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Topic: Best bar choice for LESS sustain ? |
Greg Gefell
From:
Upstate NY
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Posted 31 Dec 2017 10:17 am |
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I know that the holy grail for most steelers is getting as much sustain as possible but - for those times when you want more of a plucky fast decay type of sound, what type of bar material would give a shorter decaying sound?
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https://www.facebook.com/ggefell/ |
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Rex Mayfield
From:
Texas, USA
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Posted 31 Dec 2017 10:24 am
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| Maybe Douglas Fir, or maybe soft rubber?? |
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Jon Light (deceased)
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 31 Dec 2017 10:27 am
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| Not an extremely short decay but a significant difference from my Zirc and BJS bars would be ceramic. Less crystal clear and less 'sustain for days'. |
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Tim Russell
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 31 Dec 2017 10:54 am
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The "stone" or ceramic bars sound like that, as they only weigh a few ounces. A wooden dowel will also give you that sound.
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Sierra Crown D-10 |
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Ross Shafer
From:
Petaluma, California
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Posted 31 Dec 2017 11:29 am
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| A Delrin bar with no added weight works great for this. |
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Ron Pruter
From:
Arizona, USA
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Posted 31 Dec 2017 11:31 am
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I cut the end of a broom handle off once. I doubt the janitor appreciated it though. It sounded banjo like, kind of interesting.
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Emmons SKH Le Grande, '73 Fender P/J bass, Tick tack bass, Regal high strung, USA Nashville 112. |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 31 Dec 2017 11:33 am
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| Yeah, I got a broom handle pc. I used for effects sometimes, but that really kills the tone and volume too. Not recommended except for lo-fi garbage sounds. |
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Jon Light (deceased)
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 31 Dec 2017 11:41 am
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| I don't know what wood & ceramic is being talked about but the two do not even belong in the same conversation from my experience with my few ceramic bars vs. the all-but-useless broom handle thing. |
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Tim Russell
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 31 Dec 2017 11:45 am
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| Jon Light wrote: |
| I don't know what wood & ceramic is being talked about but the two do not even belong in the same conversation from my experience with my few ceramic bars vs. the all-but-useless broom handle thing. |
Here you go, Jon! - https://www.stoneslides.com/
Paloma Stone Guitar Slides/Bars, have a low sustain level, and of course, a dowel/broom handle will give a dobro or even banjo type of sound. Since Greg did not really elaborate as to exactly what he was going after, it seems plausible to throw several options out there...
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Sierra Crown D-10 |
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Ken Pippus
From:
Langford, BC, Canada
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Posted 31 Dec 2017 11:47 am
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| Unweighted glass bars are another interesting option. |
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Jon Light (deceased)
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 31 Dec 2017 11:55 am
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| I have no idea who made the white ceramic bar that came in a 'grab bag' of bars I bought from someone. It is slightly out of round so I don't like it at all but it is far from totally dead like a dowel. |
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Bill Moran
From:
Virginia, USA
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Posted 31 Dec 2017 12:11 pm
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Most any cheap bar will give you a muddier sound. I have a old Emmons bar I use when I want to take the edge off.
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Bill |
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Ian Worley
From:
Sacramento, CA
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Posted 31 Dec 2017 1:09 pm
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| I like to use a small rainbow trout. They wear out pretty fast, and tend to leave a smelly residue on the strings and fret board, but produce a nice dull tone. The fresher the better. |
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Dale Hampton
From:
Missouri, USA
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Posted 31 Dec 2017 3:29 pm
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Sounds fishy to me!  |
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Butch Mullen
From:
North Carolina, USA 28681
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Posted 31 Dec 2017 3:58 pm
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| Now we are getin' nowhere!!! Happy new year everybody. Butch in NC |
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Bill C. Buntin
From:
Cleburne TX
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Posted 31 Dec 2017 4:00 pm
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Bic Lighter
match bro tone bar
standard pocket comb turned up on its back edge |
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Paul Arntson
From:
Washington, USA
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Posted 31 Dec 2017 6:45 pm
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Used CO2 cartridge?
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Excel D10 8&4, Supro 8, Regal resonator, Peavey Powerslide, homemade lap 12(a work in progress) |
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Chris Templeton
From:
The Green Mountain State
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Posted 1 Jan 2018 8:19 am
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I remember Stu Basore using the cut off end of a broom handle. I can't remember the song but it was a classical and sounded like plucked/ pizzicato strings. A great effect.
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Excel 3/4 Pedal With An 8 String Hawaiian Neck, Sierra Tapper (10 string with a raised fretboard to fret with fingers), Single neck Fessenden 3/5
"The Tapper" : https://christophertempleton.bandcamp.com/album/the-tapper
Soundcloud Playlist: https://soundcloud.com/bluespruce8: |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 1 Jan 2018 9:19 am
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Steve Gunder, who is here in Topeka, makes a hard anodized aluminum bar that has pretty much the same tone as stainless and chrome, but makes the sustain noticeably shorter, in the range of a Fender 400 or a Dobro.
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2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
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Greg Gefell
From:
Upstate NY
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Posted 1 Jan 2018 9:42 am
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Great ideas guys! I’ll try some of the metal or ceramic bar ideas. Not looking so much for a tone alteration (banjo or sitar sound) just less sustain like a reso or acoustic guitar has compared to steel.
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https://www.facebook.com/ggefell/ |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 1 Jan 2018 10:34 am
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Hey Greg is there a song that you can post that has the effect you are looking for?
That would be helpful.
Otherwise, it sounds like right-hand hard-blocking chickin-pickin is what you are describing.
I often wonder... If sustain is so important, why is blocking so important?
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Ken Metcalf
From:
San Antonio Texas USA
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Posted 1 Jan 2018 11:05 am
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Pocket comb for banjo type effect.
Chicken picken for chicken pickin effect.
Tooth blackout wax for toothlees effect. ^_^
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 1 Jan 2018 11:14 am
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| Hey Ken that must be a D10 player! |
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Greg Gefell
From:
Upstate NY
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Posted 2 Jan 2018 5:29 am
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Pete, I’m not really trying to copy any existing song. I’m looking to get a shorter sustain, like you might have if there was such a thing as an acoustic pedal steel. The lack of sustain would be like “automatic” blocking. Not as short as palm muted pizzacato, but full toned with a fast decay.
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https://www.facebook.com/ggefell/ |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 2 Jan 2018 8:59 am
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| The bar that comes with a MatchBro has been mentioned and I remember years ago a Nick Manoloff bar that was made from pretty much the same material . |
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