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Topic: New and improved crystal tone bar from Diamond Bottlenecks |
Steinar Gregertsen
From:
Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.
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Posted 15 Apr 2011 1:46 pm |
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Got a "new generation" crystal bar from Diamond Bottlenecks some days ago, and it's become my new favorite tone bar. The glass bars I've tried previously have either suffered from a lack of tone and sustain or been too huge to handle comfortably, including my previous DB bars, but with this one they have gotten it right.
The sustain is right up there with my best chrome bars (including a Jim Burden), and the tone is... well, "glassy" - more open and 'airy' than chrome bars but still with a good focus and solid "zing", a very beautiful tone to my ears. The only minor shortcoming compared to a chrome bar is slightly less "oomph" in the bass register, but that doesn't bother me at all, in fact I think it's an advantage in some cases.
The feel and grip is to die for,- it's extremely lightweight (again compared to my Burden bar) and how they've managed to get such a great tone from a bar that weighs 'next to nothing' is beyond me. The string friction is somewhere in between a chrome bar and a Tribotone, and mine is cut to a length of 3".
And, it's a total beauty:
_________________
"Play to express, not to impress"
Website - YouTube |
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Mitch Crane
From:
1000 Oaks, CA
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Posted 15 Apr 2011 2:36 pm
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I just got one also, and I reach for it most often now...very light, but has great feel and tone ! Not perfect for everything, but most things...
UPDATE: This is NOT one of the 'new generation' bars, but I've now remedied that !
Last edited by Mitch Crane on 19 Apr 2011 10:44 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Eric Gross
From:
Perkasie PA, USA
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Posted 17 Apr 2011 4:55 am
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Hi Steinar,
I have been searching for a nice sounding glass tone bar. I checked the DB website, and see they have two types, which is the one you are referring to, is it the 'El Gordo' ?
Thanks,
Eric |
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Steinar Gregertsen
From:
Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.
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Posted 17 Apr 2011 6:24 am
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Both models on their website are the old types, this model is so new that it's not on their website yet.
Best thing you can do is to send a mail to slides(at)diamondbottlenecks.com - address it to Ian McWee (he's away for a couple of days but will be back later this week) and say you want one of the new models. Tell him I sent you..
_________________
"Play to express, not to impress"
Website - YouTube |
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Eric Gross
From:
Perkasie PA, USA
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Posted 17 Apr 2011 1:42 pm
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| Thanks! |
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Don Kona Woods
From:
Hawaiian Kama'aina
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Posted 17 Apr 2011 3:47 pm
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| Quote: |
| Got a "new generation" crystal bar from Diamond Bottlenecks some days ago, and it's become my new favorite tone bar. The glass bars I've tried previously have either suffered from a lack of tone and sustain or been too huge to handle comfortably, including my previous DB bars, but with this one they have gotten it right. |
How do these crystal bars compare with the stone bars by Paloma Tone Bars in tone and price?
http://www.stoneslides.com/
Aloha, 
Don |
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Steinar Gregertsen
From:
Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.
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Posted 17 Apr 2011 3:52 pm
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Never tried one of those, but Ive been curious about them for some time so I may do something about that soon... 
_________________
"Play to express, not to impress"
Website - YouTube |
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Steinar Gregertsen
From:
Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.
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Posted 19 Apr 2011 7:38 am
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Here's what Ian McWee writes about the new bars on another forum:
"Eighteen months ago our parent business, Redhouse Glasscrafts, hooked up with one of Europe's top glassblowers, and armed with suggestions generously given to us by Bob Brozman, Steinar and a couple of other lap-slide players here in the U.K., we passed this info onto Stevie B. - our glassblower extraordinaire.
Not to go too deeply into the technicalities, this next-generation bar comprises of a heavy, dense glass central core 'bullet', then second-dipped into the kiln to add a tougher glass outer 'skin' for durability. We've been down the 'metal-filled' glass bar route many times during the past ten years & it's never worked successfully - the outer glass 'skin' is too thin to be durable on the metal-filled bars, so a combination of two glass sections has always been our goal in obtaining the maximum available weight with the necessary durability...this new all-glass crystal bar has everything we've strived to create"
_________________
"Play to express, not to impress"
Website - YouTube |
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Mitch Crane
From:
1000 Oaks, CA
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Posted 19 Apr 2011 7:41 am
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I have 2 Paloma bars I ordered about a month ago...axious to try them out!. When they arrive I'll report on the differences between them and the new DB bar.
Last edited by Mitch Crane on 20 Apr 2011 7:51 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Twayn Williams
From:
Portland, OR
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Posted 19 Apr 2011 10:20 am
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I have a couple of DB bars and a couple Paloma bars.
The DB glass bars have a very, very smooth surface and a flawless feel. The Paloma ceramic bars have small imperfections in the glaze that I liken to the scratches you get in a metal bar after you've dropped it a few dozen times. I actually kinda like the "scratches" as they allow me to "bow" the string when using overdrive. Also, for my style of playing, the small imperfections simply don't register enough to make an appreciable difference.
Slants are better with the DBs because the glaze on the ceramic bars do NOT go all the way to the bottom of the bar and the stoneware is pretty rough, so if you do a lot of slants, a DB bar would probably fit the bill better. Then again, I slant all the time with the ceramic bar and I just learn to work around it to where I barely notice anymore.
The DBs are far lighter than a metal bar and the Palomas weigh pretty much nothing. Both are fast to move around, but with the Palomas you can zip around really, really fast (if that's your thing!) I like a pretty fat diameter bar because a thinner bar causes my hand to cramp during a long playing session.
Both bars are fragile compare to a metal bar. I've chipped off a good portion of the end of my glass bar from dropping it on concrete several times so I really don't use it any more. I haven't dropped the ceramic bars on a hard surface like concrete yet, but I'm pretty sure they'd chip or shatter.
I've noticed with the glass bars that if I'm playing in a hot environment and my hands start sweating that my finger will start "sticking" to the glass and getting rubbed raw. I haven't noticed the same phenomenon with the ceramic bar but that might just be that I haven't played using it in the same environment or maybe the weight makes a difference. I do know that with a metal bar if your finger sweat the bar becomes slippery to hold onto whereas the opposite is true with the glass. Just a difference in the materials... YMMV
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Primitive Utility Steel |
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Don Kona Woods
From:
Hawaiian Kama'aina
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Posted 19 Apr 2011 1:23 pm
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| stoneware is pretty rough, |
I talked with Jay Seibert at the Texas Steel Guitar Convention in Dallas in March, 2011, and he stated that some of the old bars had some imperfections and were rough, but he stated that the new bars now are smooth. I have two new Paloma bars and they are smooth.
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Both bars are fragile compare to a metal bar.
I haven't dropped the ceramic bars on a hard surface like concrete yet, but I'm pretty sure they'd chip or shatter. |
Jay said that you could break the Ceramic bar if it was dropped a certain way, but that it is unlikely to break in most cases. I think he said if they fell at an angle that they would not break. I will have to check that out with him.
Aloha,
Don |
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Jay Seibert
From:
Woodland, WA, USA
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Posted 19 Apr 2011 2:25 pm To Twayn
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Hi Twayn,
I was referred to your post and was very interested in your comments!
I recall that you received one of the first bars I produced and I thank you very much for your purchases. But I would like to add that there have been a few changes in Paloma bars since your purchase.
You mentioned glaze imperfections... I have continued to revise my glaze formulas as all ceramic artists do in the course of creating objects from clay. These revisions have yielded a much smoother and much harder playing surface than what you have in your hand! And since the surface is smoother, it is also quieter and creates less drag!
You mentioned the unglazed surface on the bottom of the bar... several months ago I made a design change in the bars due to many requests from Forum members... I am tapering the butt ends of all bullet bars to eliminated the problem. You can slant all you like and won't have to worry about the unglazed tip of the bar anymore!
And dropping... I have dropped bars on my painted concrete floor on either end and they have bounced off the floor... no marks, no chips. I have dropped them on the flat side, they break. Drop them on a tile floor and they will crack the tile. Drop on wood, linoleum, etc. they will bounce and not chip.
Drop a metal bar on the floor and it will dent... you are screwed with a dent! The bar is useless.
Paloma Stone Slides have a lifetime guarantee. If they ever fail to perform in a satisfactory manner, I will replace them free of charge. Mail the the "bad" one and I will mail you a replacement.
So Twayn, or any other players reading this... If you have a Paloma bar that doesn't "cut the mustard" for any reason, send it back and you'll get a new one with the new features.
One additional note, I will endeavor to make Paloma slides and bars to be best products I can. I rely on players for feedback and always will. If there is a suggestion that will make them better... bring it on! Paloma has grown in the last 15 months thanks to the forum. I look to have Paloma continue to grow in the next 15 months...
Thanks to the Steel Guitar Forum.
Cheers,
Jay
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www.stoneslides.com is my Paloma Tone Bar and Bottleneck Slide web site
www.clayrabbit.com is my Pottery web site |
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Twayn Williams
From:
Portland, OR
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Posted 19 Apr 2011 3:51 pm Re: To Twayn
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| Jay Seibert wrote: |
| You mentioned glaze imperfections... I have continued to revise my glaze formulas as all ceramic artists do in the course of creating objects from clay. These revisions have yielded a much smoother and much harder playing surface than what you have in your hand! And since the surface is smoother, it is also quieter and creates less drag! |
But no more "bowing" of the strings! I like that effect!
| Quote: |
| You mentioned the unglazed surface on the bottom of the bar... several months ago I made a design change in the bars due to many requests from Forum members... I am tapering the butt ends of all bullet bars to eliminated the problem. You can slant all you like and won't have to worry about the unglazed tip of the bar anymore! |
Nice upgrade! Gonna have to get me a couple of those.
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| And dropping... I have dropped bars on my painted concrete floor on either end and they have bounced off the floor... no marks, no chips. I have dropped them on the flat side, they break. Drop them on a tile floor and they will crack the tile. Drop on wood, linoleum, etc. they will bounce and not chip. |
I have dropped my ceramic bar (and my glass bar) many, many times on a wooden floor with zero impact on the bar. I've also had 'em whack the aluminum pedalboard on my PSG with no effect either, so I consider 'em pretty tough.
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| If you have a Paloma bar that doesn't "cut the mustard" for any reason, send it back and you'll get a new one with the new features. |
Uh-uh, you ain't gettin' my bar  Seriously, I'm perfectly happy with the bars I have and adding to the stable is what I consider a worthy way to support a superior product, whether it be the Paloma ceramic bars or the DB glass bars. And besides, it's not as though they're expensive! To put it in perspective, I spend more on comic books in any 2 week period than I have for any bar I've ever bought.
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Primitive Utility Steel |
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Mitch Crane
From:
1000 Oaks, CA
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Posted 19 Apr 2011 5:21 pm
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The one on the left shipped to me today...Cobalt Blue Swirl.. Ian's service is the BEST ! Thanks Ian !
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Eric Ebner
From:
Texas Republic
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Posted 21 Apr 2011 7:20 am
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I just placed my order for one of these  I've got 2 of the older versions and really like playing them for a change of pace. I ordered a guitar slide as well. Kevin Brown has a signature model and I think I'm going to go for one of those. Picked up one of Jays Paloma bars at the steel show too and have a great time with it. Bars, picks, strings, and guitars are just the tools of the trade. It's the heart, mind, and soul of the player that makes the music happen. Having a well stocked toolbox helps! Variety keeps things interesting.
Thanks Ian!
Eric Ebner
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Tribo-Tone™ Bars |
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Mitch Crane
From:
1000 Oaks, CA
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Posted 28 Apr 2011 5:20 pm
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WOW...got Ian's new bar today ! Ordered on the 20th and got here (Calif) today from overseas..
LOVE the new bar alot ! It's a tad heavier than my other DB bar which is great... must order a couple more ! |
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Chris Cummings
From:
England
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Posted 21 Aug 2011 1:23 pm
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| Been using one of Ian's Diamond bars for some weeks now and its been great ! light but with good tone . Dropped it a few times no problem !! |
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