Preferences for Steel Slides

Allan Revich · From: Victoria, BC

I’m still pretty new at the lap steel game, and I’m trying to figure out what style, size, and weight works best for me on electric lap steel.

I have a 4.5 oz bar. A bigger 7.5 oz bar. And a Dobro style bar, about 4.5 oz too.

I’d love to know what other electric lap steel players prefer.
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Current Tunings:
6 String | G6 – e G D G B D
7 String | G6 – e G B D G B D

https://papadafoe.com/lap-steel-tuning-database

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

www.steelguitarshopper.com/dunlop-919-jerry-byrd-tone-bar/

... but if the guitar has very wide string spacing, I use a larger diameter bar to get nose slant triads better in tune.

Stephen Cowell · From: Round Rock, Texas, USA

I prefer a bottleneck for slide.
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David Matzenik · From: Cairns, on the Coral Sea

As suggested above, they are not slides, they are tone bars or steels. Slide guitar is a different subject.

I cannot advise on the best, because I have only used three: The Black Rajah, The Brozophonic, which is very close to the Jerry Byrd bar, and last but very much the least, the Stevens bar which is essentially a steel with training wheels. Although, I am beginning to see where they might be handy in old-age.
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Jack Hanson · From: San Luis Valley, USA

For overhand work I always use a bullet bar, but did not fill out the survey because length and diameter are both more important criteria to me than weight. My tonebar will vary depending on the instrument I'm playing.

On pedal steel, I have been using the same "Emmons" branded bar for over 40 years. It's 7/8" x 3-3/8" and weighs 8.8 oz.

On acoustics and lap steels, I generally use a Latch Lake (a/k/a Broz-o-phonic) bar, which is 3/4" x 3" and weighs 5.6 oz.

Because both of these bars are machined from stainless steel, I use bronze wounds on my acoustics and nickel wounds on my electrics. I can't play with stainless wound strings.

C. E. Jackson · Posted 9 Jan 2019 2:22 pm

I have a collection of modern and antique bars from 5/8" x 2 1/2" to 7/8" x 4 1/2" with several 1" x 3 1/4" bars.
My collection includes round and non-round bars, chrome plated, stainless, brass, bakelite, and clear and colored plastic
bars, with bullet-nose on 1 end, bullet nose on both ends, square on both ends, (maybe others that I have forgotten).

I only use round stainless bars with bullet-nose ends (one end only). My favorites are DUNLOP, JOHN PEARSE, SHO-BUD,
and a couple of private made bars by steel players. Occasionally, I enjoy using one of my SITAR bars.

I agree with b0b with regard to string spacing and diameter of bars.

C. E. Jackson Smile

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Tom Keller · From: Greeneville, TN, USA

I prefer the Stevens style bar for resophonic guitars and bullet bars for electric steel guitars with 8 or more strings. I find it almost impossible to attempt modern resophonic stylings with a bullet bar.

Tom Keller

Frank James Pracher · From: Michigan, USA

My main "go to" bar is 3/4 x 2 3/4 Ezzee slide bar made by Basil. Which is made from a sort of polymer.. Sticks to the hand but moves on the strings effortlessly.

I'm also a big fan of the powder coated bars by Michael Hillman..A bit more weight, also very smooth.

I keep one of each in my gig bag.. and several in my workshop/studio
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David M Brown · From: California, USA

Nothing fits my hand and style better than a vintage Nick Manoloff bar.

Otherwise, a plain bullet bar is fine. I can't play with a dobro bar, the grip is weird to me.

Andy DePaule · From: Saigon, Viet Nam & Springfield, Oregon

A 7/8" Round nose by Todd Clinesmith has become my favorite to use for both tone and feel. I also like my 7/8" steel one, but not quite as much.
I have a longer fatter one for practice on my PSG's, but never use that on non-pedal guitars.
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2017 Mullen SD-10, G2 5&5 Polished Aluminum covering. Custom Build for me. Great Steel.
Clinesmith Joaquin Murphy style Aluminum 8 String Lap Steel Short A6th.
Magnatone Jeweltone Series Lap Steel, Circa 1950? 6 String with F#minor7th Tuning.
1956 Dewey Kendrick D-8 4&3, Restoration Project.
1973 Sho~Bud Green SD-10 4&5 PSG, Restoration Project.

Allan Revich · From: Victoria, BC

Thanks for all the thoughtful answers and comments so far. I’m learning a lot.
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Current Tunings:
6 String | G6 – e G D G B D
7 String | G6 – e G B D G B D

https://papadafoe.com/lap-steel-tuning-database

George Piburn · From: The Land of Enchantment New Mexico

In my limited experience as a professionally trained steel guitarist,
I was taught by the Jeffran College and later Hawaiian Masters and numerous high end steel guitar players - teachers, most of whom ane no longer living;

that Steel Guitars were played with a TONE BAR.

Since Tone Bar was omitted in the poll, my answer is none of the above.
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Dom Franco · From: Beaverton, OR, 97007

Of course a "tone bar" is best for most steel guitar playing styles. The extra weight of a solid bar make for better tone and sustain, and a round nose makes slants and single note runs across adjacent strings easier.

But there are some players that use a slide (bottle neck or metal/class cylinder) on a steel guitar. To me the sound suffers from rattles and seems brittle with little sustain, but there are a lot of standard guitarists that come to the world of lap steel and that's all they know and have in their guitar cases....
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