Questions for you people who have used, experience, and tried an Ns Stick Bass

[Sergius Durante]

The NS Stick. I know of the chapman NS Stick, but I never knew a bass variant instrument existed till a few days ago from this video

And while this be different of how I have seen most people use this bass (seen a lot of jazz or other, and this man being the only one using it for metal I have seen) but I must say this is the coolest, most interesting looking instrument I have ever seen since I discovered what the name of the plastic thing at the end of a shoelace is called.

My questions for those who have used, own, or had the opportunity to try this bass are as follows:

1. How does it feel when you play down and stand up?
2. If you have tried tapping on it, be it two handed or one, how would you say it would compare to using your normal 4 string for two handed tapping? These things have a built in string dampener, and from what I perceive/understand, these things look more suitable for tapping than a normal Bass.
3. What did you like and dislike about it?
4. Do these adapt well to most genres?
5. Do the saddles allow for adjustment of individual string spacing?
6. Would you mind sharing a video or pictures you have of this beautiful stick that sits in your collection?
7. How is the adjustment to using bass compared to a regular one in terms of pick, fingerstyle, slapping (if possible lol), tapping, and your overall technique?

 

[Reg Braithwaite]

Hey! If you aren’t already familiar with it, stickist.com is a site for Chpman Stick and NS/Stick players. I’m sure you’ll get opinionated replies if you ask your questions over there.

 

[Reg Braithwaite]

I’ve had this for a little more than a week. I can compare my limited experience with it to about a year’s experience with a dedicated touchstyle instrument.

1. I only play sitting down these days, so I can't say anything about sitting versus standing.
2. I have never seriously tried to tap on a conventional bass, so I can’t compare it to tapping on a bass. I can say that the damper can be enabled and disabled, so in that respect it is different than tapping on a conventional bass. Typically, you would add a damper by inserting the damper under the strings or wrapping the damper around the neck, so it might be difficult to enable and disable damping “on the fly” with a regular bass. But the way in which this is likely to be better than a conventional bass has to do with the setup for low action, the appropriate tension, and the lack of resonance in the instrument itself.
   
3. I like the flexibility to use it as a bass and as a stick bass. I like the eight strings. I like the tech, the headless design plus the “side-saddle” arrangement for nut and bridge is a godsend. With an ordinary instrument, you have to cut a new nut for major tuning changes, and you can only adjust the action from the bridge. I dislike the eight strings (same thing I liked): It’s very busy when playing single lines.
4. No idea about genres, I play Bach.
5. I do not think you can change string spacing, but you can change the action from both ends of the string.
6. See photo above. I think it's gorgeous.
7. It has tighter spacing and lower action than my ABG, so fingerstyle requires a big adjustment. It taps about as well as my stick, but has less range and flexibility (eight strings vs ten). I don’t use a plectum a this time.