Mike, I just want to say this 'cause I think maybe my posts could be taken as "Just play bass" or "Stickists suck, real bassists rule". Not what I was trying to say; I just feel strongly that the Stick and Bass guitar are different animals, based on tuning and articulation alone...

But, why in the heck would you WANT to 'just' play bass? Especially when you are really good at Stick? Play Stick, so fucking what if the band takes a truly bizarre turn and ends up being unique and different. Let it sound like a Stick, fuck 'em.

Yes, I have a rotten attitude.

Why make the Stick sound more like a bass? To have more opportunities to fit in.

When I fist got my Stick I really wanted to be able to substitute it for bass just to be able to play it more. At the time I was working (as a bassist) playing a lot of weddings and parties. No one would have really cared (beyond looks) if I played Stick as long as it fulfilled that fat sound (across the entire bass range) that bass does. I really tried to get that type of sound but I never did. That was unfortunate because if I would have been able to do that, I would have gotten to play the Stick much much more and improved at a much faster rate.

So for me, at that time, it wasn't about denying what the Stick is, it was looking for more opportunities to play it by filling the bass role as inconspicuously as possible. Didn't happen.

My answer to this is a good bass DI. For years I had the Sansamp, but last year I traded it for the EBS Microbass II. The only time I've ever seen anyone else use one was another Stick player at the Melbourne seminar I went to in 2010. This newer model has a ton of tone controls with a sweepable midrange. Fattens up the sound of both my Sticks and works really well with the melody side as well. Added bonus it works as a DI for acoustic guitars pretty well also. Before I started answering this I was using it in front of my Helix, and it works well "doubling" the amp simulation.

A fruitful lesson discussion on this matter with our initiater has transpired.
Various ways of playing were considered plus electronics and effects. The actual bass line itself does affect the possible sonic quality of note linkage. But the main obstacle is still that initial attack of the tapped string. We got a bit closer to the answer via experimentation of the variables and other technique influences. Very introspective

Steve A

"We've got the Thunk..."