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Post new topic Bar Trouble: please help
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Author Topic:  Bar Trouble: please help
Kenny Brown


From:
Auburn, Alabama, USA
Post  Posted 2 Apr 2004 6:58 pm    
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I'm having bar trouble. I don't know if it's because my bar isn't a good
one or if I'm using it the wrong way. I've only been using this bar
regularly since October of last year which concerns me if I'm putting too
much weight on it and so forth.

It has visible wear marks and it's becoming an issue when I play b/c when I
slide perpendicular to the strings, I can feel the bar "catching" the
strings with my movement.

Here's a picture for better reference:

(my apologies for the best out of 5 pictures that all are terrible)




I play approximately 2 hours each night, I'm going to get another bar soon
b/c I would prefer something bigger than this. I bought it with little to no
research about bars so any suggestions and comments are greatly appreciated
about my playing or purchasing habits!

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Jerry Overstreet


From:
Louisville Ky
Post  Posted 2 Apr 2004 7:34 pm    
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No Kenny, you are not doing anything to cause this. Probably the plating is faulty or just too soft. A hard chrome plated or stainless bar should go years and not show any wear marks. There are many good bars out there though some are pretty pricey. One of the best values is Jim Burden's stainless bar. www.bulletbars.com. Good heavyweight bar with a nicely polished. Good Luck!
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Ricky Davis


From:
Bertram, Texas USA
Post  Posted 2 Apr 2004 7:37 pm    
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If a bar maker uses inferior Stainless Steel; than this is what happens.
Otherwise you need a Chrome plated bar by BJS.
Ricky
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Donald Ruetenik

 

From:
Pleasant Hill, California, USA
Post  Posted 3 Apr 2004 6:56 am    
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'....all bars are not created equal.'

Maybe it might be the lighting or the camera angle but it appears to me that the hardwood nut on your Artisan is uneven on the top. If this is the case then it would only stand to reason that you would have to use a lot of bar pressure to equalize the string plane over the lower 'frets'.

What is 'b/c'? Does your bar have a crack in it and 'b/c' is 'by cracky'? That certainly would catch on the strings.
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Kenny Brown


From:
Auburn, Alabama, USA
Post  Posted 3 Apr 2004 4:23 pm    
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Donald wrote:

"What is 'b/c'? Does your bar have a crack in it and 'b/c' is 'by cracky'? That certainly would catch on the strings."

I sub in 'b/c' for the whole word 'because' fairly often when I type! Sorry for the confusion!


I wish I could take a better picture of the thing, but I'm not much of a photographer. Regardless, I noticed last night also that there is definitely a lot of wear on one side of it, I can see that the whole bar is beginning to wear out very similar to the more intense damage.

When I slide perpendicular, it basically feels like draggin' sandpaper across the strings.

I have a glass slide that'll tide me over until I secure a good quality bar.


Oh, and Jerry, Ricky, and Donald, thanks very much for the replies!


[This message was edited by Kenny Brown on 03 April 2004 at 04:25 PM.]

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Mike Neer


From:
NJ
Post  Posted 3 Apr 2004 4:56 pm    
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Is that a bar or a slide? The bar should be heavy and solid. A slide is not gonna cut it.
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Kenny Brown


From:
Auburn, Alabama, USA
Post  Posted 3 Apr 2004 5:32 pm    
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I see what you're saying Mike, and I would have to say what I've been using is a slide as opposed to a bar.

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