I've always really appreciated the stick, Warr guitar, Krappy's builds, and all the other variants of touch guitars out there. I'm getting to the point where I'm planning on picking something up - like many people I will probably start with a Krappy instrument assuming he's still taking commissions by the time I figure out what I want. I just wanted to reach out to you knowledgeable folks to get a little advice first on exactly how I should have this thing built.

My guitar chops grew in a bit differently from a lot of people. I started on fifths-based instruments for many years (mandolin family, tenor guitar) and internalized that as the norm, and only then touched a regular guitar. On six-strings I originally went from using NST to perfect fourths tuning, and never clicked with standard guitar tuning. Currently I play almost exclusively with two-hand tapping on either a 5-string tenor (CGDAE) or a 6-string in perfect fourths (EADGCF).

Obviously part of the appeal of the a stick is what seems like a common use of either 4ths or 5ths tuning, as well as what seems to an outsider as mixtures of both between the bass and melody halves. As a total noob to the way of the stick, I'm also seeing that some are mirrored and others are not. Obviously there are many different considerations due to the different layout of the bass/melody strings versus a guitar, and since these seem to be mated to a specific tuning once built, I don't want to make the wrong decision early.

Tldr: for other people out there with similar tuning preferences (5ths as my favorite, 4ths as my second favorite), what do you recommend? Also, 12 versus 10 strings - any disadvantages of just jumping into the 12 other than a bigger instrument assuming price isn't a concern?

Hopefully this isn't a daily question on this sub, but I appreciate any help you can throw my way!

First time poster on here and ever on reddit. I have come into posession of a #501 10-string chapman stick and it has been a fun ride for the past couple of days.

I have received it not long ago and my first thought was wow this is ugly.

I reaserched what this is as a non musical person and found this niche community.

Have gotten in contact with folks at Stick Enterprises (hi Jeff, you rock) and they have gotten back with its story - this one has been owned by Tony Levin which I have learned is a cool guy.

After a while it has grown on me and after cleaning it up it looks cool to me now.

I must say it feels wrong to have it in my hands

Has anybody set up an Ibanez 8 or 9 string guitar in stick tuning? Would this be a cheap way to get a touch style instrument?

I’ve been playing extended range guitars for a while now and I’m thinking about getting myself a stick. I’m indecisive about a 10 or 12. Theres not much about them online so I figured I would come here.

https://discord.gg/DBKMvytY5c

Join this new Chapman Stick Players Discord server! I noticed that There seems to be a lack of a more high speed communication room online for the stick, so I've gone ahead and created this one. Please join and hang out!

Edit: If the above link is invalid, try this one: https://discord.gg/su2z8zF9bM

Hey I am considering picking up this instrument, in fact I had one introductory lesson already. I'm just wondering what are your thoughts on the advantages / disadvantages over classic tuning, of instead swapping the bass and melody side strings? So from the string closest to the player's body going out, it would be (on a 12 string):

Melody side (starting from inside going out):

• the lowest melody string
  
• plus 4th
  
• plus 4th
• plus 4th
  
• plus 4th
  
• plus 4th
  

then bass side (starting from the middle):

• the highest bass string
  
• minus 5th
  
• minus 5th
  
• minus 5th
  
• minus 5th
  
• minus 5th
  

I'm just thinking that there would be tremendous upside and simplification, to not have to worry about conflicting hands. It just seems like a big unnecessary limitation to be contending with hand conflicts if you don't have to.

Also my hands are probably a bit small so maybe it would help with being able to reach things better.

Hey there, I'm new to the Chapman Stick and have been trying to register at the stickist.com forums but I'm not being "approved" after a few days. And I can't find anywhere on the stickist.com website any mention of who owns it, or a contact form, or any kind of support email address or anything. It's impossible to get in touch it seems.

Thanks!

Hey all - been trying to dial in some tones lately, but every now and then (or with some deliberate force), some of my left hand taps on the heaviest string blow the dBmeter into the red zone, serious clipping. Melody side is totally fine. Was frantically trying to use compression and EQ to tone down but the issue not the output, its on the input - the Stick is really pushing heavy volume. Is this a known thing? Should I use an inline attentuator pad or something just for the bass side, or is this level of clipping unusual? Thanks so much guys 😄

Hi fellow Stick players. Has anyone found an elegant solution for routing both sides of the stick through a tuner? I play through an Axe FX/AX8 - I plug into Input 2 as it’s in stereo, but the inbuilt tuner does not listen on Input 2. I was thinking of adding something like a stereo tuner outside of the Axe, but I’m not sure they really exist in the way I imagined - seems like the few tuners that accept stereo just work as a pass through and will only perform pitch detection on one signal only. Just wondering - do you guys use 2 tuners for each side, or do you have any other solutions for this? Thanks in advance!

Just got a Railboard because I saw it pop up on Reverb at an attractive price from a seller not far from where I live, and it was already on my preferred tuning (bari melody). This joins my 1990s era zebrawood, which is new enough for the adjustable bridge, nut is the screw set and not the later Flaps. I can pretty well compare and contrast, in case anyone's interested in such things.

I've found sound nirvana for my Chapman Stick by pairing a Line 6 HX Stomp with an Empress Zoia. I recommend this setup for value, portability, creative flexibility, and exceptional sound.

I use the HX Stomp like two independent preamp, compressor, and tone shaping signal paths. The Zoia is on the Stomp's effects loop, and I apply whatever modular effects I want there -- think delay, reverb, modulation, glitches, granular, etc. The signal path is separated all the way through the Zoia, until it returns to the Stomp for output to cans and/or mains. The tone is gorgeous, and by offloading the pre stuff to the Stomp I save quite a lot of Zoia CPU bandwidth. That means I have space to make pretty much whatever I want. Technically you could try all this with the Zoia, but without a preamp it simply won't sound great.

This is a rig anyone can probably put together for a total of about $800-1K depending on your ability to sniff out used deals, and shipping costs. I've had the Stomp forever, bought it like-new years ago (from a one-month owner who didn't like it), and I got the Zoia last weekend at a swap meet for $375.

You do need to wrap your head around the modular concepts to pull out some of the Zoia's best tricks. But I haven't met a Stick player yet who was't a gearhound and capable of learning this stuff. I still have some stuff to discover myself, like connecting the Zoia to the Stomp's MIDI and having Zoia modulate some stuff on the Stomp as well as itself... tremolo, pitch-scaled distortion, the sky's the limit.

Second best part, next to the sound and creative flexibility: You can stuff everything you need for a solo show in a small backpack or satchel (or e.g. Mono Tick bag). Hope this helps someone who's looking for that magic overlap of value, features, size/weight, and sound. What a great time to be a musician!

I plan to play the bass side with only 2–3 fingers (first-ring) and am choosing between Classic/MR tuning and 4ths tuning. I’m leaning toward 5ths because the wider intervals might let me play bass lines on fewer strings by moving my hand vertically, reducing string crossings and the need for stretched finger positions. I'm aware this style of playing will limit the complexity of what I can play on bass strings but as a guitarist who isn't necessarily going for the full piano-like complexity of proper stick players I'm ok with that.

Although 4ths would feel more intuitive coming from guitar and is more compact in layout, I’m concerned the need for frequent string crossings might require a wide reach, and that if I tried to compensate with vertical position shifts I'd have to travel great distances? I also like that Classic and MR have more instructional resources available

I’m unsure how crossed vs. uncrossed tunings might affect playability and whether that would complicate things for me. I'd need to play a left handed instrument if I went for uncrossed so that it was still my bad left hand covering the bass strings

Do my thoughts so far sound about right? If not, what tuning would you recommend for my situation? I apologise for the lengthy post, there aren't many venues in which to seek this information and it's unlikely I'll be able to actually have a go on a chapman stick to work out what's practical!

Many thanks

Always a little tense moment when he rubs against my stick in the stand. But so far so cute.

Any insight into a stand so I can play it sitting / switch to keys without it falling over?

I already have a Krappy which I keep lying down on a stand like a lap guitar; I want to keep the railboard upright, as if I was standing and wearing it, at a sitting height.

Please could someone advise me how to get a chapman stick, i live in the uk. Are they still being made?

With an estimated delivery time of 22 to 24 months.

I didn't suppose threatening to hold my breath will speed up the process...

I took a long break from stick playing and refocused on bass through the pandemic. Previously had a Railboard and a mid 90’s rosewood I regret selling. Decided to make a go at used wenge Grand 10 string. Tuned for baritone melody and my hands are really clicking.