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Author Topic:  Non-metal bars
Chase Brady


From:
Ohio, USA
Post  Posted 13 Dec 2015 5:22 am    
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In perusing the archives, there is much discussion of bars made from plastic or glass. People rave about Tribotones, Red Rajahs, Zirconia, Boyetts, etc. Problem is, none of these seem to be available any more. Is anyone currently making anything like these?
I know about the powder coated bars and Wayne Johnson's anodized aluminum bars. I have one of each. They're nice, but aluminum is too light, and the powder coated bar is too heavy. Just right would be a 7/8" bullet bar with a weight around 4 ounces.
I have a Diamond Crystal bar which I use on the 8 string, but it seems a tad large on the 6 string. Silica Sound jumps straight from 3/4" to 1 " with nothing in between. Are there others I've missed?
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Stephen Abruzzo

 

From:
Philly, PA
Post  Posted 13 Dec 2015 6:19 am    
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Not sure if this is what you have......but these bars come in 7/8" and 15/16" widths and can be made in any length you desire.

http://www.diamondbottlenecks.com/CrystalToneBars.html
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Chase Brady


From:
Ohio, USA
Post  Posted 13 Dec 2015 7:15 am    
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My Diamond Crystal is 15/16" by 3.4". It's my go to bar for the 8 string, but it seems a bit large for the 6 string. That's purely psychological, I know. I can't find any rational reason a larger bar won't work just fine on 6 strings, but it just seems weird to have all that overhang. The primary reason I haven't ordered a smaller one is the customs trap. It took months to get the first one.
--Chase
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Stephen Abruzzo

 

From:
Philly, PA
Post  Posted 13 Dec 2015 9:03 am    
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I don't recall having any Customs problems when ordering from Diamond Bottlenecks in the past. Of course, that was probably at least 2-3 years ago.
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Chase Brady


From:
Ohio, USA
Post  Posted 13 Dec 2015 2:01 pm    
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As the Diamond Crystal folks explained it to me, customs is a bit of a crapshoot. The problem is there's just enough lead in the glass to occasionally trip the metal detector. When that happens, they x-ray the package. There's a reason we call them "bullet" bars. So the package ends up awaiting special handling by ballistics experts. They must get a chuckle out of it when they see what it is.
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Ian McWee

 

From:
Worcestershire, UK
Post  Posted 14 Dec 2015 7:55 am    
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Hi Chase! It's great to hear your crystal bar still serves you well Smile

It's quite true regarding the customs situation ~ and it is currently worsening due to heightened security regarding the forwarding of overseas packets on U.S. inland flights.

We've found a way to by-pass the delay problems using a special customs label ~ but it is more expensive (around $15.00 on top of the usual $9.00 standard Air Mail charge) so if you'd be interested please drop me a line Smile

With best regards, Ian (Diamond Bottlenecks)
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Terry VunCannon


From:
Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
Post  Posted 14 Dec 2015 10:06 am    
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I have good luck on electric lap steel with my Innovative Guitars aluminum bars.

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Chris Walke

 

From:
St Charles, IL
Post  Posted 16 Dec 2015 9:44 am    
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Terry VunCannon wrote:
I have good luck on electric lap steel with my Innovative Guitars aluminum bars.



Very interesting - like a Shubb Pearse SP-2, but less...um...refined(?)looking, for lack of a better term. I like what I see there. Website I found only shows steel guitars - is there a different website that shows accessories?

This is the one I found:
http://www.innovativeguitars.com/
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Terry VunCannon


From:
Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
Post  Posted 16 Dec 2015 11:28 pm    
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Wayne made those for me. I use SP-2s and like the shape better than round bars. I had one round bar that had been shaved flat on each side & I really like that one. The flat sides feel different than the slotted SP-2.
The sound of these bars is closer to the sound of a glass bar, or powder coated bar, but is easy to hold.
Wayne is now making me a thinner version of the SP-2 shape.
And, that is the right site. Email Wayne, or call him and talk to him about the kind of bar, shape, & weight you have on your mind. He is great to try and make your vision.
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Chris Walke

 

From:
St Charles, IL
Post  Posted 17 Dec 2015 8:03 am    
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Terry VunCannon wrote:
Wayne made those for me. I use SP-2s and like the shape better than round bars. I had one round bar that had been shaved flat on each side & I really like that one. The flat sides feel different than the slotted SP-2.
The sound of these bars is closer to the sound of a glass bar, or powder coated bar, but is easy to hold.
Wayne is now making me a thinner version of the SP-2 shape.
And, that is the right site. Email Wayne, or call him and talk to him about the kind of bar, shape, & weight you have on your mind. He is great to try and make your vision.


Thanks for the info!
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