G’day guys

I have been looking into buying a Chapman stick for quite some time now, but I am a little vague on some answers to some questions that I am hoping can be concluded with veracity.

I play guitar, bass and piano and have developed confidence and fluency in the 8 finger tapping guitar technique; how hard will it be for to make the transition into the instruments?

I play in a fusion band as a bass player, but since we have just lost our keyboard player and also don’t have a rhythm guitar player, I will need to swap over to a distorted tone on the guitar strings (or possibly the bass); will that be possible with my AXE FX MK II? If so can somebody please demonstrate or explain it to me?

I have noticed there are other similar tap-style instruments such as Mobius Megatar and the Warr guitar. Could somebody please outline the advantages/disadvantages with these instruments? I know it is a biased question for me to ask you guys, but honesty would be highly appreciated. Also, as I am on a tight budget at the moment, price has a concern.

I intend on still using pizzicato, slap and pop and strumming techniques, so what instrument would facilitate these techniques and sound best on?

I have seen some of the above instruments have MIDI capabilities and I was wondering if the Chapman stick can be outfitted with such an accessory. I have Roland GR55 guitar synth and keen to use it for this instrument. Could somebody please outline the best thing to do monetary wise, and also pinpoint the instrument that is best for this kind of thing.

Thanks guys

Hi Ray.
Welcome to the forum. I cant answer all your questions regarding the gear.......but if you come from a piano background, you most likely have an advantage over a lot of us here.
The popping and strumming? Well there are some cats here that do just that.......check out Bob Culbertson and Kevin Keith.

Because I am a devout follower of all things Stick, I would try to convince you to buy one straight away and put those silly thoughts of other tappers out of your mind.......

The new Railboard is quite a work of art, have you checked these things out?

cheers,
kev

Check out the NS Stick. It is relatively affordable, can be outfitted with a Roland pickup (for MIDI) and accommodates all the playing styles you mentioned (pizzicato, slap and pop and strumming) and tapping of course.

+1.
It sounds like an NS/Stick would be just the ticket, not only for its versatility, but because the tuning on it isn't going to require as much getting used to as the tuning on a Stick. You should be able to start flying with it right off.

Hey Ray, welcome to the show. Lots of great questions. Here's my humble thoughts on the matter.

The Stick is similar to the bass, guitar, keyboard, maracas, whatev - it's like... many things. But, it's a Stick. Sounds silly, I know, the long and the short of it is, playing the Stick is altogether different from any instrument you have ever played. Transitioning into the instrument is tough, but like anything, with practice and proper instruction, it can be done. As a bassist, you'll quickly learn how to adapt using the unique tuning in the left hand. Parts in the right will evolve in time.

The Stick is one of many tapping instruments available (Krappy, Mobius, Warr, etc.). The Chapman Stick was the first true tapping instrument and Emmett Chapman is unequivocally the originator of the species. You can liken Emmett to Leo Fender or Les Paul. You can also liken the Chapman Stick to the Stratocaster or Les Paul in terms of it's popularity, it's quality and it's brand. Emmett sets up each instrument. With the Stick, you are assured that Emmett Chapman himself is going to set it up and ship it to you, it is a premium product - you get what you pay for.

There are many different ways to play the instrument. Some guys bow it, use an eBow, some strum, use their thumb - it's all allowed if you get it to make a sound. It's truly your own journey.

There are lots of cats here that make good use of the AXE FX. You can run two separate signal paths, which is very beneficial as the instrument utilizes a two separate outputs for each hand. Check out Per Boysen, at about minute 19, he shows how he is using the AXE FX with his SG-12 Chapman Stick.

You can use MIDI with this Stick. I would recommend waiting on that to start as you will have your hands full with adapting to the string configuration in the left hand and getting the hands to work together.

The best part about the Stick is perhaps the community. They could all use a little more sunlight, but all said, a friendly, supportive bunch that are committed to bringing about a greater understanding of the instrument. Occasional friendly fire on topics like healthcare, legalization and the "best" pickup, but all water under the bridge.

Thanks for posting, best of luck with the search.

One thing to consider, if you're not sure which instrument to buy, is resale value.

When I was becoming interested in the Stick, I wasn't sure I'd be able to play it, so I was looking for one to rent -- not a chance. When I discovered that used Chapman Sticks sell for pretty much the same as new, then I knew that I could buy one with little financial risk -- even though they are fairly expensive. If it turned out that I could not play it, or didn't like it, I could resell it, quite easily, for pretty much what I paid for it, and could sell it fairly easily. I don't think this holds true for other tap instruments.

So, on the monetary question, I think you should consider the maintenance of value rather than price tag. You might pay more for a Chapman Stick (although I think the Railboard is fairly economical), but you can recover nearly 100% of that price if you end up selling it. If you end up keeping it, then the price is spread over the long life of the instrument -- so it turns out to be very affordable over time.

On the question of ease of transition, the answer is a little less straight forward. On the one hand, you should not think of it as being as easy as moving from, say, guitar to bass. The Stick is a completely different animal and it will feel like you are starting all over from scratch. That said, once your fingers get used to going where they're supposed to, progress comes quickly. Given your musical background, you will likely progress very quickly. But don't expect to take it to a gig the day after you receive it.

Also, consider comfort and ease of play. I can, and often do, play my Stick for hours on end. This is something I can't do with my guitar or bass. The stick is so ergonomic that it is quite comfortable to play for as long as I'm willing to stand (lots of other players play seated, but I almost always stand - even when playing guitar).

OK. I've run out of things to say.

Yes, I use the AxeFxII and can tell that it is possible to run the melody side by a distorted sound and the bass side by a clean sound. There will be a little leakage from the lowest strings that are closest to the other side's pickup but not a big deal IMHO. In fact I often think it sounds cool with just a slight touch of distortion topping the lowest clean bass notes. The processor of the AxeFxII has about the exact amount of juice needed for running both sides with amp, cab and a delay - and then I set up a shared reverb as a send effect (inside the AxeFxII) for both sides but typically I send there from the bass side through an EQ block to take out the deep bass and generally lower the level fed into the reverb send line.

The Stick NS is designed as a hybrid instrument to match all kind of playing techniques you are describing. But it is also an exciting adventure to leave all old luggage in playing techniques behind and dig in on the Grand for the typical tapping technique it is optimised for.

You forgot to mention one of the non Stick instruments available today, the Tenayo Ziggy Tapper. Since you have not filled out your location I can't tell where you are posting from but if you are in Europe the Ziggy can be found for 800 Euro. I've tried them at music trade shows and they play pretty nicely but is nothing compared to the Stick family instruments. I'd like to have a Ziggy nevertheless because the fun in trying out different pickups, as it matches the guitar humbucker standard. I'm a big fan of the Lace Alumitone and think it would sound great on the 34" Ziggy. Having said that I think it would be better to start out with a Stick instrument if you can afford it because that way you will play better, sound better and have more fun while also learning faster.

Oh, I must edit in this too...
I agree with the person who wrote that you don't have to get the MIDI pickup right away. Myself I actually sold the MIDI pickups from both my Sticks after having played for two years. Especially if you amplify through the AxeFxII you can get a good monophonic synth sound there on the melody side while still having a clean bass sound on the other side. And withough the GK-3 blob you have good access with a cello bow to the outer strings on both sides plus the lowest bass strings (not so sure about the Railboard though, maybe the bass string doesn't come up higher above the other strings.... I read somewhere that the lowest Railboard string has a bit lower fret height to make the upper side of the strings line up. Maybe good for some, but not for bowing that bass string if you like that)

Actually, from personal experience I can tell you that bowing on the lowest bass string on my Railboard is quite easy. And monstrous-sounding. What's not so easy is bowing on the highest bass string, because the R-Block pickup is set at an angle that's opposite of what the Stickup and the Block modules have. Therefore, there's less distance between the pickup and the bridge, therefore there's less clearance to fit a bow. There's plenty of room on the melody side, but I found it harder to get vibrato on that side, so the answer so far has been to "thread the needle" between the pickup and the bridge on the bass side.
Cheers!

There's a good tutorial on setting up the Axe FX for two guitars here (works just as well for bass/melody from a Stick):
http://blog.katsukurimedia.com/2011/12/ ... s-at-once/
(use the volume block instead of the mixer as he notes at the end)

If you're hoping to use your GR55, you'll need an instrument with the GK pickup. It's not the cheapest way to get MIDI out but it's the only way you'll be able to connect to that GR55.

Per - sounds like you don't really need MIDI anyway, but it is possible to setup the GK electronics so they're not in the way for bowing. I have dual MIDI and they were initially installed on the sides at the very bottom of the instrument. I've since relocated them to the back of the Stick, but they were never in the way.

Thanks so much for the helpful replies guys.