Tone bars

Joe A. Camacho · Posted 17 May 2010 9:54 am

I just bought my first lap steel, I've been playing pedal steel for 10 years and was wondering what everyone uses for a tone bar? I use a big 15/16" BJS bar, but don't think that I have the kind of mobility that I'll need playing lap. Thanks.

Jon Nygren · From: Wisconsin, USA

Hey Joe-

I use a 3x4" diameter bar usually. I think mine is 2-15/16" long. I'm thinking of trying a 7/8" diameter bar though.

You'll probably go though a couple before you find something you feel comfortable with- I like a short-ish bar so I can get my thumb into the indent pretty easy for slanting.

Julian Goldwhite · From: Alhambra, CA, USA

Hi Joe,

You are correct that a pedal steel bar is too large and cumbersome for playing lap steel. Lots of great bars out there, and I'm sure many others will chime in with their favorites. I personally like the LatchLake Broz-O-Phonic quite a lot as well as some of the size appropriate bars from Tribo-Tone...

Best,

Julian
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Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

Joe, do you slant the bar, or plan to?
A small bar is easier to manipulate, but I use a 3" bar and slant liberally. Even with short fingers I have no problems with it. Besides a better tone due to the weight I'm able to reach frets in extreme slants that would be inaccessible with anything shorter, and I like covering all the strings to enable a full strum.

Joe A. Camacho · Posted 17 May 2010 10:48 am

I bought an Asher EH Jr, I needed something to play overdriven, so I'll probably be in open D and not playing many slants.

Jon Nygren · From: Wisconsin, USA

Might want to look into a stevens bar then.

Roman Sonnleitner · From: Vienna, Austria

...or a Shubb SP2, which has a handle, like a Stevens, but also a rounded nose like a bullet bar.

Robert Murphy · From: West Virginia

Get a Bullet Bar! I use a SP2 for Dobro and a 7/8 x 2 15/16 for the Stringmaster.

Keith Cordell · From: San Diego

For a Stevens type bar check out the EG Smith steel. Has more weight but is extremely easy to handle and made like a piece of sculptural art.

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

Head over to Jim Palenscar's shop and try some different bars out. He is one of the good guys.
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Twayn Williams · From: Portland, OR

I prefer the Paloma ceramic bars and the Diamond Bottleneck lead crystal tone bars. They have a diameter that's a bit larger than your average PSG bar. I find standard "Hawaiian" bars to be too small in diameter which causes my hand to cramp. PSG bars are too long for six strings and too heavy to whip around the neck like I want.

Paloma
Diamond Bottlenecks
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Don Kona Woods · From: Hawaiian Kama'aina

You will need different bars for different effects and tone but the bars should be a bullet nose bars for slants.

I have a Jerry Byrd Dunlop chrome bar 2 7/8" length and 3/4" width for a brighter sound.

Then I have a Tribotone bar 2-15/16" length by 3/4 width for a more mellow sound. On this bar there is less string noise.

Aloha, Smile

Don

Joe A. Camacho · Posted 21 May 2010 10:14 am

Tom Wolverton · From: Carpinteria, CA

Joe, I bought an SP2 from Jim and really love it for 8-string stuff. For 6-string, I still prefer my Scheerhorn bar, but I'm coming from a dobro player's ref. point. Much has been discussed about this. If you are not doing dobro type licks, you will probably be better off with a bullet bar. Of course, YMMV.
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