Tone Bars? (newbie content...be gentle)

Adam Tracksler · From: Maine, USA

I have a nice Broz-o-Phonic and EG Smith bar for my Tricone, but I don't think they are long enough for a 10 string.... What is a good bar to start with?

Sometimes I have a tough time with the bullet bar, I think Im used to picking up the bar from playing dobro... I saw a rig rundown with Robert Randolph, and he had what looked more like a stevens bar (although it was much longer)

Anyway... advice and suggestions are appreciated....

//ad

Hal Braun · From: Eustis, Florida, USA

Wellll... I am a gentile, but I'll be nice too! Smile

Sorry.. just couldn't help myself..

I use one of Bill Rudolph's 10 string bars.. hardened stainless, they just feel right to me. I personally use the 7/8th" diameter but they also have a 15/16" and 1" diameter sizes.

http://williamsguitarcompany.com/store_accessories.html

Adam Tracksler · From: Maine, USA

dang autocorrect.... at least it didn't change it to genitals..... Smile

Fixed the title of the thread...

Bob Knight · From: Bowling Green KY

Shubb-Pearse SP-1

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Hal Braun · From: Eustis, Florida, USA

Jerry Roller · From: Van Buren, Arkansas USA

Adam, I sell the John Pearse Cryogenically hardened stainless bar 7/8 X 3 1/4. Great feel, great tone and great price. I also stock the Shubb-Pearse SP-1
that Bob mentioned. When I am not using the Zirconia bar I use the John Pearse and like it very much.
Jerry
rollermusic@cox.net
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Steve Green · From: Gulfport, MS, USA

I could recommend either bar Jerry mentions. I use the SP-1 on my 8 string Goldtone Beard dobro. I don't play pedal steel, but on my 10 string non-pedal console, I use the John Pearse Cryogenically hardened "Big Daddy" bar. I don't know the dimensions of it, but rather large, and I like the tone it produces.
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John Ely · From: Minneapolis Minnesota, USA

Yes Hal, you are right about auto-correct.
In fact, auto-correct is my worst enema...
John
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Glenn Uhler · From: Trenton, New Jersey, USA

Adam,
If you have a hard time picking the bullet bar up off the strings, try a smaller diameter bar. A tapered bar might help too!
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Adam Tracksler · From: Maine, USA

I meant I keep on picking up the bar.... Im used to the way I play dobro more than just sliding around......I can pick it up no problem.....

Glenn Uhler · From: Trenton, New Jersey, USA

Got it now, Adam. Best way to lift a bullet bar is to squeeze it between the thumb and second finger, lifting it off the strings just a fraction of an inch, while you deaden the strings with the 3 and 4 fingers. The bar stays parallel to the strings. Takes a little practice if you are used to lifting the bar for dobro.
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Brett Day · From: Pickens, SC

I started using a Dunlop bar in 1999, but because of cerebral palsy in my left hand, I had to try different bars. I use a bar that is called Sacred Steel, and it's been my bar of choice for twelve years now

Adam Tracksler · From: Maine, USA

Ended up getting a BJS bar. It should be here soon.... I'll let ya know.

Steve Lipsey · From: Portland, Oregon, USA

You made the right choice....search for other threads about bars, and you'll see, people do have individual favorites, but BJS is always the majority...
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Mark van Allen · From: Watkinsville, Ga. USA

If I understand your question, Adam, you're exploring options for pedal steel playing after using the other types of bars on 6 stringâ€¦

While there is always room for experimentation and individual preference, the "standard" for 10 string pedal steel is generally somewhere in the 3 to 3 1/4" long by 7/8 to 1" diameter range. Anything in there will get you going, but you'll find over time after getting used to the feel that even 1/4" in length and 1/16" in diameter may give you a more/less comfortable feel. Some folks switch off between 7/8 and 15/16 or 1" bars for instance between ballads and uptempo numbers.

There are various reasons for the preference in size, but mainly you want to be able to cover the widest chordal "grip" or chord extension you'll be playing, which can often be the 1st through 8th string or 3rd through 10th, and the diameter/weight can really effect the tone, sustain, feel of your vibrato, etc.

The sculpted bars, as some of the Sacred Steel players and Robert Randolph use, are similar to your Smith bar or the illustration Bob gave of the Shubb-Pearseâ€¦ Robert and other players who use a lot of hammer-ons and pull-offs, or quick transitions to single string lines for much of their playing seem to prefer that bar style. "Traditional" E9 playing leans toward keeping the bar down on the strings all or most of the time, and going for a smooth vibrato, and hence the preference for the round bar with some weight to it.

I'm all for finding your own way and what works for you, experimentation being the key. Personally, I use a G Smith bar on reso and some lap steel, a 2 7/8 x 3/4 bar for other lap duties and a 3 1/4 x 7/8 or 15/16 bar on Pedal Steel. And yes, BJS bars rock.
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Steve Lipsey · From: Portland, Oregon, USA

Another note about Randolph - he comes from a style of pedal steel called "sacred steel", which has a slightly different tuning and playing style (e.g., a strumming move called "framming") that is somewhat different from typical E9 pedal steel...and his bar choice is accordingly somewhat different, as suits that style.

Also, he, like a very few other musicians throughout history have been, is completely unique and pretty far off the curve of what normal humans could expect to accomplish on steel...

If you decide to look into sacred steel, the Campbell Brothers have a great DVD out that could show you all the moves...
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Williams S10s, Milkman Pedal Steel Mini & "The Amp"
Ben Bonham Resos, 1954 Oahu Diana, 1936 Oahu Parlor

Hal Braun · From: Eustis, Florida, USA

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