I just got my Stick this week and I can't seem to locate a manual online. I've been able to find a lot of answers to questions in this forum and on the internet, but, can't seem to find out exactly what the knobs do.

I can tell that if I have the lower knob up, I get more bass and down I get more melody and the upper knob kind of does the opposite.

My Stick is probably a mid-90's 34" scale standard everything stick. It has two knobs. #795.

I'm trying to only send the melody section to one channel and the bass to the other, but, can't seem to find that combination. The two knobs just seem to blend the two sections for louder bass or louder melody.

The instrument is just as difficult as I'd always expected, but, it's exciting trying to get a feel for it.

Do any of the recommended books have an instructional section that could substitute as a manual?

I appreciate any help and I apologize in advance if this is very obvious.

A small description about pickups :
http://www.gtrsynth.com/stick/Portal/in24.html
Tutorials
http://www.gtrsynth.com/stick/Portal/in30.html

Thanks. I saw those, but, I'm not looking for something to teach me how to play the instrument (yet). I'm looking for something regarding the operation of the instrument itself. There's not a lot to it, but, specifically, I'm trying to figure out how the pickups are wired, what comes out of channel A vs B (a schematic would be fantastic) and how exactly the knobs work. Do any of those books also cover that aspect? Was there a manual included when Sticks are purchased new? Is one available to purchase or a PDF online somewhere.

EDIT: Sorry, for some reason I couldn't see the first link when I came back to this page.

2nd EDIT: That still didn't really tell me what my two knobs do exactly and whether my pickup is able to completely isolate bass from melody sections.

Sounds like you have the 'Stickup' pickup, if there's only two knobs. Like the photo below...

Both are volume knobs: top is for melody strings. Bottom is for bass.

Do you have a stereo "Y" cable? If so, stereo (2 ring side) into pickup, one side of the Y cable will be melody, other is bass.

If you have a stereo to stereo cable, I think the tip ring is melody, and lower ring is bass. So that will depend what you're plugging in to (stereo amp, preamp, etc).

If you are using a standard mono guitar cable, you should only be getting the bass signal.

Hope that helps some.

Thank you.

Yes, that's the pickup I have and I have been using a stereo cable, but, I don't seem to be getting those results.

The neck knob does increase the harmony volume and the bridge knob the bass, but, if I have either knob all the way off, I don't get sound from either pickup.

It seems more like the contain the blend rather than one knob controls each section.

For example, I get more overall melody (it actually increase) if the bass knob is set lower (but not off). This seems to happen whether I'm listening to one output or the other.

I can't only get the bass channel from the one, or, only the melody from the other channel.

If you're getting complete isolation out of each knob/channel, I wonder if there is some sort of a mod that might have been done on mine that marries the two channels (or, maybe I have a bad cable, or, bad jack).

Your pickup is supposed to have near complete isolation for each channel (melody & bass). I say "near" because there is some crosstalk. IE: if you have a delay effect in the melody, you'll have an extremely subtle delay in the bass. But almost unnoticeable.

I assume you bought this used if it's #795 from the 90s (the Stick I'm selling is similar...#1283 from 1996). Sounds like your pickup needs work. I don't know the schematics or where to find them. I doubt they're online.

As a last result, you can exchange the pickup for a new one through Stick Enterprises. I don't know what they run...$300-400ish. Maybe less for an exchange.

Good luck and all the best.

I appreciate your help.

Can I ask you to clarify one thing?: does your neck pickup still operate if the bridge knob is turned all the way off, or, does it work as I’ve described where neither can be all the way off to get sound out of either?

Yes, I bought it used. It seems in great shape overall.

If it’s a Stickup then the pickup is normally divided left and right rather than bridge and nut. So they should operate as volume only for the bass or melody sides. At leas that is how my Stickup works.

Does that help or did I misunderstand your initial question?

MM

You might have, but, let me ask it a different way:

When you have the volume knob all the way off for the melody side, will the bass side still send sound out and vice versa?

No sound will come out of either pickup if one of the sides has its knob all of the way off.

Can you post a picture of the cable you’re using?

My Stickup volumes both completely turn off their respective side. But I had a bad cable once and the Tip of the TRS was contacting something weird and it caused a bleed into the other side.

MM