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 A Mirrored 4ths question 
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Post A Mirrored 4ths question
Still deciding between getting a Stick or an NS Stick (first).

I definitely want 4ths in the Bass for the types of lines that I play.
Solid Bass lines are more important to me than Left hand chords.

On the classic tuning Sticks I played, I wasn't happy with the Bass Tone except on the 2 lowest strings.
Any one have experience with using heavier strings in 4th?
Does it fatten up the tone?

I was particularly unhappy with playing octaves between the 3rd and 5th Strings for instance.


Wed Apr 15, 2015 1:50 pm
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Post Re: A Mirrored 4ths question
Johnmarkpainter wrote:
Still deciding between getting a Stick or an NS Stick (first).

I definitely want 4ths in the Bass for the types of lines that I play.
Solid Bass lines are more important to me than Left hand chords.

On the classic tuning Sticks I played, I wasn't happy with the Bass Tone except on the 2 lowest strings.
Any one have experience with using heavier strings in 4th?
Does it fatten up the tone?

I was particularly unhappy with playing octaves between the 3rd and 5th Strings for instance.


You need to consider a few things when deciding what to buy. Since you've already decided to stay with bass tuning do you want to TAP exclusively on the instrument or do you see yourself using it as a very flexible bass? If you see yourself tapping it but also playing the instrument like a bass guitar the NS Stick is the best choice. I use to play one exclusively as a cover band bass player for several years so i know first hand. If you want to tap exclusively but want to stay with a tuning you're comfortable with you may want to consider an SB8. The SB8 is probably a better two hand tap instrument than the NS Stick, BUT you can use the NS stick as an extended range bass guitar using bass guitar techniques along with tapping. So a lot to consider. NS Stick, many techniques can be used but it's not designed to be an exclusive tap instrument, SB8 bass tuning so you can play all your bass parts but it's designed to optimize two hand tapping. In regard to strings, if you went with 4th tuning like an NS Stick or SB8 you will have more strings that have that deep bass sound than you get with a classic stick with fifths bass tuning. As you go up past the G string the string gages thin out. And heavy gage strings will of course be thicker and I assume deeper.

So good luck, Hope my 2 cents helps.

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Wed Apr 15, 2015 2:22 pm
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Post Re: A Mirrored 4ths question
Yep...that's the question.

I am a Bass and Guitar player so fingerpicking and playing with a pick is something I can do already and is cool to transition from tapping to picking as well as being able to use Open strings.

I'm still thinking about how often I would wish I had 10 strings.
That's why I hadn't really considered the SB8.

I'm experimenting now with a Dano Bass 6 tuned all in 4ths like the middle 4 strings of an NS just to get an idea of the voicings available.


Wed Apr 15, 2015 4:06 pm
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Post Re: A Mirrored 4ths question
The bass tone can be adjusted by factors including string gauge, pickups, FX, preamping and amping. I am actually quite satisfied with the first 3 bass strings for having a strong bass tone. Mine are tuned in 5ths and I have a PASV4. The 3 higher bass strings aren't truly in the bass register, so I don't expect an extensive bass tone from them. Rob Martino plays in mirrored 4ths, but doesn't usually have a very heavy tone. I have heard Gary Jibilian play his NS, which is filled with thunder. Tony Levin doesn't seem to have any trouble getting a fierce bass tone from his Stick.

If LH chords and two-hand chords don't appeal to you, by all means, rule out a Stick tuning with 5ths in the bass. All of the bass line runs you are used to will be fully available to you. In my limited experience exploring this instrument, using the 4ths tuning loses more than it gains in flexibility. I also came from a bass background. If you are searching for playing intense, heavy bass lines with some chordal elements over the top, check out Gary Jibilian and Dean Kobayashi. They are excellent at this technique on NS Stick.

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Wed Apr 15, 2015 5:49 pm
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Post Re: A Mirrored 4ths question
Once you get above 8 strings you're looking at a two region instrument, which is a much different approach than straight 4ths. You could tune a 10 string with a modified straight 4ths tuning that duplicates a string in the middle, otherwise string tensions will not allow you to go up in 4ths across 10 strings.

I had an NS Stick for a few years but switched to Grand Stick when I wanted to focus on solo music - the two string regions with overlapping pitches ranges provides a lot of flexibility for simultaneous bass lines, chords and melody. With mirrored 4ths you get the benefit of both traditional bass vocabulary (even though the strings are inverted it wasn't as difficult a mental adjustment as I thought) and lots of effective chord/accompaniment possibilities.


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Thu Apr 16, 2015 6:31 pm
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