posted 21 April 2003 07:12 AM
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I received a Shubb GS1 bar late last week and put in some time with it over the weekend. The GS1 is made by Shubb under an arrangement with Gary Swallow. Swallow makes bars similar to the Scheerhorn design, but with a hardwood upper section cemented to a stainless steel bar. You can see the bar here: http://www.shubb.com/gs/index.htm Having grown used to a Scheerhorn bar, it took a little while to adjust to the GS, but just a little while. The top surface of the GS is higher than the 'horn and the ergonomic grooves are a little deeper. So it took a little lightening of my grip (something I no doubt needed anyhow) to be able to facilitate switching from straight bar to forward and reverse slants.
That adjustment made, I quickly grew to really like this bar. It's very comfortable. The feel of smooth hardwood in my hand is very nice. The weight is good; about 4.5 oz as compared to a little over 5 oz for the Scheerhorn, measured on my cheapo postage scale. It's about 3/16" longer than the 'horn, but that doesn't seem to matter.
To my ears, the stainless steel surface produces a tone a little sweeter than my chrome-plated 'horn does, with a little less string noise. I'm using ebony capped maple bridge saddles on my 1990 60DS, which have always sounded a little too bright for me, so a very slight reduction of brightness is welcome.
Conclusion: I really like the GS and recommend it highly to someone looking for a reso or acoustic steel bar that facilitates clean pull-offs and hammer-ons. At $35 it's less than half of what the Scheerhorn stainless bar sells for.[This message was edited by Bob Stone on 21 April 2003 at 07:17 AM.]
[This message was edited by Bob Stone on 21 April 2003 at 01:53 PM.]
The Steel Guitar Forum
posted 21 April 2003 07:12 AM
