The preamps you are pointing me to look very interesting and will require further research (go figure, you and I seem to have that bug in common), but my initial thought is that they're guitar preamps and may not do as good a job on the bass range.

Then there's the matter of effects processing. That HeadRush Gigboard in particular looks like waaaay more effects processing that I want to even look at while I'm learning to hit the right notes. I'm a serious technophile (working in IT for over 30 years), and that beautiful thing would be a huge temptation to distract me from actually playing.

Nay, nay, pilgrim...

I use my Gigboard for my bass all the time. Works great. I know that many use the HX Stomp for bass guitars too. You'll also see huge threads on this forum of Stick players who use the HX Stomp, so I don't think the tonal range is an issue for either solution.

Also, they're not technically "preamps", but from my understanding, just as with a combo amp (an amp that is only one unit for both pre-amp and power amp - the most common type), they eliminate the need for a separate preamp, but unlike combo amps, they do require further amplification to fill a room when you get to that point. However, since you said your initial interest is just powering headphones, I think they're a good entry-point alternative to the StepAbout. I always find it hard to figure where my path is going to take me when starting out on a new adventure, and have the $cars to show from trying to guess (badly) what I'm going to need down the road!

One other point on combo amps - very few are stereo, and even fewer are stereo and suitable for the bass range. My advice for something starting out would be either the StepAbout or one of the amp modelers. Either one will give you good headphones-only performance, allow you to add suitable additional amplification and effects when you need it.

HOWEVER - others (folks who've been playing Sticks for years) probably have other suggestions equally worthy of consideration.

I'll have more questions about pre amps I'm sure, but I wanted to share an iPad OS app I just found.

FretBoard - Scales & Chords supports both the 10 and 12 string Stick.

Having never played a stringed instrument, this will help me get my head around some of the concepts.

From past experience, my mind works best if I learn the notes at each marker and then expand from there.

That's the one big limitation of that app: I've never found a way to make it label the notes across all strings at each marker - and just at the markers.

For my purposes, I like the charts in Chris Crain's "Stick e-lessons" e-book: http://www.thecrains.net/stick/. They also really highlight the pattern-based nature of the stick layout.

No need to learn the notes at each frer marker. If you learn one you know them all . For example when you know the 12th fret, the 7th fret will have the same notes but one string higher.
i.e. 5th string 12th fret is the same as 4th string 7th fret. Works on the bass as well.
If you know the 12th fret, learn 2 frets above and two frets below. That gives you a 5 fret grid that repeats at every Stick dot/line marker. Voila!!
That's why in "Stickology....:" I refer to the 12th fret as the umbilical chord. It supplies the nutrients for the entire fretboard

Steve Adelson

Steve's book is very good. Free Hands, Emmett's book, comes with a new Stick (I believe it still comes with it). Maybe S.E. could send it ahead of time (if you call them up and ask real nice, mebe for just shipping charges) It would give you a heads-up on a bunch of things - every tuning except 4ths/4ths follows the same note relationship at markers. Has a few articles and such by Emmett interspersed. Steve's book also adds some groan-worthy jokes and flippant remarks. Greg Howards books are also good, and Bob Culbertson. DVD instructionals. These guys know their Stick.

Welcome, ThinkMethod, both to the forum and the Stick community. Great to hear from (yet) another guy who dived into learning an instrument effectively for the first time outside of the younger years.

If I may insert a shameless plug...it's been posted on this forum already, but in case you haven't given them a listen already, the last two episodes of the Tap In Time podcast might provide a few bits of insight (some of which has been mentioned in this topic thread), if not a few moments of levity for good measure.

https://tapintime.podbean.com/

Cheers!

Thanks for recommending Tap in Time!

I had already found them from another link on these boards, and scrolled up to see the 2 new stick buyer's guide podcasts. I really wish Clair had been on the first one, she has a way of cutting to the chase.

I also listened to their 2nd second podcast about signal paths and signal processing. I'd love to hear them redo that one with what they know about podcasting now.

MIDI is another topic I'd love to get more into at some point (I am a computer nerd after all) but I'm not overly attached to the concept of MIDI on a Stick. If I wanted to go that route I'd be looking at an Eigenharp. (Link to 2 guys playing the Bond theme, sounds like they're replacing a 10 -15 piece band). I know the Eigenharp isn't MIDI, it's a proprietary communications protocol.

But I'm just approaching the water here, haven't even gotten to dip a toe in yet. So who knows, I might find an application for MIDI with the Stick down the road.

Never had much interest until I started to see what folks do with it using a Stick to drive a synth!

I can see myself on here in a year or so asking about how to add MIDI to my setup...

The gents sure can talk… lol! Actually, we all love to talk about the Stick, it’s why all the podcast episodes are sooooo long.

In case you’re not aware, Victor (aka Gusset) who posted the link, is the mastermind behind Tap in Time. It would not have started and would not continue to happen without him. The rest of us are all on Stickist as well:
me (Claire) aka Claire
Gene aka earthgene
Rod aka bachdois

There are many great videos in Gene’s Free Hands Friday series on YT as well, esp. re choosing a Stick and tunings. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLGgVG ... 4n8m24BdlA

Personally, I’ve found the Stick to be the most ergonomic instrument I’ve played (mostly coming from piano / keys). Good luck with your surgery and your Stick search. I recommend getting a few lessons when you first get the instrument, to make sure you’re holding and playing it in an optimal / ergonomic way.