Re: Want to get into tapping.....help!!!!!
BergerStick wrote:
Get over your neurosis and get a real Stick.
Just get one that's fairly recent; the really older ones won't have all the really adjustable items on it (bridge & nut). They'll still be very very good, but if you're really anal about that stuff, then you won't be happy.
There have been some great points made already, I just want to clarify something. All of the Sticks out there made since 1975 have height-adjustable bridges, though only instruments made since 1991 have fully intonatable bridges, to accommodate any tuning the player desires. On instruments without the intonatable bridge, you can only use certain tunings, but those are the most popular Stick tunings. You also have to use light gauge strings.
Every Stick made since 1982 has a height-adjustable nut, and many instruments made before then that have made it back to Emmett's shop also have this retrofitted. I don't know why other builders don't offer adjustable nuts, but none do.
The most dramatic change was the adjustable truss rod, introduced in 1989, and used on all hardwood, bamboo and graphite instrument made since then.
This allows you to use heavier gauge strings and tunings that involve more tension, while still being able keep a flat instrument profile. A flat board is a big part of an easy tapping experience. The adjustable nut and easily adjustable truss rod are unique features to the Stick design that make tapping easier.
So, if you buy a used Stick that was made since 1991, you will have an instrument that will accommodate any tuning you want, and that can have low action that's easy to maintain.
You can find out when these and other design features were introduced on this page:
http://www.stick.com/history/timeline/Here is a video about how the truss works:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fx8LQS7Et1g[/youtube]
If you do end up buying an older instrument, the adjustable truss can be retrofitted:
There's an article about that pocess here:
http://www.stick.com/articles/ericsstickretrofit/Hope that helps.