|
Author
|
Topic: What size bar are you playing with and why?
|
Gary Dunn
Member From: Walnut Cove, NC, USA
|
posted 26 July 2004 11:33 AM
profile
Lets hear the pro's and con's about your choice of bar and don't forget who makes it. |
Tony Prior
Member From: Charlotte NC
|
posted 26 July 2004 12:56 PM
profile
BJS Chrome Bar 7/8'sI use this as it is a little lighter than the 15/16ths and 1" bars.. I have an issue with my left hand/arm with strength so this one works for me. Does it have a slight effect on tone? Probably. t |
Ray Minich
Member From: Limestone, New York, USA
|
posted 26 July 2004 01:07 PM
profile
2 BJS Chrome 7/8 Dia.
2 Dunlop Chrome 7/8 Dia.Depends on which one I grab... 15 yrs ago a music store had 4 of them for sale for the ridiculously low price of $5 ea. Bought the lot. Been using them ever since.[This message was edited by Ray Minich on 26 July 2004 at 01:14 PM.] |
Larry Robbins
Member From: Fort Edward, New York, USA
|
posted 26 July 2004 01:23 PM
profile
I use the plain ol'Dunlap 7/8"x3-1/4"
7.5 oz. Chrome bar.The same one that I bet a lot of us started out on. I never felt or heard all that much difference when I tried the "high priced spread". IMHO, I think a lot of it is what you get used to.I hear a lot about this one and that one and that you should play brand"X" S/S ergonomic,cyro-
genic,baked,black,red whatever......If you like e'm fine.....between you and me....
an awful lot of music has been played and recorded with these plain old bar's,and can you really tell the difference? Ididn't think so!  Larry Robbins (plain ol' steel)[This message was edited by Larry Robbins on 26 July 2004 at 01:25 PM.] |
Terry Sneed
Member From: El Dorado, Arkansas, USA
|
posted 26 July 2004 03:23 PM
profile
I use a BJS 15/16 the majority of the time. I have a 3/4 dunlop I use when playin a song that requires lifting the bar off the strings, like steel guitar rag.
Terry------------------
84 SKH Emmons Legrand D10
session 400'rd Steelin for my Lord.
|
Robert Thomas
Member From: Mehama, Oregon, USA
|
posted 26 July 2004 03:49 PM
profile
I use a 7/8 by 3 1/4 that has been bored to make it lighter. Jim Burden made it for me. He filled the bore with epoxy. The bar is naturally lighter and very easy to manage and I do not feel that I have lost anything concerning tone. I have to say in my prox. 2 or more years of using it, that it is by far the best bar that I have ever used.
Thanks You Jim! |
Larry Bell
Member From: Englewood, Florida
|
posted 26 July 2004 08:32 PM
profile
This is about like asking what size gloves someone wears, going out and buying a pair, and expecting them to fit you.Everyone's hands are sized and shaped slightly differently. I would suggest starting out with a 7/8" bar -- 10 string length -- regardless of how many strings you have. You should learn the technique of covering as few strings as possible with the bar -- it will save you a lot of grief. I used a 7/8" bar for 25 years before I was aware that a 15/16" was available. That turned out to be the size for me. Your mileage may vary. I always found the 7/8 to be just a bit light, but I also used a 1" and it was too large and bulky. As Goldilocks once said, the 15/16" was Juuuuuuuuust Right.
 You just have to try different sizes and see what fits and feels right in your hand. Nobody else can tell you what's right for you, like so many other things with this wonderous instrument we all love so dearly. ------------------
Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2003 Fessenden S/D-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro, Standel and Peavey Amps |
Tracy Sheehan
Member From: Fort Worth, Texas, USA
|
posted 26 July 2004 09:23 PM
profile
I may have posted this before but i have used the same bar with Sho Bud stamped on the end since 1968 i got from a steel player in Tampa Fla.Only had to buff it one time with mirror glaze about 15 years ago.Tracy |
KENNY KRUPNICK
Member From: Grove City,Ohio
|
posted 26 July 2004 10:51 PM
profile
BJS 15/16 12-string bar. I play doubleneck-10 string guitars. I like the feel of the 15/16 bar,and the tone is better than 7/8 10-string bar. |
David Mason
Member From: Cambridge, MD, USA
|
posted 27 July 2004 03:53 AM
profile
I use 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" acrylic plastic bars that I cut and shape myself. They don't have as much sustain, but they are much easier to grip and control and are particularily good for fast bar movement and licks where you run 8 or 10 notes on a single string. I have tried glass, wood and other plastics as well as all the conventional sizes of metal bars. I have even tried a 1 1/2" acrylic bar, but I start to run into problems with muting behind the bar. http://www.indplastic.com/index.cfm?id=97480&fuseaction=browse&pageid=90 |
kyle reid
Member From: Butte,Mt.usa
|
posted 27 July 2004 10:43 AM
profile
You know what they say about men with big hands? they play with a big bar! |
Ron Randall
Member From: Dallas, Texas, USA
|
posted 27 July 2004 11:58 AM
profile
Gary,
I use a 7/8 by 3.25. Mkt by John Pearse. A stainless bar made from moon rocks, I think.Why? a 3/4 is too small for my hand. I get a cramp if I play with it for very long. A bigger bar is too heavy and slow for me. I play Dobro, non pedal Fender 8's, and a SU12 MSA with this bar. I don't need a 12 string bar. I think a stainless bar sounds great on nickel strings. Please note that I tried several until I found the right one. The 7/8 is my "Goldilocks" bar. A 3/4 is too small. A 1" is too big. A 7/8 is just right. hope this helps.
Ron |
Robert Porri
Member From: Windsor, Connecticut, USA
|
posted 27 July 2004 12:09 PM
profile
I first tried the Ernie Ball 7/8" bar and found it too small for me. I mostly use a 1" X 3.5" Bullet bar now and also a 15/16" X 3.35" Red Rajah. I like the Rajah bar when lifting is involved. I may eventually get a BJS, but I want to be sure I'm settled on a size before I invest double the cost of these others. I found the Bullet bar an especially good value.Bob P. |
Leland Ogle
Member From: Baxter Springs, Kansas, USA
|
posted 27 July 2004 03:19 PM
profile
I use a BJS 1" bar. I play right handed, but I am left handed. I used a 7/8 bar for years but once I tried a 1" bar I've never used my 7/8 again. Being left handed I have more strenght in my left hand and I feel I can control the bigger bar more easily.
Lee |
Fred Justice
Member From: Globe Arizona, Copper Capital Of The World
|
posted 27 July 2004 04:00 PM
profile
1" X 3 3/8" Bullet Bar for me.
------------------
Fred Justice
Events Dir.
SWSGA www.swsteelguitar.com
|
Gary Dunn
Member From: Walnut Cove, NC, USA
|
posted 27 July 2004 06:41 PM
profile
Well, I was hoping that more information would surface on the different type of bars and how the bar influences your desired tone; however subtle that might be. With that said, this topic probably needs to include your choice of strings as well. Currently, I am using SIT strings (economics) and a Dunlop 921 stainless steel bar. My ears say I am little to steely or tinny. For example, if I describe my steel tone to a tenor singer, then it would be more like the voice of Del McCurry. However, I really want the smooth and sustaining voice of Vince Gill.[This message was edited by Gary Dunn on 27 July 2004 at 06:47 PM.] |
Bill Bosler
Member From: Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, USA
|
posted 27 July 2004 06:56 PM
profile
I use a 1" dia. x 3 3/4" long stainless steel bar that Tom Vollmer made for me years ago. I'd be lost without it! |
Winnie Winston
Member From: Tawa, Wellington, NZ
|
posted 27 July 2004 07:00 PM
profile
I use a 1" dia bar that is hard chrome plated. Someone made it for me years ago, and gave it to me.
I was playing a gig where there were two shows, so we did two identical sets. I used my regular polish stainless 3/4" bar for the first set. I used the 1" for the second set.
When it was all over, the singer came to me and said, "What did you do to your amp? That second set was so much cleaner than the first!"
So I've been using the big one since.Winnie
|
Richard Gonzales
Member From: FITCHBURG,MA USA
|
posted 28 July 2004 04:56 AM
profile
I use a 1" dia. black Phoenix after trying many sizes and makes. The phoenix is the slickest on any brand of strings(stainless or nickle), tone is equal to any others I have tried, The gripping is superb as it never slips from my hand which is the main reason I like it! |
Erv Niehaus
Member From: Litchfield, MN, USA
|
posted 28 July 2004 06:47 AM
profile
Gary,
If you want to eliminate the harshness, use a chrome bar and nickel strings. Maybe the bar won't make as big a difference as the strings. I won't play with stainless strings, too "thin" sounding!
Erv |
Brett Day
Member From: Greer, SC, USA
|
posted 28 July 2004 09:35 PM
profile
I've been using a Dunlop bar for three years until I got a bar with grooves on it last year. The bar with grooves is made by a company called Sacred Steel, I believe and I'm using it because since I'm a steel player with cerebral palsy, this bar will not fall out of my left hand and I can actually hold it straighter than the Dunlop. This bar also helps me to do a little vibrato, too. Brett, Emmons S-10, Morrell lapsteel |
Bob Wood
Member From: Campbell, California, USA
|
posted 28 July 2004 10:30 PM
profile
Bullet Bar for me too! Great tone!Bob |
Terry Sneed
Member From: El Dorado, Arkansas, USA
|
posted 29 July 2004 10:47 AM
profile
Gary, I use SIT strings also,with my 15/16 BJS. makes for a good combination on my Emmons Legrand.
Terry------------------
84 SKH Emmons Legrand D10
session 400'rd Steelin for my Lord.
|
richard burton
Member From: Britain
|
posted 29 July 2004 11:04 AM
profile
I made my own: 15/16" diameter x 3 1/4" long stainless steel outer sleeve, with a 3/4" diameter solid copper core. It's heavy, but the weight helps to improve my tone (I like to think so, anyway).
R B. |
Aaron Schiff
Member From: Cedaredge, CO, USA
|
posted 29 July 2004 11:39 AM
profile
I use 4 bars, but the top two on the list 98% of the time.
1. Pearse 7/8" 10 string
2. Shubb-Pearse #2 Dobro
3. BJS Hawaiian
4. 1962 StevensI like the Shubb Pearse best for fast movements and slants and the Pearse 10 string best for sustain. A couple years ago I tried a 1" bar, but it was too big for me to handle efficiently and the BJS Hawaiian is too small resulting in cramps in my left hand. I use the both Pearse bars for dobro and steel guitar. I'd love to find a bar shaped like the Shubb Pearse and with the mass of a straight 7/8" 3.25 inch bar, but so far I haven't had any success. |
David Mason
Member From: Cambridge, MD, USA
|
posted 29 July 2004 01:20 PM
profile
Aaron, what you might really like is a "Groovetone" bar, as mentioned by Brett Day above. It's a 7/8" bar with grooves machined down the side for grip. Carter Steel Guitars used to sell them, but I'm not sure if they're made anymore. Still, you might pick one up with a request on the sale board. The sacred steelers like them because they aid in rapid bar movement. I just sold one a few months ago, since I've gone over whole-hog to my acrylic bars. |
Al Marcus
Member From: Cedar Springs,MI USA
|
posted 30 July 2004 11:01 AM
profile
I have 4 bars. A BJS, black rajah, no name, and a hollowed out Bar Reece gave me in 1969? That is the best for fast moving. The Black Rajah sticks to the hand and is smooth.
But I like the 15/16 BJS for tone.
Like Larry Bell, I tried the 1 inch and the 15/16 fits just fine.....al ------------------
My Website..... www.cmedic.net/~almarcus/ |
The Steel Guitar Forum
