Hi Everyone,

There was some discussion on the recent all 4ths tuning thread about the sound of long and short scale Sticks, so I thought it would make sense to start another thread specifically dedicated to all the differences between long and short scale. I've had an SG12 and an Alto, in addition to almost all of the long-scale instruments, so I'm looking forward to your thoughts on this...

Well, you all know where I stand on this one. I loved my standard Grands and 10-strings that I owned in the past, but the short-scale is where I party .

When I played the regular Sticks, I was always reaching for the high end of the fretboard; this was my main area of play in the Heartstrings duets. Mark usually covered the low bass and mid range chords and while I doubled his chords an octave higher and played the main melody. It worked, but I was always playing at the 10th fret or beyond and I almost never touched my two lowest bass strings. What a waste of real estate! I hoped that maybe one day Emmett would make a higher-pitched Stick, and that's exactly what he did. The SGs and Altos put all of those notes that I was always reaching and grasping for right in the middle of the board. Now my whole instrument is the sweet spot!!

Besides its role in our Stick duet, the short-scale Sticks can be every bit as engaging in the solo format as their long-scale brethren. The SG fills my every need and I can't imagine a better tapping instrument for those who favor the higher end of the spectrum.

The description of the SG-12 at STick.com says I'm curious about you SG player's experience with this. Does the SG12 sound less "sploinky" at the first frets, near the nut, compared to the Grand? I tend to avoid playing too close to the nut on my Grand for this reason.

"Sploinky" is a good word, I like playing up near the nut because it sounds kind of "clavinety"
The SG-12 looks weird to me ,but it does sound great.

A typical case of different taste in string tone I guess! I kind of like a fuller tone, like the neck pickup of the PASV-4. I imagine that pickup will sound great with an SG-12?

Speaking about tapping tone, I really like the tone Randy Strom gets with that Warr; such a sweet tone from an ugly instrument. Does anyone know if a Stick can produce such a tone?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GweAXZ7qtwk[/youtube]

Hi Per,

I'm assuming you're talking about the melody side. I would suggest the neck pickup on the PASV-4, with a fairly dark filter setting.

Yes, talking melody side regarding this Randy STrom example. PASV-4 neck pickup is what I use most of the time on my Grand 12. I found medium strings sounding much better than light strings, but I still have not tried heavy strings. And I have no idea how this sound comes out on a SG-12. --- ? (lot's of exciting stuff to explore)

For solo Stick arrangements, I find the long scale instrument much more useful. Coming from a bass background, I really love being able to play "static" high parts and moving bass parts and vice versa. I didn't realize how much I would miss being in charge of the bass until I played an Alto. I also tend to write stuff with less "overlap" in classic 10-string tuning. There's plenty of high range there - I use my highest "D" note daily.

Another issue is probably the physical size of the player vs. instrument. I'm 6'4" (194cm) when I stand up straight, and the shorter scale Stick feels a bit like a big toothpick when I strap it on!

Finally, it's also nice to have a go at a bass solo from time to time...

Cheers,
Andy

If there is anyone lurking who is considering playing classical on a tapping instrument, the SG would be the model to get.

Classical keyboard music often uses passages played very high up in both hands. The SG gives easy access to the high register.
It is relatively light as well, and you can sit down to play without a crossbar.

Mad Monk.

Thanks for the thoughts, particularly about the tone.
As I don't really have access to "real" (non midi based) instruments, I tend to forget about tonal qualities caused by construction of the instrument. (Not having a real instrument sucks you guys)
I would love it if stick.com had a page of music samples for various instruments like they do for the PASV4.
Edit: Went looking for some recent Heart Strings sounds that use both instruments. While it isn't exactly a sample by sample comparison, I think some of that material makes the differences clear. The smaller scale really does seem distinct.

The more I think about it though, the more I think I am a mid-range guy. Solo compositions tend to get pushed both lower and higher because of the inability to easily overlap range when playing a keyboard. But arrangements I've recorded track by track tend to be more in the mid range. I would probably be pretty happy on just about any stick.