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Author
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Topic: Red Rajah bar... I may be a convert.
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Gerald Ross
Member From: Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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posted 24 July 2001 07:10 AM
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I got a chance to try two legendary tone bars at
the Aloha International Steel Guitar convention in
Winchester, IN a few weeks back. An original Black
Rajah and a Red Rajah. I liked both. The Red
being a fairly accurate reproduction of the Black.I went home and immediately ordered a 3/4 by 2.98"
by 5.5 oz. bar from the Red Rajah folks. It
arrived yesterday. It is incredible! It is the quietest, smoothest
bar I have ever used. It has what seems to be
a hard, thick, ceramic red coating (think very hard
M&M candy). It feels good in your hand, does not
slip out of your fingers and glides effortlessly
on both wound and plain strings. Feels much smoother
on the strings then the bars I have favored (Broz-O-Phonic,
Dunlop Jerry Byrd 2 5/8"). My wife even commented on the tone. She noticed that
the high pitched scratchiness and bar-chatter on both the plain and wound
strings were virtually eliminated resulting in a much
more musical sound. A much more 1940's fat, Dick McIntire
type of sound, but still very bright. The question is how long will the coating last. The Red
Rajah I tried at Winchester was not as shiny and smooth
as my new one but it still sounded pretty good despite it's
slight roughness. I didn't ask the owner it's age. Even if I have to replace this bar every year it's still
worth the money. At times I wish that it were a different color. The red
gives it sort of a marital aid kind of look. But there
is a certain coolness to the hue. Definitely a conversation
piece and ice breaker.
Opinions?
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Gerald Ross
Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website
[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 24 July 2001 at 07:13 AM.]
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Gene Jones
Member From: Oklahoma City, OK USA
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posted 24 July 2001 07:51 AM
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* [This message was edited by Gene Jones on 06 May 2002 at 08:57 AM.] |
Andy Volk
Member From: Boston, MA
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posted 24 July 2001 09:40 AM
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Gerald, I've had my Red Rajah for two weeks now and I'm pretty happy with it overall.
It has a nice round tone with shorter sustain and less volume than a metal tone bar. It's slightly longer than the John Pierce & Jerry Byrd bars I've used in the past. For me, this slight added length makes reverse slants a tiny bit harder. I find it glides effortlessly on electric steel. On acoustic, it seems to drag a bit on the wound strings almost imperceptively.
I'm working on some Bossa Nova tunes right now and the decreased sustain but full tone of the Red Rajah actually helps a lot for that music. While the Pierce bar is the best bar I've ever tried I do find myself reaching for this bar more and more. |
George Keoki Lake
Member From: Edmonton, AB., Canada
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posted 24 July 2001 09:54 AM
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I've had a Red Rajah for 2 years and am very satisfied with it. I also have a Zirconian (white) Bar. Hard to differentiate between the two...both are excellent. I doubt I will never go back to a (noisy) steel bar. Oh yah, I also have an old original Black Rajah. It has a slight crack on the round tip which catches the strings. I wonder how that might be fixed...any suggestions ? |
c c johnson
Member From: killeen,tx usa
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posted 24 July 2001 11:39 AM
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How many times do I have to tell you,Keoki;proper technique will eliminate any noise from a metal bar. Stay alert! CC |
George Keoki Lake
Member From: Edmonton, AB., Canada
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posted 24 July 2001 01:16 PM
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Ah gee CC, I feel like you just gave me a slap on the wrist. (ha!) |
c c johnson
Member From: killeen,tx usa
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posted 24 July 2001 04:53 PM
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I wouldn't think of slapping the wrist of a man that has been playing 60 yrs. CC |
Geoff Brown
Member From: Nashvegas
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posted 25 July 2001 09:03 AM
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Marital aid....LMAO  Where do the batteries go? Ahem...sorry. |
Keith Grubb
Member From: Petaluma, CA, USA
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posted 25 July 2001 10:42 AM
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I noticed on The World of Slide Guitar video that Freddie Roulette used a while bullet bar. Is this at all similar to a Red Rejah? I've got an old orange bullet bar that seems somewhat similar. It's a little too short and light for me but it does seem to cut down on the "fingernails on the chalkboard" effect I get when I try and play blues licks above the 12th fret. |
Steve England
Member From: Austin, TX
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posted 25 July 2001 01:08 PM
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I've been using one on and off now for about three years. Love the tone of them and the fact that they don't slip out of your hand so easily when your hands are sweating. One thing to watch with them is that I have found they dent fairly easily. Having said that, you can send them back to the maker and he will recoat over the scratch for you for $4. Nice bars.
I've never seen one of the Black Rajahs, but a friend of mine who used one in the fifties says that they were almost conical in shape. The tip being wider than the base. Is this true, or is my leg being well and truly pulled here? |
Bob Tuttle
Member From: San Angelo, Tx, USA
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posted 25 July 2001 03:04 PM
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The Black Rajah was made out of some kind of bakelite and was filled with lead. It was tapered, but the tip was smaller than the base. I still have one laying around somewhere that I used back in the 50's.
Bob |
George Keoki Lake
Member From: Edmonton, AB., Canada
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posted 25 July 2001 04:04 PM
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Yes, the tip IS smaller than the base...it's tapered that way. The big problem with the Black Rajah, if you drop it especially on cement, bye bye Black Rajah...it shatters due to its bakelite material. Years ago I had a student who dropped a bakelite Rick on cement...man, I could have cried. He managed to salvage most of it but there were still small pieces missing in the main body. Last I heard, he was going to melt an old black telephone and bond the material to the body. Never found out what the outcome was. He moved away. |
Rick Aiello
Member From: Berryville, VA USA
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posted 23 August 2001 11:29 AM
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Count me in on this one. I just got mine today and - WOW. Chuck says he is going to make some 3/4" x 2 3/4" soon. I think I'll buy a few of those babies!!!!![This message was edited by Rick Aiello on 23 August 2001 at 11:36 AM.] |
Bill Leff
Member From: Santa Cruz, CA, USA
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posted 24 August 2001 06:32 AM
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I'm in for a 3/4 by 2 3/4 too. Talked to him a few weeks ago after reading Gerald's message and he said it would be a few months. If anyone finds out he's got these available, please be so kind as to post to this forum that they are available.Bill
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Chris DeBarge
Member From: Boston, Mass
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posted 24 August 2001 05:54 PM
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I've had one for a while, and although I don't use it exclusively, I really like it. It sounds great, doesn't slip out of your hand, and all the other stuff everyone else said. I also find that it's so maneuverable that I can use it in place of my 3/4 bar (it's 7/8). The only downside is that it's so slippery on the strings that you really have to watch your vibrato, or it'll get out of control - like Slim Whitman on No-Doze. |
Al Terhune
Member From: Newcastle, WA
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posted 26 August 2001 06:55 PM
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Red Rajah is...the best. Chuck is the best -- and quite humble, I found. I've been holding back on posting a reply, as I posted a ranting rave last year when I first got one. Less noise, quicker action...yes, you do have to watch over-shooting and vibrato, but you find the feel soon enough. I've worked with Chuck a little bit on some finger picks that are coated...although it might be more novelty than showing such an impressive difference re Red Rajah bar vs. uncoated bar, I only use my red picks coated by Chuck...I like matching picks and bar. Plus, in all honesty, as I told Chuck, the picks are quieter and quicker -- but, again, it's not as an impressive difference as in the bars -- but how could it be? As I said last year, I think Chuck's bar is the greatest innovation in steel guitar since...well, I can't remember what I said, but...hmmm...it's the greatest innovation in steel guitar since the pickup?My best to you all. Al[This message was edited by Al Terhune on 26 August 2001 at 06:56 PM.] |
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