Rick,
Funny you should bring up the vertical/horizontal issue, in relation to the way you pluck/strike/stroke the string. The Polar pickup system is supposed to be a set of directional pickups, one for the vertical component of the vibration, which is more relevant if you play pizzicato, and one for the horizontal component, which is more relevant when you play arco. From what I understand, the NS has two volume controls to blend the two signals?
NLP,
Thanks for the input - I guess you can't play arco without a bit of rosin (resin?) to prep the hairy bits. Are you saying that a German bow is more suited to strong and loud playing, and a French bow more to delicate and agile? Would it be easier to start with German (no pun available) and later on take up French?
The Ns strings are said to be made by d'Addario, so I assume they're not directly the el-cheapo type. Anyway, let's see if they can get me started. The el-espensivo type seems carry a hefty price tag, pushing even 34 Pyramid flats into the 'vey affordable' category.