Bar pressure on different guitars

D. Scheindlin · From: Texas, USA

I’ve played GFIs for a while and have a nice GFI Ultra Keyless. I love the mechanics of it - super solid and smooth. I recently picked up a 2003 Carter S10 pro. Wanting to try something different. Nice guitar. Real smooth mechanics and great tone. One thing I notice is that the Carter seems to require more bar pressure than the GFI. It’s not hard to play but it is a noticeable difference from the GFI and might require some getting used to and additional diligence on bar position.

Anyway, this isn’t a problem. I’m really just curious what can cause two guitars of the same scale length and string gauge to play differently in this respect. The GFI keyless has a solid metal bar for the nut so the bottoms of the strings are all on the same plane. I don’t believe the rollers on the Carter are gauged so theoretically the string bottoms would also sit on the same plane. (I was thinking maybe string tops being uneven vs on the same plane could make a difference and I’d think if the Carter did have gauged rollers it might require less bar pressure)

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Aside from gauged rollers, the scale length, string gauges, and body design might (single or double body, neck thickness, and string height) might all have an affect on the apparent different bar pressures required. The height of a guitar might even affect the left hand "feel", due to arm position and angle.

At any rate, I feel it's all in what you get used to and how well you adapt. Some players can go from bass, to guitar, to mandolin without batting an eye. Shocked

Bobby D. Jones · From: West Virginia, USA

If you have a dial caliper, Check the nut rollers diameter on the guitar. If someone removed the nut rollers and put them back on in a different order. Can mess up the barring ease, And cause buzzing strings on the guitar.

If I clean the regular rollers on my guitars nut rollers, I still put them on a used string, To keep them in order, And put them back on the guitar in the same order.

No reason to tempt fate by moving nut rollers around on the guitar.

D. Scheindlin · From: Texas, USA

So Bobby, you’re saying that even though the rollers are not gauged, the rollers themselves might be different diameters?

Bobby D. Jones · From: West Virginia, USA

Just a few thousands differences in the groove can make a difference in string height.
The big thing with gauged rollers is, If 1 roller is put in the wrong slot. The proper roller for that slot, Will now end in another wrong slot. And things go down hill from there.

D. Scheindlin · From: Texas, USA

Something to investigate I suppose with my next string change.

Tucker Jackson · From: Portland, Oregon, USA

And just for the record, Carter roller nuts are not gauged, so you would expect to have to put a little more downward pressure on the bar as compared a guitar with gauged rollers.

Of course, I don't think GFI guitars have gauged rollers either... so don't know why you're experiencing a difference other than the things Donny mentioned. The two brands do have the same scale length at 24", so it isn't that.

Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

This is a thing another local steeler and I discussed a few years ago. He described it as the feel "on top". He played a Sho~Bud and was considering another purchase, so he was comparing the Derby and Mullen as having a different feel "on top"....so yeah, I agreed with him that there is a difference among guitars...I just accepted it as it is and never bothered to try and analyze why.

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Forgive me, but another thing I just thought of is the keyless vs. keyed guitar design aspect. Because keyless guitars have a shorter overall string length, they don’t require as much actual string tension to reach a desired note. Shocked

D. Scheindlin · From: Texas, USA

Bobby D. Jones · From: West Virginia, USA

Some information needed.
Did you buy the Carter new? Or did you buy it 2nd hand?

Have you changed strings on the guitar since you got it?

Or checked diameter of strings on the guitar?

What string or strings are you having the buzz problem with ?

I still wonder, If someone put a set of gauged rollers on the guitar, Then someway the gauged rollers got put back on the guitar out of order. Or could a roller got damaged and was replaced with a roller with a deeper or shallower grove. Or a string of larger diameter put in wrong place in the string order.

Measuring Strings and Roller groves with a micrometer or dial caliper, Will tell a lot about what could be causing the problem.

D. Scheindlin · From: Texas, USA

Hey Bobby, bought it recently on the forum. I’ve put new strings on. The rollers are definitely not gauged. I wouldn’t say it’s a problem either. I just do feel a slight difference required in bar pressure. Possibly I notice it more on the seventh string but not sure. Haven’t been playing it long enough and it’s not as though I’ve got this horrible buzz on any one string.

As I stated, I’m not really concerned about it and don’t consider it a problem. Just curious about things like this. I’m a six-stringer first and foremost, and I’ve owned a bunch of Telecasters over the years. A couple times I’ve had Telecasters that my usual set of .010s just felt too loose and I needed to go up to .011s for it to feel right. Why? I don’t know. Same scale length, string-through body, same bridge, etc. Best I can figure is that there are small differences from guitar to guitar—angle of the neck, corresponding saddle height, etc.

Bobby D. Jones · From: West Virginia, USA

May just take some wood shed time to get use to the guitar.
Good luck and Happy Steelin.

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