So I've got a bit of a dilemma coming up in a few months:

I'm think of having some work done on my stick. But I'm not sure if it might just be better to just sell it on here or ebay or whatever and put the money towards a custom one.

Basically, I've got a Padauk Grand with a stickup. I was thinking of having it sent it and having some fretwork done to it (since its needed anyway), and having SE put in a ACTV Block. The thing I'm wondering is that my stick has the more rounded filing on the rails -- can they be un-rounded? I had a 10 string that had really pointy rails. I actually liked that more. I know SE doesn't completely re-fret instruments, but would it be possible to have them make the rails more like the pointy rails after the fact?

Or, should I just forget all this, flip my grand, and order a bamboo grand with an ACTV, stained black with bright green linear inlays? lol

Retrofitting a block could be worth doing but if you also want work on the frets, it might be better to sell your instrument and order a new one...
Call S.E to double check the cost & feasibility of the work that you would like to do.
Although the difference is minimal, I think I prefer the pointy rails too.


Cheers, Daniel.

If you aren't happy with the rails then I would say get a new one and request pointy rails.

Do you have linear markers on the one you have? what kind of work needs to be done to the frets?

Brett

I was thinking that. But at the same time, I'm not sure.



Yeah, I have linear markers. they even glow in the dark!
I just need some minor fretwork. When I sent it in last time to SE, they mentioned it, but I opted to not have it done at the time.

I guess at the end of the day, Im just weighting the amount of money I want to put into this one to make it how I want it, and just wondering if it'd not be better spent towards the exact instrument I want?

Arg, decisions, decisions.

Sounds to me like you have made up your mind. Enjoy your new Stick.

Life is short, get the one you are after. I do so love my ACTV-2.

My 2 cents would be to troll eBay for a couple of days watching for Sticks. There is all kinds of copy cat BS up there, when people see an original Stick Enterprises Chapman Stick, especially a 12-string, I expect it would go pretty quick.

After it sells, you probably have enough right out the gate for one of the reserve instruments. Some of their recent additions have been gorgeous and unique.

Well, figured it out, finally. I put in an order today for what is apparently the last graphite 10 string. Pointy-they-used-to-be rails, actv-2. As a result, I decided to drop my name from the Railboard wait list for now.

Anyway, I'm going for a special tuning, too. I've been playing my guitar in New Standard tuning a lot (Robert Fripp's tuning in KC) -- its Low to high CGDAEG. Basically, 5ths with a high minor third (since there's no guitar string to get a high B, G is really the highest you can take it with regular strings).

So I was wondering why not have my treble side on the stick tuned in 5ths, too? It would eliminate the pesky "should I use the pinky or not" argument since you can actually use all 4 fingers on a string in scale patterns, etc.

So I settled on A E B F# C# (Low A below a 5/6 string bass low B, to high C#) on the bass side and the same tuning mimicked an octave higher on the treble side.

I was also considering a combination of the grand stick's bass side spread over two sides as well. That is, CGDAE on the bass side and GDAEB on the treble side. I decided to go with my tuning though, since I play in some bands where the guitars are tuned to BEADF#B. Usually, I play a 6 string bass, but I wanted to try stick instead. SO i figured I could get both sides perfectly symetrical one octave apart if I got down to the Low A. It would also push the B up a little further on the fretboard, too. I'd considered doing B F# C# G# D# on both sides, but I dont know how well a high D# would work. If my tuning doesn't work out, i'll probably do the split grand stick tuning.

I gotta fill out the custom tuning form and send it back tonight, so I'll be working on that in the meantime and figuring out how to kill time waiting for my new stick.

Right on Metalken, sounds like you have been doing some thinking.

I like 4ths in the right and 5ths in the left, but if you have a hankering for what you know will work, go for it.

Be sure to send some pics when you finally get your Stick!
-Gene

You are joining "The last of the Graphites" with me.

That's what I did with mine - 5ths on both sides (dual mirrored bass) I am experimenting with it. I don't think you would like the dual 5ths if you have been a guitar player - IMO - hard to do fast runs across the frets on the 5ths that sound normal.

The mix of 4ths and 5ths on a standard tuning gives you a really large palette to use.

Gene - Oh, there will be pics. In 3-5 months. lol. I'd been debating about moving back from 12 string to 10 string cause I realize I never in all practicality used the high B on the bass side, but I did like having the range on the treble side. So I was debating about having extra frets added in to maybe use baritone melody and still maintain most of the high notes, but that seemed like it'd be a lot of hassle. Then I thought about using 5ths on my guitar, and it clicked. Little bit of working out, and I think I got some solid ideas.


720 - As far as coming from a guitar background -- I have been using NST (5ths with a high m3) on guitar for several months now, and I don't see myself going back. I have more range than a 7 string guitar in a more compact area, and I like the way scales and chord voicings fall in this tuning a lot more (inspired by the 5ths side of the stick for me, as a matter of fact. I've even turned some of my other guitar player friends on to the tuning!). Fast runs aren't a problem, either. You just kinda got to think a bit more about fingering and the like. Sweep picking is different, but it definitely breaks you out of boxes. Plus, I think the symmetry should work well on the stick.