I'm going to look at a polycarbonate Stick with the intention of buying it. I know to check for the routine guitar gremlins like noisy pots, neck twist, worn machines and frets, etc. However I'd appreciate any advice you have on specific Stick points to watch, e.g.:

The pickup case has a small crack in the plastic, which I guess in itself is probably not significant. How do I tell if the pickup has been damaged by whatever caused that?

The string damper looks from photos to be super 'furry' - what should it look like on a polycarbonate Stick (mid 2000 numbers), and how far between the 0 and 1 frets should it extend?

Should the neck have string relief like a guitsr? i.e. if I fret a high fret and a low fret on the same string, should there be a slight clearance betwen string and fret half way between thos points?

Any other info appreciated.

Thanks, Max

1st get the serial # and call Stick Enterprises.
They can tell you the history of the instrument-mods-repairs-date of manufacture.
Some older Sticks cannot be upgraded-some did not have truss rods.
Tuning keys and pickups are the same as guitar hardware-look for the same types of problems that occur on a guitar.
Mike