Now im looking to get a new bass, i find im needing the low B quite a lot and well
i figure if im going for the extra low i'd probably go for the the extra high. Anyhoo im looking at a lot of 6ers and the ones i like seem to all be around 3grand Australian which is equal to American right now. However a new NS Stick is only $2100 and used would probably be about $1500ish which raises the question. Would the 8 String NS stick be a good choice. Essentially what im after is great tone and extended range, as i dont remember how an NS feels in comparison to a Six string bass.

What do you think? It would be way cheaper, but i dont want to buy an NS when a 6 string would be more appropriate.
I already have a 10string stick and a 4 string bass. so i have the extremes. Is the NS to far towards the Stick to be a good middle ground.

Also if anyone can point me towards some good recordings of plucking and/or slapping on the NS that would be lovely.

To answer your question we'd need to know what style of music you are looking to play. Slapping a NS is more difficult and poping it is near impossible. But are looking to rake the bottom 3 strings on your 6 string for a chord you'd be better of with the NS.

What is it you're looking to do?

An NS will do the job great but remember it IS somewhere between and Stick and a bass, it's NOT a bass guitar. I personally used an NS Stick exclusively for over a year as the bass player in a very busy working rock cover band and loved it so I think i have a good insight on the pros and cons.

The pros are the lower strings sound killer played as a bass and you can two hand tap allowing you to play lead and melody in the guitar range on the top 4 strings as well as bass guitar parts on the bottom strings. And with the action STICK low you can even two hand tap bass parts allowing for some very fast clean playing.

The cons in regard to it being a bass guitar replacement are the upper 4 strings aren't very useful in the "bass guitar" role because they sound more like lead guitar strings, not bass strings. Also you will definitely have to change your approach and touch as a bass player because the action is ultra low and the neck has little to no relief. You can adjust things better for bass playing but it is designed to be set up with low Stick action.

If you decide to with an NS Stick I say go for it but realize there's a little compromise because it's also a tapping instrument. If you decide to go for a 6 string bass I suggest looking into Carvin basses. Amazing bang for the buck

Good luck which ever way you decide.

I have Sticks, an NS, and 5 and 6 string basses.

I 100% agree with Ray's take on the subject.

I use the NS as a two handed tapper, and a BEAD fingerstyle/slapper

Also the Carvin basses. I have 2, they are incredible, and very reasonably priced.

http://www.carvinguitars.com/customshop/xbbasses.php

Lee

Hello, Kalyptic.

I also have 4, 5, 6 and 7 strings basses, and a NS/STICK.
If I had to choose only one, it would be the NS with no doubt.

The Greatest bass tone i've ever heard, imo. Clean and punchy!

hi guys thanks for the replies.
Most of my experience is in Blues, Funk and Jazz. However next year i will be branching out extensively. So i really want something that will be able to cover Metal - Funk - Jazz - Reggae and basically as many Genres as you can think.
I Find that I use my 10 string Stick for very Chordal and soloing work, really like a guitar duet with my vocals. So i would really be playing the NS as a bass and as a Guitar with massive chordal range.
I wont be getting rid of my 4 string bass at all. But i feel that if the NS stick is really a viable option for a bass then it comes in at much cheaper for 8 string range.
Another shout out for some really finger style or slap recordings.

I don't know if it's still on this site but a year ago I attached a copy of an all NS Stick (with drums and vocals) tune I wrote called No Sun blues (NS blues) that was done all tap style. Seemed to get a nice response from forum members. Do a search and see if it's still there.

We'll, OK - make sure you use some good headphones for this, the bar this was recorded in had mirrors on all four walls and even the ceiling, and it's the first time in years I've played in front of a crowd. Play the 2008 vid off my neglected MySpace account:

http://www.myspace.com/michns/videos

I used my Sansamp Bass DI plugged into my RC50 into Glenn Poorman's SWR bass rig. I slapped, tapped, popped, plucked, and strummed on this.

What I like about slapping and popping the NS is you can make an easy transition to tapping much more efficiently than a standard bass. What I don't like about popping strings is I come from a four-string bass background, and the wide gap between the fourth and fifth strings sometimes throws me off; I'm thinking the D string is the G because of the space.

I slap and pop on an electric guitar, so the string spacing doesn't bother me too much, but you have to get used to the light gages on a 34" scale instrument. There is a learning curve. Recording the NS through ProTools on my computer also seems easier than a bass, but I find issues with the volume dropping on plucked notes.

Thanks for the replies guys,
Especially 88persuader and MichNS, nice stuff.

Its really starting to look like a viable option for me. After i try out some more 6 strings I'll try and get in contact with some of the guys in Sydney, maybe one of them will let me try out theirs. I think BergerBrain was thinking about selling his, so HURMMMM.

How long is the waiting time on a new one?

I don't know NOW with the new Bamboo necks and all but when I got mine a few years ago with a Graphite neck the wait was about half the time of buying a new Stick.