ticket for you.

The 10-string instruments encourage more movement up and down the fretboard, which can make for a more complete, "physical" method when performing. The Grand offers more lateral movement across the strings instead of up and down the board. The coolest part of a Grand (for me at least) is the timbres of the highest bass strings. They can provide some really sweet overlap with the melody and a harpsichord-like tonality at the higher positions. This is ultimately what led me to the Alto and SG12 instruments.

Oh, I'd love to !! I live in Eastern Iowa so traveling to somewhere like Chicago is not out of the question at all. I'm really just curious what people in the know might recommend for someone starting out

Thanks !

Both Brett and Matt are very accomplished Stick players. As a Stick player I'm on a MUCH lower level! But in my way of thinking a 12 string isn't any more difficult than a 10 string so if you're ordering NEW decide which you prefer, maybe a 10 string Grand is a good call for you? But if you're looking for a used Stick jump on the 1st good deal you can find regardless if it's 10 or 12 strings. THEN even if you decide to order a brand new 10 String Grand afterwards you'll have a Stick to learn on while you wait for yours to be built plus people seldom lose money selling used Sticks as long as they didn't over pay to begin with.

Good luck!

I'm just up the road from you in Madison, WI. I'd be happy to meet with you so you can try my 10-string and my 12-string grand Stick. The 10-string will have the Matched Reciprocal tuning with 4ths in the melody and 5ths in the bass. My 12 has the Mirrored 4ths tuning, which I'm starting to really like.

A lot of us started on 10-strings and then went to 12. I don't think it really makes any difference if you are just starting. The two instruments have the exact same range. The extra two strings on the 12 are in the overlapping range. The highest and lowest strings on a 36" or 34" instrument are set by physics, you can't realistically go any higher or lower. String 6 on the melody side adds a lower string. String 12 on the bass side adds a higher string and is my favorite part of the 12-string Stick.

Let me know if you want to come up to Madison.

-Eric

My first Stick is my 12 String and I love it. I'm a fairly average sized person, and I don't have a problem playing it at all (playing being a very strong word for what I attempt to do). I don't think that you can go wrong with whatever you get. I know that Greg plays different Sticks for different situations, and I even created a similar topic when I was making my choices: viewtopic.php?t=2040

Well thank you all very much. I've found it interesting (and unexpected) how many people comment how useful the extra high bass string on the 12 string is...but with a little thought it makes sense. This debate seems to be sort of like the 22 vs. 24 fret guitar argument...or "do I really need a 5 string bass ?" ... well, depends on what you play. LOL

My original point in the question was motivated by thinking that my XL fingers would be best served by the wider string spacing of a 10 String Grand (and cramped on a 12 String Grand) and I don't think I need to worry about that anymore..... The linked thread had some good discussion on this too and the chart of string spacing got me thinking about what I'm used to...which is a typical 6 string guitar with a roughly 0.3" string spacing (@ say the 5th fret.) I've been playing around with a Steinberger set up in a sort of "training" matched reciprocal tuning via switching the low E and D strings and tuning it like an extended alto stick....(the intonation and string tension is all off but the basic idea is there.) This feels perfectly comfortable to me as it's really what I'm used to on a standard guitar (there was a comment about double stops that was a good point....too wide has its negatives too) I'm not sure it answers the "10 string vs. 12 string" questions but I think it settles the "12 strings would be too tight" question for me.

Eric - thanks for the offer...I just might take you up on it...I'm toying with the idea of coming your way for the Juggling festival in January (obscure hobbies must be one of my things huh ??) and I pass through that way on business now and again too...I'll be in touch. Thanks again !!!

I have but one regret tracing back to when I placed my order; I didn't opt for the the Grand. I have had it now for three years and for the most part lately everytime I pick it up I think about that.

I am myself a larger person with large fingers and hands and I do not have a problem one with the spacing on my 10 string classic. Strings spaced closer together also make certain techniques, such as double stops much easier and more comfortable to play.

Just my 2 cents,
Steve

I think it's hard to get advice from anyone on which instrument to get. Everyone plays a little differently, using different styles and techniques. Your path to playing the Stick will most likely be different from any one else, and may change as you start to learn to play the instrument. I've seen all sized people play all the instruments. At the last Seminar I was at there were a couple people with large hands playing 12 strings very well. So 10 or twelve should work well.

I can add a perspective on the ten string grand. I came from a rock guitar and bass guitar background, but should add, I played violin for years, with a little tiny fret board... After 4 years of playing a standard 10 string I received a new 10 string grand last week and I am totally impressed with the instrument. I don't have really large hands and I think it is a shame that in regards to this instrument, so many people think it is just for large handed people. This Stick to me seems the size and scale the 10 string should have been made from the start. The extra room is quite nice affording more room to get a little wilder. Permitting more room for vibrato while holding adjacent strings down. My style lately is to traverse up and down the neck more (thank you Greg) so for me a 10 string works very well. One issue I had with my standard 10 string was sustaining a note with the right hand on the 6th string and then playing notes with the third finger of my right hand on the 5th string. I had to work not to mute the 6th string by accident. The extra spacing between the string sets cures that for me. Playing this instrument is like coming home for me, I wish I had ordered one a lot sooner. I also have no issues doing double stops. Again this seems like the way this instrument should have been designed from the start. It's incredible, and definatly not just for people with large hands.

But the bottom line, get what ever you can afford and dive in, you will most likely change your path and style once you start learning the instrument, and can always move to another model. Pick up a used one, play it a while and then take the plunge and order a new one. You can turn over the used one for most likely what you paid for it when you get the new one.

MD