Hi everyone.

So here is the situation and my solution...I am curious to know what you other NS/Stick players would do in my shoes (sounds like a great way to learn something to me).

The band I play in uses three differant tunings: whole step down, half step down, and whole step drop D. What I have done, is to tune the NS/Stick to the whole step down tuning and then use a capo on seven of the strings (it wont fit on the low B) and then modulate all the fingerings (except open strings up one fret). This has worked well since there is no time to retune during shows.

Of course the obvious solution is to buy another NS/Stick but that is not something I can do at the moment. I also thought about two hand tapping the fast runs and playing everything in the whole step down tuning. The band is a prog-metal band so there are many fast runs and some of them use the open strings like a drone note which makes that more complicated than I would like (not that this is not...lol). My solution is working well for me but I was curious as to what you guys would do. Sometimes my ideas end up being the hard way to go about something and perhaps I am missing an easier road to take.

Thanks for the input fellow NS/Stickers.

Not sure if this is something you are looking for, but I've been experimenting with two Schubb Capos on each side of the neck at different positions. All 8 strings can be Capo'd in a variety of combinations.

I have seen a couple of accoustic guys do that...and it lends itself to some very interesting compostional ideas.

The problem I am trying to tackle is, in prog-metal, a popular compostional tool is the full band run where everybody plays some line at the same time. Of course this is usually at blinding speed and in truth there are not going to be many alternate fingering choices, especialy when the run incorporates open strings to allow postion changes for crazines at 200bpm plus.

The capo is how I am keeping the use of open strings, but allowing for playing in the differant song tunings with only one instrument.

It is the only way, short of a modulation pedal, that I can think of to do this...though it is a major pain in the balls.

Maybe I just need to save up for a second stick...hahaha.

Maybe Emmett will make one with a whammy bar on the bottom four strings for me...lol.

OK - now I get what you're doing. I also have a TC Electronics Nova Systems pedal that has the Whammy Pitch shifter via an expression pedal.
Cool for tapping something fast, and just adjust the pedal without any handshifts. However, it still sounds a bit unnatural for me. The only thing I've seen do a decent job of "digital" altered tunings is the Roland VG-99 I once used on my guitar. Being able to switch to the DAGDAD tuning was pretty cool, even so, I could still tell the altered sounds were "fake". I think part of the reason is you can still hear and feel the strings in their standard tuning. Nothing like having "real" altered/dropped tunings.

If I'm not mistaken, I've read that Alex Lifeson uses a couple guitars with a couple strings that are tuned the exact same - so he can "drone" the open string and play something on the other string of the same pitch while adding the remaining strings as needed for a "rhythm-lead" technique. Similarly I've often wondered what an NS tuned EADG-GBEA would do for me as I've often wanted that fifth string to be tuned to a G; like having a standard 4-string bass with a modified "piccolo" bass on the same neck.

I was just at the Adult Guitar Workshop up here in Interlochen, Mi. Phil Keaggy put on a couple Q&A classes and demonstrated his use of some custom Kaiser capos that have levers on them that allows some strings to be fully capo'd, and others that can be opened and closed by levers in the capo. He would have a couple of these setup on the same side of the neck, and even use the levers to create "hammer-ons" besides changing the fundamental pitches of the strings. Outside of that, he could also grab a few tuning machines and change pitches during a song. He only uses one guitar, and in my opinion can switch tunings faster than Micheal Manring.

Got any vids posted?

Wow...the Kaiser Capos sound very interesting. I'm going to have to check that out.

Our friends at Futures End have endorsements with the people that make Morpheus Pedels for diffearnt tunings...but I have not tried one yet so I don't know. I'll drag my ass down to Guitar Center here in Houston and check one out sometime soon.

Supposedly two folks took video from the bass-solo portion of the show I did at the end of August...which I really want to see...but I have not got ahold of it yet. If the quality does not suck...I'll youtube it. Otherwise, at some point I will take some video at home for Youtube. There are a few cuts on the new record that I think folks will want to see how it is played and a video is the quickest way to do that I think. (Plus, I gotta prove that was me on the NS/Stick and not Don LaFon on guitar...hahaha)

Anyway, thanks for the info. I'm really interested in those Kaiser Capos. As for speed tuning ala Michael Mannring...I will never, ever be that cool...