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Topic: Why tapered tone bars? |
Tim Whitlock
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 9 Jul 2021 7:25 pm |
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So this old school tapered bar came with the '51 Rickenbacker B6 I recently acquired. It is 3 1/16" long. The bottom is 13/16" in diameter tapering to 9/16" at the bullet end. It is very light weight and feels rather comfortable but I can't say exactly why. It seems to make forward slants and split bars a bit easier and more in tune but maybe that's just wishful thinking. Why did they make tapered tone bars and what are the alleged advantages?
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Gene Tani
From:
Pac NW
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Tim Whitlock
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 10 Jul 2021 5:27 am
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Thanks for the links Gene! I’m going to work with this bar some more and see how it goes. If I still like it I’ll probably see if Basil or Todd offer a heavier tapered polymer bar. I have used the ceramic straight bars and they do not hold up to the percussive bar slams and chatter effects that I like to employ. The ceramic got scratched after only a few uses and the scratches catch on the strings. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 10 Jul 2021 6:59 am
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I like to use a tapered bar when playing lap steel.
It seems to put your wrist at a more comfortable angle.
My first tapered bar was a "Chase". 
Erv |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 10 Jul 2021 7:20 am
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The tapered tip allows you to play 3-note slants more easily.
For one example, on a Jerry Byrd style 6th tuning you can play a three note chord that replicates the P5 or P6 functions, where the upper two notes are at the same fret using the tip, and the lower note is one fret back.
The tapered tip is kind of like a marble, it can contact the two strings right over the fret, no matter how you rotate it. |
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Gene Tani
From:
Pac NW
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