Hello Stickist Community,

I have just joined this Community, am looking for a Railboard which may be available from another Canuck, and hopefully will be very shortly looking into what I need as a good newbie/practice amp for a Railboard.

Currently play piano and guitar rather poorly but the sounds of these Chapman Sticks are reviving old musical dreams.

Would be delighted to hear of any other Stick players out here in Alberta.

Rob Mackenzie

Welcome to the stickist community and good luck to find what you are looking for.

Hey Rob. Welcome. And I'm in Saskatchewan...not too far off.

I think Rob Gellner in Guelph, ON still has his Railboard for sale. I'll try to find out, or maybe he'll chime in.

And a year ago there was a guy in Grand Prairie, AB selling a railboard. Maybe he's still selling?

Hey There Saskatchewan,

Thanks for the mention of Rob Gellner... actually we are in the midst of exploring his instrument, shipping charges, etc.

If I am able to connect with a Railboard the next thing thing I'll need is something in the way of a newbie/practice amplifier as I have nothing for my acoustic guitar or piano... any suggestions.

Thanks,

Rob Mackenzie

Ha! Yeah...I just messaged Rob to see if his Railboard was still available. Right on. He's a trustworthy guy to do transactions & exchanges with. I met him at the Michigan seminar last summer.

Amps? I don't know if the Railboard's pickup has the mono option. If it's stereo you need (two input), ask anyone here: I'm a believer in the Fishman Loudbox Artist. I've used one exclusively since 2011.

Explore around this forum. Lots of posts on amp choices out there. All the best to you!

Brian

I would recommend the Line 6 Helix as a starting point.
You can run a mono output to any amp or PA system from there.
For practice, you can use a set of headphones.

PS: I'm an hour away from you. Stop by, when you get a chance.

2nd the Fishman Loudbox. It's a really nice sounding little amp. Acoustic amps, in general, tend to work really well with the Stick as long as you're not looking to deliver pounding bass to a band. This one sounds really nice and will do all you need to start with.

Don't get a Helix. There's simply no reason to start your Stick life with a $1700 effects unit when you don't even know the instrument yet.

The special effects are secondary.
Helix can custom shape the tone by using Impulse Responses.
https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/ ... _Responses
When you hear the difference, you will understand why I like the Helix.

I'm familiar with the Helix. It's a fine unit for sure. But I would never suggest to a beginner looking for a "newbie/practice amp" that he should start by dropping another four figures on a front end which will still leave him looking for an amp or PA.

The Stick has growing pains for sure as far as gear and a beginner needs to get their fingers working and figure out where they want to go. I think the Fishman is probably even a little on the pricy side for what he's asking.

Welcome, Rob! I was born and raised in Edmonton, so it’s nice to see another Albertan join the ranks. You’ve entered into a pretty special, supportive community here.