Like I said.

Not sure I understand the hostility towards JackVicious.

Hi Jeff,

The thread had many trademarks of a phony thread.

Hi everyone, I (anonymous person) am looking for input to solve my problem....thread ensues....after only a short time....the original poster announces the discovery of the perfect solution to the problem!

Internet forums are full of this kind of thing. It happened on the old Stickwire list-serve, with people even having conversations with themselves about how great their instruments were, using different names.

Of course, this may not be one of those cases, and perhaps Berger could have given a bit more benefit of the doubt... But maybe that explains the hostility....

Since JackVicious's obscenity laden response has been edited, no doubt he looks more reasonable now than he did before.

I don't feel like I have to justify myself or the things I say to anyone, but Jeff, I understand your point.

Greg, you're correct: It had the smell of a phony thread; I used to see a few of those on another forum I used to belong to a few years back. I figured if it was false, he deserved no mercy. If he was real, he needed some tough love and a reality check.

If he WAS real, and not stumping for Krusty Guitars (or anyone else): I can tolerate an ego and a level of abrasiveness, but at this stage of my life I have no patience for people who ask for very valuable advice, get tons of it, and then completely ignore it, because a hang-up about used gear and a belief that a low bottom line are more important than doing something the right way. It also seems apparent that he was in a rush to get a new toy.

Keep in mind that I personally, without a lot of wiggle room in my life, am investing a great deal of myself working on this big new venture of becoming a Stick player, on a used instrument that has been lovingly worked on by Emmett, and in spite of its advanced age, is still fantastic. It is worthy of my respect and my best effort, and I love it.
To see it referred to as "someone else's sloppy seconds" was just too much for me.

And now I have yet another reason to love Maine! Well said Berger...

Kris

Well, don't get too excited, Kris...I'm far less eloquent in person, as you'll likely discover if you go to the NE seminar in June.

But thanks anyway. So much of my very young gigging career was spent at the bars of the ski reports of NH and VT, and I have a deep affection for both.

I think that's a bit harsh. The guy has standards different from you because he has had experiences different from you.

Jack, I think your thought process makes a lot of sense, though I agree with the over-arching sentiment that your prejudice against a used instrument will only be to your detriment.

I had gone through much the same process as you when searching for an instrument, and with the exception of the WARR Guitar, when I dug deeper than the surface for each of these other instruments and the companies that make them, I found that they fell short as companies and instruments, as well the people making them seemed to come off as less than reputable, to say the least.

After I bought my Stick, Steve Adelson filled me in on some of the legal issues Stick Enterprises had with WARR Guitar.

Honestly, I think the instrument is worth it. I have grown so much as a musician in so many ways that guitar would never have let me, and where I'm at now is really just the tip of the iceberg.

In the end, it's your money and your decision. That probably goes without saying, but it never hurts to mention. But, my recommendation is to either move on from your dislike of used instruments (some of the best instruments I've ever owned have been used), or to accept the price with the knowledge that it will be very, very worth it.

*

Wait...I missed it?

Shows how gullible I am. I already went and "Liked" Krappy's facebook page, looked at their odd array of shapes and layouts, and was a little more than tempted with their 10-String tappers being precisely what I have saved up for a Stick so far.

Nice to be roped back into reality. I have NO problem learning from the mistakes of others, thanks!

~Michael

There's only one Chapman Stick (well, if you count all the different models there are 6). If you want an instrument that is built to last, and has the flexibility to allow you to change tunings and string gauges and always have a perfect setup, nothing really comes close.