Bar Envy

Gary Richardi · From: SoCal, USA

My friend's BJS bar is larger (diameter) and weighter than my 7/8 Dunlop. I feel inadequate. Winking

Seriously though, I liked the feel of the larger diameter and heavier bar but $80 seems like an awful lot for a bar. Searching around, I came across Stew's highly-polished, non-plated stainless steel bars on ebay. Has anyone used them? What's the difference, if any, in feel and tone between the highly-polished (not the buffed satin finish) ss bar and chrome a plated bar?

Ironically, just after I purchased an SD-10, my bandmate buddy w/the BJS Bar spent $2k on a GFI Ultra. He doesn't play (yet) and he's in all the projects I play steel in so I'll have access to it.

Dave Grafe · From: Hudson River Valley NY

It's not the size of your bar but how you use it, Gary Smile

Stu Schulman · From: Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)

Gary,Don Burrows will make any size bar at an incredible price,You won't believe how great they beez.
http://bsgsteelguitars.com/company.htm
Winking

_________________
Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952.

Stu Schulman · From: Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)

Gary,May I suggest a 15/16" bar Don's bars rock!
Stu Very Happy

_________________
Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952.

David Ellison · From: California, USA

just curious... why do people prefer a lager, heavier bar? I've always found a smaller bar to be easier to hold and control... and never noticed any real difference in the sound either way.

Stu Schulman · From: Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)

David,I like a heavier bar because at the first fret on some guitars there is some bar chatter if you don't push hard enough. Crying or Very sad

_________________
Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952.

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

A 15/16th bar fills my hand better than the 7/8th used to. I do have large hands, though, so I'm sure that's a personal preference. I swear that my tone immediately improved with the larger bar but I wonder if I talked myself into that - I was so much more comfortable with the switch that I may have imagined it sounded better.

I've since acquired a 1" bar (all these are BJS, by the way) and I like that one too. It's a bit harder to see where I am in the upper registers of the steel, though, even 'though I believe I intonate almost entirely by using my ears. I do find myself peering under it to some extent!

So: it may be that, if you have small hands, the large bars may not work so well for you. I love 'em!
_________________
Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles and Martins - and, at last, a Gibson Super 400!
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Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

BJS bars are terrific. So is Bill Stroud, the builder. Many steel players have more than one bar. Many own BJS bars.

I don't know anything about the Stew's bars, sorry can't help you there.

Another very good option is Jim Burden's bars at www.bulletbars.com
Highly polished stainless steel built to your specs at very reasonable prices. Jim's a pleasure to do business with too.

FWIW, I think 7/8" diameter bars are still the most used. I used a 15/16" for a short while, but found the smaller one worked better for me. Course it's up to you.

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

As far as bars go, I like a 15/16's bar and its a toss up between the BJS bar and the zirconia bar.

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

I think bar size depends, to at least some extent, on hand size. I have fairly large hands and a 15/16" diameter 3-1/2"-3-5/8" length bar works best for me. This issue came up quite naturally when working with Mike Sweeney - he had some bar exercises for me to work on, and my fingers just stuck way out over the tip of my "normal-sized" bar and made them very difficult to do. I was at Bobbe's the next day, he handed me a big bar to fiddle with, and that issue disappeared. Overall, moving the the bigger bar helped me out, I just switched over - my regular-sized bars are strictly backups. But YMMV.

As far as different brands go, at the very least I feel a difference, and I think I hear one also. There's even a subtle but important distinction between my BJS bars and my black Zirconia bars, especially if I'm pushing the amp a bit. I think the BJS tends to accentuate the high frequencies a bit more up in Hugheyland, while the Zirconia is smoother when there's a bit more growl to the amp settings. I use 'em both. They both sound pretty similar on very pristine clean amp settings further down the neck. They're both very physically smooth on the strings - I think that's where I notice the biggest difference in feel from other bars I've tried.

I don't think it's possible to evaluate bars without trying some different ones - a sample size of one is pretty hard to extrapolate.

Danny Letz · From: Old Glory,Texas, USA 79540

I bought a stainless steel bar at auction at Dallas. Didn't have a brand name with it. I found it to drag a little more that a BJS bar.

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

A stainless steel bar on stainless steel strings is a bad combination.

Jeff Spencer · From: Queensland, Australia

OK Erv, you have me curious now? Why?

Jeff

Gene Jones · From: Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)

A "big" bar certainly has it's advantages because of it's ability for immediate gratification, but, a smaller bar usually mitigates it's size by it's versatility and it's pleasure duration during extended application like long solo's.

It's all in the application! Smile

_________________
"FROM THEN TIL' NOW"

Robert Brewer · From: Nebraska, USA

Jeff

He could be referring to molecular adhesion of the same material highly polished if enough surface is in contact they will stick together and in machine parts being fitted together will seize.
Don’t know if this would be a problem on such a small area of contact.

David Mason · From: Cambridge, MD, USA

If you're at the point where you start blaming coefficients of molecular adhesion for what's coming out of your amp, you might as well stop practicing and memorize this instead:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friction

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

Jeff,
I guess Robert has the right idea only on a little more technical scale.
All I know is the lack of smoothness on the strings with the combination of stainless on stainless.

I'm from the old school and I much prefer a chrome bar on nickel strings.

Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

I guess I've been doing it all wrong for the last 30 years then. Stainless strings 100% of the time and stainless bar about 95%.

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

Jerry,
Well, I guess I've got you beat.
I've been using the above combination for 60 years.

Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

I didn't know it was a competition.

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

Tootsie Rolls at 20 paces. Very Happy

Christopher Woitach · From: Portland, Oregon, USA

I MUST chime in for Tribo-tone bars! Love mine.
_________________
Christopher Woitach
cw@affmusic.com
www.affmusic.com

Russ Tkac · Posted 21 Mar 2011 9:13 am **Sneaky Pete's Bar**

Bob Nordin made a copy of Sneaky's bar for a few of us. Great work and service as well. Smile

It is BIG!

Russ

Bob Nordin
48224 N. 33rd Ave.
New River, Az.
85087

Home/Office # 623-742-6417
Toll free # 1-800-852-8665
Cell # 480-262-7576

e-mail vtrinc@att.net
Web www.valleytoolroom.com

Below is the mil-spec info. A typical call-out for plating would be ( Hard chrome plate Per. QQ-C-320 type 1 Class 2a .001 thick )

CHROME-CLASS 2 HARD

QQ - C - 320

Type 1----------------Bright
Type 2 --------------Satin

Class 2------ Engineering plating over base metal-------.002 thick unless otherwise specified.
Class 2a ----Plated to specified dimensions or processed to specified dimensions after plating.
Class 2b-----Parts below Rockwell C40 designed for static loads or for limited life under dynamic loads.
Class 2c-----Parts below Rockwell C40 designed for unlimited life under dynamic loads.
Class 2d-----Parts of Rockwell C40 or above designed for static loads, or for limited life under dynamic loads.
Class 2e-----Part of Rockwell C40 or above designed for unlimited life under dynamic loads.

HARD CHROME: Exhibits the best combination of engineering properties when compared to all other plated materials.
including: lowest coefficient of friction and anti-galling. Hardness to 72 Arc, non-magnetic and heat resistant to 1200° IF,
excellent corrosion resistance, may be applied thick for salvage, or thin for functional requirements: .000050 thick to .020+ thick
APPLICATIONS: All metal wear parts: for plastic tooling; guns; cutting tools; salvage of worn parts; hydraulic pistons;
rubber molds;print rolls.

Jeff Spencer · From: Queensland, Australia

Thanks Erv, Well you guys have it all over me as I have only a few years with steel but I do know that when I talk steels/bars with non players their eyes soon glaze over. The local shop has one bar on it's shelf so lap steel buyers only get this one. I have a stainless bullet and a plated Shubb Pearce contoured and I do detect very minor difference but I put that down to the density of the bars. I think i'll order from some of these custom makers over your way.
Dont want to start a bar debate as its been done to death I would think. Oh Well

Thanks all
J

Rick Schacter · From: Portland, Or.

Gary,

I have never tried a Stew's highly polished bar, and they might just be a great bar.

I think you'll find that the BJS bar produces less string noise then your Dunlop bar.
Also, a BJS bar won't scratch and is gauranteed for life.
I have a 7/8" BJS Birthstone bar and it is wonderful.
I also have a 7/8" Zirconia bar and it is also a wonderful bar.
The cost of the Zirconia bar made me hesitate to purchase the thing, but I am very glad that I did.
I really like mine. It glides across the strings without any drag,no noticeable string noise, and it doesn't slip out of my hand.
It is a little lighter then the BJS bar, with a bit warmer tone.
Another great bar, IMO is the Bullet Bar.
They are very reasonably priced too.

http://www.bulletbars.com/

Hope this helps.

Rick

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