Sorry about my inaccuracy in quoting you Emmett, that's what I meant, that the pickups were the first construction-related component that made a difference to the tone.

Ah gotcha! Sorry I thought you meant you were picking between one and the other!

I too have definitely found my rhythmic playing on piano has got a lot better, electric piano/rhodes/organ parts in particular have got a lot sharper, more complex and interconnected as a result.

A big part of the difference in the Railboard's tone is the orientation of the module, which places the pickups at slightly different harmonic nodes relative to the vibrating strings.. The melody strings are mellower and the bass a little edgier. It makes for a very nice balance, and a unified tone, if you are looking for "one big instrument" while still retaining the ability for differentiated sounds via effect and on=board.filtering.

This video really shows off the unified tone I'm talking about:

Totally Greg, 100% agree. I noticed the reversed block orientation when I first ordered it, same effect as a reversed P or tele pickup. And yes, the unified tone is awesome. I just play mine in mono into a Fishman Loudbox and it sounds killer.

I just spent a nice long time with the 10-string Railboard. Plays so well, and all the simplified tactile and visual cues, plus a little extra string spacing....

I really do believe 10 is easier, but maybe that's just me...

Got a 10-string first, but the guitar side wasn't low enough for my taste because I wanted to play a big dumb open E chord so, went baritone but still not low enough and then not high enough either. Met EC @ NGSW playing his latest grand tuned 5 bass strings & 7 gtr. strings and boom, problem solved. The 7 guitar strings feel awesome range-wise, and I don't need more than 5 bass strings. Plus Gene and Ken were already sounding huge on their grands! Sold the 10 to Jeff, bought my 1st 7+5 with a stickup and played that for years but it's gross now so I've retired it. Bought my 2nd grand like new from Mike in SMdA, but it was 6+6 with the active pickup. It sat unplayed for years until I finally asked if SE could make a 7+5 active pickup for it, but EC hipped me to just sliding the pickup down in place because it's long enough to cover 7 strings. Yay! Now that 2nd grand has been played so much that it's getting gross too. Oh well. I have a 3rd grand now but need to someday upgrade the pickup to an active one because IMHO it is superior in tone to the passive. I feel that way about electric guitars as well. Also the stick is already so wide across that I prefer closer spaced strings. Tried my friends warr but the extra weight plus wider neck from big spacing was a double thumbs down. Hope this helps. Try the Grand! You'll love it! It's a way of life!

My reason was slightly more pragmatic than a lot of people here, I'm afraid -- I got a grand because I was offered one. I knew I'd only be able to afford one Stick in my practical lifetime and had decided that, for preference, I should get the "most" stick I could and that meant a Grand for the widest range. Of course I also knew I would take what was in my price range, regardless of the strings.

I was very fortunate indeed to be offered what I got. Incidentally, it seems mine is one of the earlier Grands with a narrower string spacing than modern ones. One day I hope to have the wherewithal to compare...

For me is about the string spacing and wideness of the instrument, i find it much more comfortable than a normal Stick.

And i don´t know if it´s only a sensation but i have the feeling it sounds bigger.

For me it was just easier to keep the same bass side fingerings for more chords by just going up a fifth. (Often poor voice leading, but not if you are careful and listening) Also just more notes.

Brett

... (+1) + (+1) = +2 ...
... but 22 years I can not offer...