(Placing this here in the technique section on a hunch.)

I’ve been listening to a few Stick recordings and videos, mainly to hear how the Stick (not NS) sounds on the low end of its range. (It may be limitations of recording or my playback equipment, but I’m still looking for more examples - a lot of recordings seem to taper those frequencies off, or the performers stay away from them. Can’t say that I’ve done an exhaustive search, however.)

In at least a couple recordings with obvious low-end notes (same performer), the attack on notes approaching the low register seemed to take on a kind of … “thwack, thwack” character. Notes above that are more ... typical “hammered bell” tones. (I'm sure that someone has likely developed standard names for these…)

What causes this kind of attack at the low end? Is this more due to the gauge / tension of the strings being used, or (as suggested in the first Greg H. videos) is it all a matter of technique, or ...?

Think that I may have figured it out: likely a combination of string gauge and technique. Other folks' recordings that venture into that range don't have that quality. (Not knocking it either way - different strokes, etc.)

As a complete aside, I'm really enjoying the "why did Emmett choose to do it this way" Stick discovery process. When something is designed and built by someone who's obviously very detail oriented, every little nuance seems to be intentional, and it's fun to try to figure out why decisions were made. (Sorry, I'm kind of strange that way.)