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Topic: tone bars |
Jack Mattison
From:
North Bend, Wa
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Posted 12 May 2008 4:42 pm |
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| Ok........ What in everyones opinion is the best tone bar.??? [ this should bring some comments. ] |
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Michael Douchette
From:
Gallatin, TN (deceased)
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Brett Day
From:
Pickens, SC
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Posted 12 May 2008 5:19 pm
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I'm enjoyin' my Sacred Steel tonebar.
Brett |
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bob Ousby
From:
Nevada, USA
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Posted 12 May 2008 7:17 pm
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| Jack...I've had my new Boyette's lead-filled glass tone bar for about a week. It is easy to handle, has a bullet nose, and is a 7/8 by 3 3/8 and weighs in at 7 oz. I got a green one so it would slide faster! I like it. |
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Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
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Posted 12 May 2008 7:41 pm
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I use a BJS 7/8 mostly and also a John Pearse 7/8.
I sometimes use a Tribotone which is a nice change of pace.
Michael,
You may want to pick up a bar from Gary Carpenter at Rains. They are very close to the old Emmons bars. I had a friend that liked the Carp bar so much he made me sell it to him. I haven't gotten around to replacing it yet.
_________________
Bob |
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Billy Murdoch
From:
Glasgow, Scotland, U.K.
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Posted 13 May 2008 12:31 am
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BJS John Hughey bar.
Billy |
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Bob Simons
From:
Kansas City, Mo, USA
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Posted 13 May 2008 6:28 am
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I made this one. Heavy enough for tone and gives me a sure grip to jump around fast...
_________________
Zumsteel U12 8-5, MSA M3 U12 9-7, MSA SS 10-string, 1930 National Resonophonic, Telonics Combo, Webb 614e, Fender Steel King, Mesa Boogie T-Verb. |
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Calvin Walley
From:
colorado city colorado, USA
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Posted 13 May 2008 12:36 pm
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i'm with Michael
i like my Emmons
_________________
proud parent of a sailor
Mullen SD-10 /nashville 400
gotta love a Mullen!!!
Guitars that i have owned in order are :
Mullen SD-10,Simmons SD-10,Mullen SD-10,Zum stage one,Carter starter,
Sho-Bud Mavrick |
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Jack Mattison
From:
North Bend, Wa
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Posted 13 May 2008 12:41 pm tone bar
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| Thanks guys for all the help......... I am looking at a BJS or a Cobra that Bobbe Seymore talks about. Lots to chose from, but think I will zero in on one of these, unless I am convenced about something else. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 13 May 2008 2:10 pm
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One thing to keep in mind, a $60 bar doesn't sound three times as good as a $20 bar. As you go up the price scale, differences are subtle/ I have about 15, everything from the cheapest Dunlop to an Emmmons, a Sho~Bud, an old BJS, and a bunch of custom-made ones as well. There ain't a heck of a lot of difference in the sound of any of 'em. Sure, in a studio, you might hear a difference. But in a band? With 4 or 5 other guys playing? No way Jose'.
Things like different bars, different pickups, different strings, different picks, and different speakers give very small changes to your overall sound. In other words, despite the hype, none of them will make vast improvements your sound.
You have to do that.  |
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David Wren
From:
Placerville, California, USA
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Posted 13 May 2008 3:50 pm
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Netha vote for Emmons.... I have others but they just don't seem to feel as comfy to me I think there's a lot of truth in Donny's post.
_________________
Dave Wren
'96 Carter U12,7X7; 1936 7 string National; Line 6 HX Stomp; Quilter TT-15/TB202; Quilter "Steelaire"; DV Mark "GH 250"with 15" 1501 BW; Boss "Katana" 100 Head w/Line 6 Cab; Telonics VP. |
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Stu Schulman
From:
Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)
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Posted 13 May 2008 8:45 pm
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Hey Jack! You might want to zero in on a John Pearce bar while zeroing...It's really great.Stu 
_________________
Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952. |
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Marco Schouten
From:
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Posted 13 May 2008 10:27 pm
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I mostly use my old Emmons bar.
Would like to find a Sho-Bud bar though.
_________________
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JCH SD-10 with BL XR-16 pickup, Sho-Bud Volume Pedal, Evidence Audio Lyric HG cables, Quilter Steelaire combo |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 14 May 2008 4:24 am
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I use a bar made on the late 50's or early 60's for Sneaky Pete (2 were made - he used the other one pretty much his whole studio/Burritos career). They were made from some kind of aerospace steel alloy at the old General Dynamics/Convair plant in San Diego, then triple-plated with the last one being mil-spec hard chrome. He used to take his and throw it on the ground to show it was virtually indestructible...and mine looks almost brand-new still. It's a monster - 3 inches long and tapers from 1 1/4" to about 1 1/16 where it rounds off; and it weighs a full pound! It completely changes the way you play. You have to "decelerate" as you move up or down or you'll easily overshoot your target, and it seems to be a big part of why he sounded like he did - that swooping, moving, open feel. Normal bars feel like toothpicks after you get used to this.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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Curt Langston
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Posted 14 May 2008 4:49 am
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I'm gonna go with the John Pearse thermocryonic. I believe that there really is something to that whole molecular/density thing.
I have one, and I do notice an increase in sustain.
I do not believe it is the placebo effect either. |
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Brett Day
From:
Pickens, SC
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Posted 14 May 2008 4:59 am
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| Bob Simons wrote: |
I made this one. Heavy enough for tone and gives me a sure grip to jump around fast...
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That bar kinda looks like my bar.
Brett |
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Gere Mullican
From:
LaVergne, Tennessee, USA (deceased)
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Posted 14 May 2008 5:49 am
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| Mike, I have an Emmons bar that I haven't used since I got my BJS. It's 3 3/4" x 7/8" (I think). At least that's the best I can measure it. You are welcome to it if I can figure some way to get it to you. |
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Greg Wisecup
From:
Troy, Ohio
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Posted 14 May 2008 6:48 am
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I just bought a Dunlop 1" and I have been using a Carter. I thought I would like the 1" better but it gets a little heavy dragging it up and down the fretboard after a while. I can't tell the difference in tone.
_________________
Derby SD-10 4&5 Black!(duh)/
Derby D-10/Steelers Choice/
Goodrich 120/ 2- Katana Boss 100's
/Nashville 400
RV-3/ Zoom MS-50G
As long as I'm down in the mix I'm Fantastic! |
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Darvin Willhoite
From:
Roxton, Tx. USA
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Posted 14 May 2008 7:36 am
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I really like the Tribotone bar I bought at the Texas show this year. That bar, along with Tonealigner pickups on my MSA Studio Pro, sustains longer than any combination I've ever tried. I still occasionally use an old BJS I've had for a long time, or an old stainless steel bar that I made a long time ago.
You can get the Tribotone in about any color you want to match your steel. I'm gonna get a red one one of these days, then a blue one, then a birdseye... - naw, thats probably pushing it.
_________________
Darvin Willhoite
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, a restored MSA Classic SS, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Also a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored Rose S10, named the "Blue Bird". Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also have a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks, and a showroom condition Sho-Bud Super Pro. |
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Andy Sandoval
From:
Bakersfield, California, USA
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Posted 14 May 2008 9:18 am
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| Is the TriboTone available in a 7/8's or larger for pedal steel yet? |
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Stu Schulman
From:
Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)
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Posted 14 May 2008 9:33 am
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Greg,The thing about the Dunlop is that it's brass and then chrome plated,once it starts getting scratched you will notice a difference in tone.
_________________
Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952. |
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Jerry Gleason
From:
Eugene, Oregon, USA
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Posted 14 May 2008 10:47 am
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I have a white 7/8" Tribo-tone bar like the one pictured above. When I first got it, I tried it on my pedal steel, lap steel, and Dobro, and came away with three completely different impressions.
It's by far the best handling bar I've ever used. It's really easy to hold onto and nice to grip, but on the strings, it's slicker than... well, it slides really easy and effortlessly. Sustain seems about the same as my BJS bar of comparable weight and size. The tone is subtly different. The lower strings seem to have better definition, and the treble strings are a little less "zingy". It sounds a little "cleaner" in a way that is hard to describe. String noise is almost completely absent with the Tribotone, except that for some reason, when I'm spanning a wide range of strings relatively close to the nut, I seem to have to press harder on the bar to avoid chatter from some of the inner wound strings, compared to the BJS, which weighs about the same. I'm not sure why, but it's something I noticed.
Another thing I noticed, and I'll probably get an argument on this, but a chrome or stainless bar has a certain characteristic that, when playing a slow vibrato, you can actually excite the strings to vibrate a little more with the bar motion. The Tribotone seems to lack this particular quality, although the sustain with a stationary bar position is virtually the same between the two bars. So, I tend to prefer the Tribo-tone for C6th, where I move the bar around more quickly, and the BJS for E9th playing. Of course, YMMV.
On the Dobro, it's really different. The absence of string noise is a little disconcerting, and seems weird at first, but actually, it's great for any style where you would want to minimize that, and get a rich, pure tone. Just be aware that with certain styles of resonator guitar, string noise is part of the sound.
The non-pedal steel is where the Tribo-tone really shines, for me. It just seems to draw out the tone in a way that none of my other bars do. Slants are easier to execute, too, because the bar is so easy to handle. The guitar almost seems to play itself.
I definitely recommend checking out a Tribo-tone if you're interested in something that's really cool, and a little different. I don't think it would be my only bar, but it has qualities that compliment my other bars, and I wouldn't be without one now. |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 14 May 2008 11:16 am
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i'll never know what expensive bars sound like cause i'm cheap and i don't think it's as important as being a decent player.
i've got a dekley bar..1 inch..heavy..use it regularly..cost, free in a trade...
7/8 emmons...with ken yates famous name personally engraved in the end...great bar...free..came with an emmons i sold..
marlin..7/8 slightly longer..smooth...free
street smarts help in acquiring cool stuff.
practising for a week is worth more than a $60 bar! |
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Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
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Posted 14 May 2008 12:27 pm
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Chris,
It may be time for you to treat yourself to a BJS. They actually are better in many ways than other bars. In my experience they are well worth it. You still need to practice though.
_________________
Bob |
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Calvin Walley
From:
colorado city colorado, USA
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Posted 14 May 2008 1:46 pm
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well folks
as we all well know , its not the bar that makes a difference........its who's hand the bar is in that makes all the difference
just give someone like Bobby Bowman any old piece of steel and listen what he can do with it ..it aint the bar fellas ha ha
_________________
proud parent of a sailor
Mullen SD-10 /nashville 400
gotta love a Mullen!!!
Guitars that i have owned in order are :
Mullen SD-10,Simmons SD-10,Mullen SD-10,Zum stage one,Carter starter,
Sho-Bud Mavrick |
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