Hey all,

I've encountered a rather difficult problem to deal with - one that threatens my stick ventures in the future. I have a chronic lung illness that has lead to a condition called "clubbing." I'll link some information below:

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1105946-overview

While the condition is not near the extremes you might find on the internet, it is enough to make it difficult to play my alto stick.

All things considered, I don't want to give up stick playing!!! However, my fingers simply cannot deal with the smaller scale length and the tight string spacing anymore. I know I'm going to have to sell it...but I need a "recovery plan!"

I was wondering if I should switch over to an SB8 or a 10-string grand. The SB8 might be ideal, in fact, because I am a bass guitarist/upright player regularly.

My big question is this: what are your experiences with the sticks with wider string spacings? I've talked to my doctor, and he said bass instruments would rarely be an issue!

Forgive me if I'm ranting...I'm just stuck in a nasty spot between a rock and hard place right now! Any advice would be great.

I'll risk weighing in on your dilemma with the importance of doing what it takes to keep playing. Looking at images of digital clubbing, the SB8 might be the way to go (contingent on the severity of your symptoms). Less severe clubbing might allow you to enjoy a 10 string Grand Stick.

Good luck. I hope you can keep playing. Let us know how it works out for you.

Possibly see if SE would make an SB8 on a Grand body.

For a while I experimented with tapping on an acoustic with the normal banjo style plastic and metal finger picks. I was trying to maximize sound output at the time but it wasn't awkward to use them for tapping after a few practice sessions. Just thought I would mention that you might be able to do that to make a smaller surface area to press with.

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I think the SB8 is going to be the way to go for me. I have very mild symptoms, and as long as I keep doing what the good doctors tell me to do, they will stay mild.

I looked at some of the pictures of clubbing online, and it's worth noting that these look like REALLY extreme examples. Because I've played the bass, my fingers have remained pretty dexterous despite some awkward shaping. And, because I follow my medical routines, it's not getting worse!

Thanks again for weighing in. Once I get the SB8 in my hands, I'll let you know how it works. I anticipate it'll be just fine!

Unless you think the extra width of the board will be a problem for you, then the Ten String Grand will offer you many more possibilities in terms of tunings than the SB8.

One great thing about Emmett's inverted 5ths tuning is that it compresses the accompaniment chord shapes into very manageable 3 fret spans. So as the scale gets longer, you don't have to do as much stretching to play chords as you would with 4ths. Just a thought.

@Greg,
I wanted to reply earlier, but I had a maddeningly busy week. I wholeheartedly agree about the inverted 5th tuning. I actually watched the "two handed bass thing" video you had on youtube, and that is definitely a playing style I gravitate toward. In fact, I'm almost certain that when I get the SB8 (hoping to order next week!!!), I will use the dual bass reciprocal tuning. I think this is the best bet for me. I'm a bassist at heart, as is, so this could all be a blessing in disguise.

@All
All in all, thanks for the advice everyone. I weighed the options pretty heavily, and ultimately think that the 10.4 mm spacing of the SB8 will offer me just a bit more dexterity than the 8.9 mm spacing of the ten-string grand.

Oh, and if anyone was worried, I take my medicine regularly! Doctor's orders...

Glad the video helped you. If the two-handed bass in 5ths is an important factor, you might consider using a Low C and offsetting the pivot string to position #4 so that you get all the double-stop possibilities that five 5ths has to offer. This would also extend the overall range of the instrument just a bit.

This would make your tuning at the X fret look like this:

Eb
Bb
F
C (lowest string)
G
D
A
E

Don't be weirded out by not having typical bass notes at the X fret, they will be at the open string for your reference, the placement of notes at the 1st and 2nd inlay markers is very easy to follow in this tuning, making it really easy to find your way around, especially the 5ths: