Best post I've seen all year......
thanks Karma.

Try the veal,..... it's fabulous....

cheers,
kev

Rich Snyder said:



Coming back to price - sure, the Stick is fairly priced for the quality (and downright cheap compared to some top quality custom guitars or bowed instruments). However, currently a Stick is a hefty investment for a person wanting to try an instrument they like the sound of to see if they get on with it - simply because, unlike almost any other instrument, there aren't any cheap ones. Quite a number of Stick for sale ads run something along the lines of 'well, I like the instrument, but I just didn't have the time to learn it properly, and now I need to free up all that money for (whatever)'.

Maybe a more affordable Stick (or range of Sticks at different price points) would attract more young (therefore generally more broke), players to the instrument - and they'll develop playing it in different ways. Also, some older ones like me could more easily justify the investment or upgrade to their Significant Other. You know the routine, folks: "You're proposing to spend $3000 on WHAT? But you've got one!!" Then you go into "Well yeah, but it's really good, it means I'll be able to play like this, and besides, the kids like cheap food and old clothes..." - toot, warble, flannell, plead, beg, wail, moan, gnash teeth, etc...

If the Railboard comes out significantly cheaper than current new Sticks, I'll have one, and I don't much care that a potentially mass market Stick might eventually knock the value of my current old Stick. I guess if I had a high value Stick I might be more concerned about that - but people still buy $5000 boutique guitars although they can get one that does the job adequately for $500 .

Max

Affordable Sticks! My first self purchased instrument was a bugle - cost $15 new. At least it didn't land me in the military. I bought harmonicas after that - they were easier to conceal.
It will be very exciting when the next generation of players arrives, who start out on Stick. Eventually there will be Suzuki Stick teachers. And John Thompson, and Berklee Method Stick E-books produced with 3D viewmedia, and magneto-powered accessory gloves that guide your fingers along the Grid, in any key, any style, any tuning...yup good old mass production! Wonder if the Wright brothers could have ever envisioned a 787 widebody? -Brian

Hello all. I started writing this post a couple days ago but its taken me a bit to put this into words.
Here goes..

I went over to Stick Enterprises on Friday and Emmett was kind enough to let me try out the new Railboard Stick prototypes. If you're reading this then I assume you've visited the SE Railboard link and have read up on the mechanical layout and feature set of the Railboard, so in this post I will concentrate on how the instrument "feels" to me as a player. After viewing pictures and reading about the Railboard I was curious about a few things:

1) The new thinner beveled fingerboard
2) A wider Fingerboard
3) The feel of the frets
4) The sound of a metal instrument
5) The new electronics package

Normally when I've try out a new instrument it takes me a few minutes to adjust to the differences between it and my Sticks that I play all the time. This has been very much the case when I've auditioned NS Sticks and Grands and even some subtle differences in playing 10 string Grands.

Words cannot express my astonishment when my hands first landed on the Railboard. It not only felt completely familiar, it felt better. The Railboard feels really, really good and for me, the narrow beveled fingerboard is a HUGE improvement even though I was perfectly happy with the previous design. Its just so much easier to get your hands on top of the fretboard. That being said, this is a really fast fingerboard! The fretboard is also slightly wider than a standard 10 string. Its interesting that with a thinner fretboard you don't notice the enhanced width, but somehow my playing accuracy magically seemed to improve.

Ok, the Frets.. Railboard frets have a gentle taper, almost like its between being a Rod and a Rail. The frets are actually a machined part of the fingerboard itself and they are rock hard due to the anodizing process. I can't believe I'm saying this but Railboards have my favorite frets because it feels like the best of the Rod and the Rail.
As far as sound goes these Railboards just sing with a sustain that seems endless. The lows are thick and full just like the wooden models and the tone is even throughout but Railboards seem to resonate a bit more. I'm really not embellishing, this thing is just cool! The new electronics package has volume, tone and the addition of selectable bandpass filters with human vowel tonality. Yes!!

The sound varies in steps from big and warm to pure and aggressive so for all you distortion pedal guys out there, prepare for a thicker, smoother overdrive.

This functionality is significant and something that I have had to program into pedal boards which means its never available when I'm in standing at center stage.. away from my pedal board.

To summarize, playing a Railboard feels like someone handed you the keys to a Ferrari convertible at the top of a winding, mountain road.

Railboards are Hot Rods! Its the Stick on steroids!

Your playing will just fly on these things and... they look really cool which (quite honestly) is important to me.

That being said, I will definitely be one of the first Railboard owners and It was soooo hard for me to leave Stick Enterprises.

A big thank you to Emmett, Yuta and everyone at Stick Enterprises for another great creation and for allowing me the opportunity to play this cool new instrument!

See ya!

Kevin Keith

hey kevin,

it's not like i didn't want one badly enough before your post..
now i'll try to pull some teeth... did emmett hint at a first production run date?? and maybe other available color choices? (i'm praying for the gold)

if you were sworn to secrecy i promise not to tell anyone else. =o)

thanks

jimi

I know, I'm drooling, I want a Railboard badly!! I'm still pushing for a deep/emerald green model. Can't wait to hear production run and pricing info...

Kris

Kevin has spoken, and I am SOLD!!! sign me up!

Thanks for the great review.

Great review, Kevin!

Now I have to wait a long time for the SG12 version.

-Eric

Great news Kevin, thanks for taking the time to share with us.

Thanks to Kevin for a great review.