Emmett asking Mark "how'dyoudoit?" We are all learners on this beautiful instrument. Niftiness indeed.

I met Emmett and Greg Howard at the NAMM show many years ago (2004) and they were a little freaked out at the way I was using my thumb to play the chords with the right hand. LOL. But they didn't see me do the two-handed version. I either just didn't do it when I was visiting the Stick booth, or I hadn't thought of it yet.

One reason I'd like to see archives of the Stickwire mailing list is to see when I came up with these things exactly. I posted on the mailing list about these things right after I figured them out.

I remember when I thought I had invented "finger-Sticking". haha. Lookit the sounds Bob Culbertson fishes out of this thing. I spend time trying to develop unorthodox playing methods that can be recreated. (and compressor pedals come in handy some time...)

Right now I'm still trying to figure out this legato bebop line thing. I can kind of do it, but a lot of the time when I do a pulloff I accidentally hit the next lower string and make a thump noise. Compression is good to make it so you don't have to pull off so hard for it to be heard. But then if you hit the string harder when playing the first note on that string (which I frequently do) you get that weird attack that compressors create. There must be some combination of technique and electronics that will create the sound I'm looking for. If possible, I'd like to do it without using distortion.

I just got an MXR Dyna Comp Mini and have been playing with it. Nice! I like the way it responds.

The Dyna Comp seems to be the way to go on the melody strings. But it clips when you try to run the bass strings into it. So for the bass strings, I will either use a Boss CS-3 or the compression that's built into the Yamaha MG82CX mixer I'm using to pan, mix, and add reverb.

The Danelectro Chili Dog octave pedal, which I've been a fan of for a long time, works well for adding a sub-octave to a single note line on the melody strings! This one will definitely and up on the final pedalboard.

I don't pretend to know what's best, just what's been working for me. On the bass side it's a Boss CS-3, (level at 3 o'clock, tone all the way left to Lo, attack at 9 o'clock & sustain @ Noon), then into a Boss GEB-7 (set with a little more low-mids and less high-mids). The compressor is necessary for me because without it the 2nd fret isn't anywhere near as loud as the 7th fret. There's no comp on my guitar side but after reading all these other posts .... who knows. Neal Schon uses a CS-3 in front of all his other gear and its set with the level and sustain maxed out.

I really like the Markbass Compressore. It's a tube compressor, well recommended by the guy at ovnilabs. A lot of bang for the buck.

I use it on the bass side.


R

I´ve never liked them when playing live, i preffer to be in total control of the dynamics, specially on an instrument like the Stick which is very responsive.
For me it kills the sound, i really like the attack of the instrument specially on the bass side.
Just use it when recording and always just when mixing-mastering.

Unless you're shooting for the "Tony Sound". Then you need something like an Orange Squeezer and definitely the Stickup.