Hi there! I go by psc64. I'm 15, and I've been a big fan of the Stick and all it has to offer since around January (...short, I know!)

So, a little backstory - I've been a fan of the early 80s new wave band Kajagoogoo for a while. I won't go into any spiel about what they were, but Nick Beggs was (and still is) a super proficient Stick player, and his abilities lured me in immediately. I loved the sound of it, the look of it, the playing method, it captured me instantly.

I've been obsessed with it since. Unfortunately, I don't have a job (of course!) and nothing to pay for it. Hopefully, pretty soon, I'll be able to make some money and pay for one.

Anyway, enough of the backstory. I have a couple questions I've been dying to ask experienced Stick players:
1. Is it still possible to order a Stick in this day and age? Would I get a response if I submitted a form?
2. Is there any extra equipment I'll need after receiving it?
3. What are the most crucial things I should know to get started on the right foot?

Thanks in advance! Glad I can be a part of the community!

Welcome to the Forum.

Yes, you can still order Sticks.
https://www.stick.com/shop/prices/
I understand that the wait times are fairly long.

You will need an amplifier with dual inputs.
I've been experimenting with the Spark Live amp.
https://www.positivegrid.com/products/spark-live

You might want to pick up a few tutorial books.
https://www.stick.com/method/books/
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=17015

There are lots of great tutorial videos online.
https://www.youtube.com/@gregplaysthestick/videos
https://www.youtube.com/@bobculbertson/videos

When you get your first Stick,
Steve Adelson does online lessons.
https://steveadelson.com/

Welcome psc64.



Since you (psc64) are young, a better translation might be 'very long', because the typical wait for a new order Stick is currently 2 years or more. IIRC (it was a long time ago) when I was 15, two years used to seem like a very long time. LOL!

For example, I placed an new order in August 2023 & I'll be pleasantly surprised if I see the instrument by Autumn (Fall) 2025.

lol, I’ve heard. It’ll be longer for me considering I’ll need to find a job first and actually make the money for it!

I’ll try to be as patient as possible while I wait. Perhaps if I find someone selling one, I’ll snatch it when I have the opportunity. We’ll just have to see - either way, I’m still excited to get into it!

A good thing to be aware of is that you don't need all the money up front.

When you place the order all you pay is the deposit (300 USD in August last year, & I don't recall hearing that it has changed).

The balance only comes due when the instrument is ready.

It's far from unknown for an order to reach that stage & the person who placed the order chooses not to go through with it for one reason or another. If that happens SE don't treat it as a big problem, they just offer the instrment to someone else - they've never had a shortage of takers.


That's a good atttitude.

That's how I came to have more than one Stick (#7472 was ordered direct from SE, the others I got while I was waiting...).

Hell yeah! I love Nick Beggs and Kajagoogoo too, "Shouldn't Do That" ftw

The Stick, musically, is related closer to a keyboard type instrument than a guitar or bass. Obviously it has a lot of similarities tho lol.
In regards to buying a new Stick, I can't recommend running to the top of that mountain as a beginner. Used ones pop up pretty often for around $2000, which seems like a fortune at your age but trust me, get a part time job and save $250 a month and you'll have that money in no time. New instruments are like $6k and take 2 years to produce, in that time you might lose interest or something.

Welcome! While you are looking for an instrument, you can get started on learning the Free Hands method with a six string guitar having very low action (typically an electric guitar). If you tune the guitar to fourths (raising the 2nd string from B to C and the 1st string from E to F), you can learn chord shapes and scales that will apply to the “melody side” of the Stick when you get your instrument.

My favorite has to be Turn Your Back On Me, especially the live version played in Den Bosch. Whatever effects they used made it sound quite a lot like a clavinet.



Interesting. That makes it just a little easier for me, then!



Awesome! I do have a six-string acoustic guitar, which I have experimented with tapping with a couple times (to no avail. lol)
My brother has a six-string electric guitar. Perhaps if I negotiate with him just a bit, I could get him to tune it like that and figure it out with him.

A relatively small group of guitarists tune EADGCF for all their playing in preference to the standard EADGBE.

It's called "All Fourths" tuning (or "Perfect Fourths", or just "P4").

It's no good if you're interested in "Cowboy Chords", open chords, or barre chords, but if your main interest is in melodic lines it has advantages (e.g. it's totally regular, so patterns work anywhere there are enough strings & frets).

I was already using P4 guitar tuning before I 'discovered' Stick, so that was very convenient.

Interesting. I haven’t learned guitar (or any real instrument) at all, so the Stick will be my first real venture into playing music outside of a digital audio workstation. I’m pretty sure I’ll get used to the tuning quickly, since I don’t have anything else I’m used to, lol.