05 May 17 - Steve Darmanin (FL), to Emmett:
I would also like to say that you have brought The Stick up to such
an amazing level from the earlier 80's design, the polycarbonate
model. The bridge and tail assemblies are sound and superior and the
frets ... well sir ...I was so hoping that they would feel different
from the older Stick design and man they do!!! These new frets allow
for easier tapping play for sure and feel so right up and down the
instrument's beam.
Thank you so much Emmett for creating such a marvelous
instrument - your are so very awesome sir!! I will forever be playing
on mine now and your name now lives on within my family.
18 Feb 13 - Anthony Monti (Massachusettes), to Stick Enterprises
Greetings, Cambria. I received my tools! I had my guitar teacher
adjust the neck and it plays like a crazy dream. I really appreciate
all the work and effort you and Emmett put into my purchase, the
craftsmanship and care with my instrument. I could not be happier.
10 May 11 - David Hampton (AZ), to Stick Enterprises
Cambria, first, I wanted to let you know that my new Chapman Stick just arrived in perfect condition. (Phew, what a relief.) I had to let you know that it is gorgeous! The quality of workmanship is rare these days. Quite breathtaking! Really,,, I am seriously impressed! I just don't know what else to say. These couple of sentences do not do justice to the work and care that was involved in creating this new Stick.
Best wishes from Sedona, David Hampton, #5629
10 July 08 - Sean Sterling (WA), to Stickist.com:
I'm a career musician and I strive to get the best instrument possible for my work. A lot goes into the design and building of a virtuoso's instrument. Emmett's attention to that end gives each of us in the Stick Community an instrument of that caliber. I know of no other musical instrument that has this unique, singular level of excellence. You can get guitars, pianos and so on at different levels of quality. With the Stick you get the ultimate in your hands right from the start. As a beginner every move you'll make is much easier than on an instrument of average or poor quality.
27 April 04 - Ken Higgins (CA), to Stick Enterprises:
Being one of the newest to "Stick ownership", I can say that after a
few weeks my perception of the 'value' of my Stick investment is
very, very high. It is obvious that it is a well-crafted instrument,
and I know that if it were as shabby as some of the Strat clones I've
seen over the years, I would be quite disappointed and MUCH less
motivated. I know that I now must invest the time and energy to reach
the instrument's limitations (as if I'll ever reach them) :).
For my two cents, I'd rather see musicians who are satisfied,
challenged and ENABLED (albeit in smaller numbers), rather than
struggling in large numbers. And therefore developing a bad attitude
towards the Stick.
29 August 02 - Phillip Morgan (Singapore), to Stick Enterprises:
My Stick arrived in perfect condition the day before yesterday. I am delighted to be able to say that it far exceeds the high expectations I had. It is a beautifully crafted instrument, marrying high technology with an intuitive and natural feel. I have been surprised how quickly my guitar technique transfers onto The Stick, especially the right hand. I can't quite believe how responsive it is. Thank you all for such a smooth and efficient service and this remarkable instrument. I should have bought one years ago.
21 May 02 - Steve Burnett (NC), to Stickwire:
I believe the current design for wood Sticks is a seven-layer laminate with nice attention to the grain: it's stable as heck, and good-looking. I wouldn't worry about maple warping. Remember a guitar neck is a) a lot thinner than a Stick, and b) (as I understand it) under higher tension from the strings. Woods: I like rosewood. Personal taste. I don't like maple Sticks, but then I don't like anything maple except pancake syrup: personal taste, again. I've seen two maple Sticks and they both looked great, honestly.
17 April 02 - Jason Brock, (Canada), to Stickwire:
Being the first local Stick player has caused quite a bit of excitement, even at the Catholic church I been playing at,(people are showing up just to see me play) it feels great. The local musical instrument tech almost wouldn't let me leave the store due to his love of my Grand Stick. He examined it thoroughly, getting excited at every feature he saw, he then stated it was one of the finest made instrument he has ever seen. I have been bumping into people all over town who he has told this to. Hats off to Emmett and everyone at Stick Enterprises once again!
9 January 02 - John Rose (CA), to Sticknews:
I am left-handed and have been playing Stick for almost 20 years. I am on my 4th Stick and they have all been constructed lefty. Emmett is very flexible and making a southpaw version requires some changes but the overall design of The Stick lends itself to flexibility. My current left handed Stick is a 6+6 Grand with the Grid. I have a Block pickup and my cord curves around differently but it isn't a problem. I would agree with Greg in his post. I came from a guitar/bass background so having the instrument to my right felt more natural. A keyboard player may not have this same position requirement.
27 December 01 Kevin Ramsey (Japan), to Stickwire:
Just remember that if you do replace the belthook system with a guitar-like strap system, you will be sacrificing one of the primary advantages that the belthook offers. The belthook is set at an angle that slightly turns the fretboard into the players range of vision a few degrees. Because of this, you don't have to thrust your head out at an odd angle to get a look at the fretboard.
27 March 01 - Peter Kienle (IN), to Stickwire:
Going to the gig today I had leaned my 10 string Stick against the
back of the car while strapping in the 18-month-old baby. It took a
little longer and I must have forgotten that the instrument was still
leaning against the car. A few miles up the road I started wondering
why I couldn't see my Stick in the rear view mirror ... I turned the
car around, down to my driveway. And there was the gig bag with fat
tire marks on it! I didn't have the heart to take it out of the bag
- at least it felt like it was in one piece. When I pulled The Stick
out a few hours later it was a little out of tune and the 1st string
was broken. Everything else was unharmed. No warped neck. I had just
received it back a month ago from a tune-up at SE. Lesson #1: Insure
it. Lesson #2: Always pack your axe in the car first ... Lesson #3:
Maybe the gig bag is convenient, but sometimes the hard-shell case
might be better. Lesson #4: There is a god.
18 December 00 - Jerry Ballard (CA), to Stickwire:
As for the dual nut, I've yet to adjust it myself, since the instrument
is now as well adjusted as it can get for a while (unlike its owner),
but it's a terrific improvement, both aesthetically and
technologically. Great design enhancement, Emmett.
1 December 00 - Christopher Lavender (FL), to Stickwire:
It is extremely solid and both easily and nearly universally
adjustable. You're also no longer limited to half turn string heights
so you can get EXACTLY the action you want at the nut without de-tuning
or removing a single string! I think that the Dual Nut is definitely
above and beyond any other nut system on any other comparable
instrument.
6 October 00 - Steve Morgan (SD), to Stick Enterprises:
I just received my Purple Heart Grand Stick today. It is fantastic!
I took it out of the case thinking, "Oh crap, what did I get myself
into." Once I started playing I was amazed at how low the action was.
Also, the Matched Reciprocal tuning is so logical. I'm actually at
work, so during the slow times I've been making a dash for the back
room to fiddle around. I can't wait to get home and plug into my
SWR/Eden rig. I own a six string fretless Warrior bass that lists for
$5000; the workmanship on The Stick is just as good as the Warrior.
That is a real compliment, considering that they won the Golden Axe
Award last year. I can't really compare the fret jobs for an obvious
reason, but this thing has the lowest, buzz free string height I have
ever seen. You should all be very proud of what you do, because you do
it well. Yuta was extremely helpful through the entire process of
choosing woods and hardware, always willing to answer questions. She
is a great asset to your company. Again, I can't say how pleased I am
with my instrument. Thank you and God bless.
29 September 00 - Pete Gonzales (AZ), to Stickwire:
The Stick has tonal and playability properties directly related to the
type of frets used, in our case it's Fret Rods. Tapping on my Strat
yields a rather thin sound whereas tapping on my Stick yields a much
more full tone. Furthermore, my Stick is an early oak model (how many
oak guitars have you played! Proof that wood choice isn't really a
factor in the realm of low-tension instruments!). I would have to
imagine that any instrument using a traditional nickel silver fret
would produce basically the same tone when tapping, not to mention
fret wear concerns ... Oh I guess I just did! And if you've never
tried Fret Rods, you can't imagine how smooth they really do feel!
24 August 00 - Greg Howard (VA), to Stickwire:
All that said, I've put my hands on about 200 Sticks over the past few
years, and I thought even the ones that had been hacked up by
well-intentioned luthiers were still great instruments. It's easy to
see why they have been appealing to musicians for over 25 years. One
more opinion: today's Sticks are the nicest instruments out there, and
they play like a dream.
12 July 00 - Joe McCollam (CA), to Stickwire:
The workmanship is flawless. The wood is absolutely gorgeous, a deep
red. It looks a lot like Padauk, but it is denser (about as heavy as
Purple Heart). I wanted the density because I felt it would make the
instrument more stable, tuning wise. The Chapman's feel that the wood
does not affect stability, but regardless, this instrument is
thoroughly stable. The laminating is all but unnoticeable on the
fingerboard, but more visible on the tailend, where it adds to the
attractiveness of the instrument, IMO.
29 May 00 - Paul Mimlitsch (NJ), to Stickwire:
From what I understand, the type of wood used in a Stick isn't as critical as far as it pertains to the "tone" of the instrument, given that the instrument is not of a "mass" where a given woods tonal characteristics would be of consideration. In the past I've owned/played an ironwood Stick, an Indonesian rosewood Grand Stick, and now an SB8 laminated (7 pc.) rosewood Stick. They all sound "Sticky" - even the SB8 with the Block pickup (the Block definitely does give you a wider tonal pallette to work with, though).
I would presume (guess?), a laminated form of construction would yield more stability due to the fact that environmental factors that might effect one of the laminates would be ameliorated by its neighbors. All I can say for sure is that I've had my new SB8 for a couple weeks now, played it inside and outside, hot and cool weather, and haven't had to do any truss adjustment at all - heck, I've hardly had to adjust the tuning.
21 December 99 - Steven Burge (CA), to Stickwire:
Three weeks ago I recieved my maple Grand Stick from Stick Enterprises. I can't tell you how happy I am with the instrument, the sound is breathtaking, and the craftsmanship is superb.
17 December 99 - Dave Dixon (VA), to Stickwire:
I am now the proud owner of tarara SBE number 1661 and loving it! The UPS truck tried a few times to deliver it and we finally got straight this morning and my new Stick was delivered..... It's beautiful! It's so rare that one sees this kind of craftsmanship these days, everything looks and feels great!
10 June 99 - Dave Bowmer (England), to Stick Enterprises:
Thank you for my new Grand Stick which arrived safely in Oxford this morning by UPS. The quality of craftsmanship is superb and the padouk wood looks stunning and has a silky smooth finish. I was impressed in 1991 when I received my 10 string, but its clear that you have progressed even further with the instrument design and build quality since then. The instrument arrived perfectly set up and playably in tune, amazing considering the journey it had just completed at the mercy of cargo handlers, and the heavy gauge strings you have fitted feel and sound great and are perfect for my special tuning. Even the moulded flightcase is an improvement over the wooden case supplied with my previous instrument. The Block active pickups are also a leap forwards giving the added tonal flexibility I have been looking for, and the mono switch is a handy feature. Stick Enterprises have evidently been working very hard to develop the instrument to this highly evolved level. May I wish you the continued success that you deserve.
18 April 97 - Darrell Dally (WA), to Stickwire:
The wood is breathtaking. I had always heard that it was purple, but it's REALLY purple!! I think I must have spent the first ten minutes just staring.
5 April 97 - Robert van der Kamp (Holland), to Stickwire:
Here's a proud owner of a brand new MIDI'd shedua Grand. Wow! What a beauty. The first thing I noticed was its weight. It's so light when compared with what I remember from my good old ironwood 10-string. When compared with the old ironwood, this is a much improved instrument, IMO. And the sound is just great. Thank you Emmett and Yuta for a beautiful instrument and perfect service.
22 March 97 - David Crawford (CA), to Stickwire:
My new teak 10-string Stick arrived yesterday and I just love it. It took a little less than a month to get my instrument after ordering it from Stick Enterprises, and I actually had changed my mind concerning pickups and string gauges a few times, but the Chapmans were very patient. It plays wonderful and the paua inlays are stunning. The Teak is so much lighter than my Ironwood was, it's hard to believe. I can play for hours without any strain at all. The quality of the instrument is as good as it gets; I'm very pleased indeed. I loved my Ironwood, but this instrument is amazing.
12 March 97 - Tommy Kochel (CA), to Stick Enterprises:
But as a former professional cabinetmaker (who used to do some very high-end work, I might add), I am completely impressed with both the skill utilized to create the instrument and the product itself. It is a work of art (a wonderfully complimentary coloring of shell inlays as well!). Thank you.
28 January 97 - Mike McGary (TX), to Stickwire:
I have new cherry Grand. The wood is a laminate, which means there are seven layers of wood that run the entire length of the body. The color was described to me as being honey colored, but it appears a little browner to me. It is a beautiful wood for a Stick. I've shown it to two other Stick players (both drooled heavily) and many guitar players (they drool easily) and one drummer (he never stops drooling). The inlays are made of abalone (mother of pearl?), I think. They are really striking. The finish is a satin gloss. Very tasteful.
14 January 97 - Chris Crofford (CA), to Stickwire:
I agree with Greg (Howard) 100%. The Grand I just got from Stick Enterprises is the most beautiful and well crafted instrument I have ever seen. This instrument was obviously constructed with incredible attention to detail.
14 January 97 - Casey Arrillaga (CA), to Stickwire:
I have also had the good fortune to live in Southern California, which means I have been able to visit the Chapmans and see production first hand of a high-quality instrument in which every detail was seen to with an intention of perfection. New ideas were shown and Emmett could tell you about the reasoning behind them.
12 January (97) - Greg Howard (VA), to Stickwire:
If you've ever played a cheap grand piano, then a Steinway, you know what a great musical experience it is to play a superior instrument. Emmett's two-handed tapping technique works best on an instrument of exceptional craft and adjustability (The Stick). As a professional player of the only 'dedicated' tapping instrument, I applaud the fact that Emmett has never looked back over the years and compromised the quality of his innovations to satisfy a 'need' for a cheaper instrument. His newest instruments are the most easily played to date.
27 December 96 - Jeff Edmunds (PA), to Stick Enterprises:
The rosewood Grand I purchased this fall is wonderful. It looks, feels and even smells terrific, and the set-up upon arrival was superb - it is a pleasure to play it. Thank you.
19 August 96 - Andrew Dienske (Holland), to Stick Enterprises:
Four days ago I received my Grand Stick in good state. I was impressed by your craftsmanship and the obvious care with which it was assembled. Everything is top quality: wood and finishing, design, machine heads, bridge and element look very impressive; but also sound, quietness and balance are remarkable.
19 August 96 - Mans Johnsson (Sweden), to Stick Enterprises:
If I was unsure about choice of woods before, I have no doubts at all left now. The purple heart wood is fascinating, both deep and noble, as well as a bit unusual. There is clearly a lot of top quality craftsmanship being put into each and every one of these instruments, and I am very happy and proud to own and play one.
12 July 96 - John Sillasen (CT), to Stickwire:
Really, I just had to try it before going to work. What I will tell you is that this is an extremely fine, well made, precision instrument. It even arrived in tune! This is one big, thick piece of Indian rosewood. It's so beautiful you could take a bite out of it. The case is strong and very sturdy, the head and tail stock are just gorgeous; the nut saddles, you can tell are painstakingly hand made and individually set.
19 November 95 - Wayne Wylupski (MA), to Stickwire:
I just received it last week, in trade (plus cash) for my old ironwood. Briefly, it must be one of the best, if not the best stringed instrument I've ever played. I also do not say this without consideration, for I have owned and sold many different instruments in my time.