Tonebar newbie question

Jeff Rutland · From: Minnesota, USA

Hi,

Just bought a pedal steel guitar, hope for it to be here in a few days! In preparation for this, I need to order a tonebar and some picks online. I have the picks all set, the tonebar seems to leave me with questions. I see this model here:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Ernie-Ball-Steel-Bar?sku=367274

As a beginner, do I want a heavy or a medium tonebar? I imagine the weight of the bar will affect how much pressure I have to apply to play with it, but I've never used one before. What would you guys recommend I start with - should I get something different entirely?

Thanks for your input.

Brett Day · From: Pickens, SC

Jeff, I started out with a medium sized tonebar. It was a Dunlop tonebar. I'm guessin' a medium sized tonebar would be good to start out with.

Brett

Greg Cutshaw · From: Corry, PA, USA

If you are playing a 10 string steel guitar you will want a standard length bar of 3 3/8" The Ernie Ball bars are only 3 1/8" long.

Check out the BJS bars and the sizes they specify which are pretty standard:

http://www.bjsbars.com/bars.html

These are premium bars and very good! You don't have to have something this good to start out with but that is what I am using now. The other thing to consider is whether you might want to start with a 15/16" bar now instead of having to upgrade from a 7/8" diameter later.

Greg

Twayn Williams · From: Portland, OR

Eric Philippsen · From: Central Florida USA

The older I get and the more I play the more I realize how critical a nice bar is. I was lucky in that I had a very nice one when I first started playing all those years ago. But I sure didn't realize it until much later when I tried some other ones and had a basis for comparison. There are definitely some not-so-good ones out there. Some of them are so bad. I now use a BJS bar and it's just so great. I second Greg's recommendation of them.

Brian Tong · From: California, USA

I'm like you and just started a few months ago. I tried a bunch of different kinds but like the BJS bars the best. Before you panic about the price, it has a functional advantage cause of it's weight, balance, and great tone. I know its a preference thing but I posted the same question when I started and most recommended the BJS and I wish I would have ignored the price and bought it first.

I went with the larger size 15/16 because as a new player, the bigger the bar (at least to me) the easier to control, hold and move. It's a bit heavy (that was as shock coming from dobro) but you'll get used to it.

Good luck...you're going to have a blast

Jim Kennedy · From: Brentwood California, USA

I ordered a Dunlop 3 3/3 steel bar form Musicians Friend for something like $17.50. I don't know the weight, but the price was right. $17.50, or $70.00? Not knocking a $70.00 bar, but why buy a Caddy if the Chevy drives just fine?? I do know that size, weight and material do make a difference. I have played bottle neck for years and prefer glass bottle necks on the heavy side. I cut my own bottle necks, and not all necks are made equal. When I find one I really like, I really guard it.
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ShoBud Pro 1, 75 Tele, 85 Yamaha SA 2000, Fender Cybertwin,

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

There is nothing mythic about good bars being worth it. They are. However it is a benefit that I call 'the last .05%'----when you have something of a handle on touch & tone and can appreciate the little bit extra. Excluding bad, scratchy or poorly polished crappy bars, a decent inexpensive one such as those mentioned here should be just fine for you as you start out. The day will come when you ask yourself how you can treat yourself nice and then go buy yourself a BJS.
Hey, I started fly fishing with a fiberglass rod and I caught some fine fish. That doesn't mean that it's ridiculous to go and get an expensive boron rod. Just that it's not essential. But you will cast farther and with better tone with that hi-tech rod. But if you tie a piece of string & a hook to a two by four and say it's as good as anything else, somebody has given you some bad advice.

Steve Norman · From: Seattle Washington, USA

I have used a bunch of different bars,,and all I will use now is the BJS I bought off a local steeler who had one to many. However if you are just learning, and if you are like me you will drop it a bunch, and may even send it on a trip or two across the room until you get the basics down and get more aware of treating it better. So I recommend getting a good cheap bar to start, one with no nicks or tarnish, learn the basics then upgrade to the BJS when your ready. You will then be in a position to appreciate what the BJS brings to the table.
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GFI D10, Fender Steel King, Hilton Vpedal,BoBro, National D dobro, Marrs RGS

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

A standard Dunlop or Ernie Ball 10-string bar will be fine for a year or two. After that, you may have the opportunity to try a few others and get something top-of-the-line, like a BJS or a Pearse. Really good ones can run from $75-$150, but IMHO, they're benefits are probably of little benefit to a beginner.

Jeff Rutland · From: Minnesota, USA

Thanks for all the good advice - and I mean all of it. I'll start with more the 'beginner' model for now, but those BJS bars sound awfully nice. Someday.

Meanwhile I can think of how I will explain it to my wife: "How much did that piece of metal cost?" Laughing

Twayn Williams · From: Portland, OR

I like my bar to be a little bit scratchy. I use that extra bit of roughness to "bow" the strings sometimes. I think it adds character! Of course, YMMV.
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Primitive Utility Steel

Cliff Kane · From: the late great golden state

The Ernie Ball bar seems a lot like a Dunlop bar, and a Dunlop is a good first bar. It was my first bar, then I got a Bullet Bar, then I got a BJS. The BJS is the best I've tried; it's hard chrome and the Bullet and Dunlop bars are stainless. The Bullet Bars are pretty nice, they have a nice recessed end for slants, and the price is very reasonable. The Dunlop is a little lighter and smaller, so it may be easy to use to start. I use my Dunlop for lap steel sometimes and as a spare I carry in my pocket to rehersals and leave my BJS at home. I also use the Dunlop Jerry Byrd bar for lap steel and it's fine. You'll end up with a bunch of bars over time, and the Dunlop is a good cheap backup to have around. When I first started it seemed hard for me to understand why people would spend more money on a bar, but now that I have a BJS I have no regrets: the BJS is a very nice bar with a great tone, sustain, and feel, but every bar is a little different and the Dunlop is okay.

Ray McCarthy · From: New Hampshire, USA

I started with a dunlop 7/8 bar, then got a John Pearse "thermocryonic" bar--same size, and it seemed to me that it yeilded a clearer tone with more sustain. Been using it ever since--'bout ten years.

bob Ousby · From: Nevada, USA

Hi Jeff...What steel are you getting? I bet you're excited! Happy picking...Bob

Darren James · From: Alabama, USA

I tried a BJS bar last night for the first time. The difference is astounding. I haven't been playing long and didn't believe a bar could make such a difference. I'm a believer now for sure.

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