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Topic: opinions on the different bars for lap steel guitars |
Roy Fouts
From:
Alberta, Canada
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Posted 10 Sep 2021 7:51 am |
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| I am very curious to get opinions on the different bars for lap steel guitars. I have used a plastic 3/4" round bar and am presently using a "lap Dawg", which I like very much, but have heard that some of the composite bars give a much more mellow sound. The Hawaiian sound is what I would like to shoot for and wonder if these bars would help to achieve that sound. Any comments and sources would be appreciated. |
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Peter Krebs
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 10 Sep 2021 8:05 am
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Hi Roy,
I’m really enjoying the bar I purchased from Todd Clinesmith (available through his website). I can get a concise yet mellow sound out of it without too much of the add’l gliss that I hear with steel bars. For a steel bar, I do like the feel and sound of my old Broz-o-phonic bar, though I’m not sure if they’re still available (or perhaps made under a different name). Just my 2 cents - hope that helps! |
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Charles Stange
From:
San Francisco, California
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Posted 10 Sep 2021 9:08 am
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I have a favorite old "Burden Bullet", even so, I've always felt that its 99% the player not the bar. just me I guess.
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Charles 'Skip' Stange |
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Tim Whitlock
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 10 Sep 2021 9:38 am
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I love my 3" x 7/8" Eezee Slide polymer bar. I use it for both 6 and 8 string steels. It has very low string drag and is very quiet on the wound strings compared to steel bars.
The tone is just slightly rounder than a steel bar with possibly a little less sustain, but I wouldn't really call it mellow or dull in any way. For example, I don't really change my amp settings on those rare occasions when I pick up a steel bar and it's not any brighter than the polymer bar. I agree with Peter that the polymer has a bit less "zing" when you gliss. And I have seen super great Hawaiian players get wonderfully "mellow" tones from their steel bars, so I think that aspect is really in the player's hands and the settings he chooses for guitar and amp. Mainly I love my polymer bar for the feel, quickness and control it allows me. Tone is not much of a factor for me.
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Mike Auman
From:
North Texas, USA
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Posted 10 Sep 2021 10:42 am
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| Peter Krebs wrote: |
| ... For a steel bar, I do like the feel and sound of my old Broz-o-phonic bar, though I’m not sure if they’re still available (or perhaps made under a different name). ... |
The Broz-O-Phonic is still made, now called the Latch Lake Bar, https://latchlakemusic.com/slides/hawaiian-bar/ . Sometimes it's in stock at Lunchbox Audio, I picked up a used one here on the forum and love it for 6 and 8 string lap steel.
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Long-time guitar player, now wrestling with lap steel. |
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Nic Neufeld
From:
Kansas City, Missouri
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Posted 11 Sep 2021 6:53 am
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I started with a Broz-o-phonic, and then moved to a couple different Ezee-Slides. Not sure I can say the sound changed at all but the feel is great. I'm sure the Clinesmith bar is similar to the Ezee Slide.
I think the most important thing if you want the "Hawaiian sound" is choosing a bar that adapts well to Hawaiian technique...which almost certainly is going to be a bullet bar, of a size that makes a variety of slants possible (forward, reverse, split bar, etc...a bar that is too long is going to make reverse slants a chore, and you want the size of the nose to work well for split bar slants). The optimal size will depend on your hand, comfort, etc. I feel like bar material is less impactful on the sound as long as its a good solid, hefty bar (steel or weighted composite).
_________________
Waikīkī, at night when the shadows are falling
I hear the rolling surf calling
Calling and calling to me |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 11 Sep 2021 8:25 am
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Pedal steel I use a BJS bar or a Jim Burden Bullet (stainless steel) bar.
I recently bought an 8 string non pedal. I tried my Pedal Steel bar but too long. I bought a Dunlop 920 stainless steel Jerry Byrd bar and it is the correct length for an 8 string. |
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Glenn Wilde
From:
California, USA
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Posted 11 Sep 2021 9:28 am
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Holdability is a big factor for me. I started with the Broz, which i still have and is a copy of the Sol Hoopii bar i believe, perhaps ill call it that, but i got a big 1"x 3.2" ZB bar with a guitar and find it way easier to hold and i just got a glass Silica Sound bar the same size that is killer. The plastic Nick Manoloff bars are always good and traditional sized too, very easy to hold.
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Jean-Sebastien Gauthier
From:
Quebec, Canada
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Posted 12 Sep 2021 8:47 am
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| My favorite bar is my Clinesmith 3/4. I also love my BJS Jerry Byrd bar but prefer the feel and tone of the Clinesmith. |
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David M Brown
From:
California, USA
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Posted 13 Sep 2021 4:55 am
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| Glenn Wilde wrote: |
The plastic Nick Manoloff bars are always good and traditional sized too, very easy to hold.
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Those are my favorite, both for size and weight - and they sound great! |
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Joe Burke
From:
Toronto, Canada
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Posted 13 Sep 2021 6:03 am
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I’ve tried various bars but keep going back to the Dunlop bullet bars. Sound and feel great to me! And the price is good.
Though I continue to have fun trying out other bars. |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 13 Sep 2021 6:47 am
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I've had several bars over the years but never got into collecting them. Currently I have: Tribone, Dunlop Jerry Byrd, John Pearse Thermo Cryonic, a custom signature rail bar Cindy Cashdollar gave me, A Dunlop Pedal Steel bar and my hands-down favorite, a white Clinesmith bar. Whenever I use a rail bar I feel like my left hand skills are about 30% hampered though my intonation improves a bit.
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Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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