Avoiding Bar Scrape

Rick Myrland · Post by **Rick Myrland** » 6 Apr 2012 5:58 am

The intro to Josh Turner's "Firecracker" in B starts at fret 14 with A+B, slid to 7 no pedals, then to fret 2 with A+B; very simple. However, as the bar gets to about fret 5, certainly by fret 3, I get awful bar scrape. It's really distracting (at least to me) and sounds ugly. I have my left hand fingers down on the strings behind the bar -- anything else I can do? How do the professionals avoid this?

Lane Gray · Post by **Lane Gray** » 6 Apr 2012 6:18 am

Try either a bit more or less bar pressure. Also, how smooth and perfect is your bar surface?

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 6 Apr 2012 6:34 am

Don't use a stainless steel bar on stainless steel strings.

Mike Wheeler · Post by **Mike Wheeler** » 6 Apr 2012 9:44 am

For such slides you will need to pick the strings more forcefully to give yourself a strong signal that can last through the slide.

Ransom Beers · Post by **Ransom Beers** » 6 Apr 2012 9:56 am

A lot of the effect comes from the VP & how you let it keep sustaining,pick strong then as you slide push down on the VP,or at least that's the way I do it,not on that song but stuff similar.

Rick Myrland · Post by **Rick Myrland** » 6 Apr 2012 10:10 am

I use a standard BJS bar, wipe it down regularly, but can't say as thought I necessarily "clean" it. Does anyone use a cleaner on their bar -- maybe Brasso? Is that safe?

And I never considered that stainless on stainless might be an issue.

I'll try the harder picking and see if that helps, as I think it through, that makes sense, because the picked strings will have a much stronger signal all the way down.

Thanks!

Fred Glave · Post by **Fred Glave** » 6 Apr 2012 10:13 am

Sliding downward, we lose volume quicker it seems due to the loss in string vibration/frequency. When we slide up it's the opposite, we get more volume. The volume pedal needs to be applied in a swell like manner for downward slides to keep the tone and volume up. It can also add some nice texture to the move. Strike the strings strongly to begin the move, and then use the VP to compensate for volume as the bar moves down the neck.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 6 Apr 2012 10:35 am

Rick,
You are using the right bar.
I never use any kind of cleaner on my BJS bar.
Try nickel strings, you'll get a fuller, richer tone.

Also, try this on your strings, it'll make them slicker.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 6 Apr 2012 12:10 pm

Erv... I have heard that you are not to use a stainless bar on stainless strings (I don't) but have never heard the reason why. Can you shed some light on this?

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 6 Apr 2012 12:15 pm

A chromed bar is the smoothest as well as the nickel strings.
When you use a stainless bar on stainless strings you have the roughest combination.

Jack Shults · Post by **Jack Shults** » 6 Apr 2012 12:28 pm

Use a Tribo-Tone bar; problem solved.

Rick Myrland · Post by **Rick Myrland** » 6 Apr 2012 8:24 pm

I have some fast fret and I'll give it a try. I never hear of anyone talking about it on the forum so wasn't sure if players were using it.

Peter den Hartogh · Post by **Peter den Hartogh** » 6 Apr 2012 11:15 pm

Richard Sinkler wrote:Erv... I have heard that you are not to use a stainless bar on stainless strings (I don't) but have never heard the reason why. Can you shed some light on this?

Some light here:
http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum5/HTML/011252.html

Read what Bobbe Seymour said:
http://steelguitarforum.com/Archives/Ar ... 13428.html

Dan Beller-McKenna · Post by **Dan Beller-McKenna** » 7 Apr 2012 3:04 am

Okay, someone had to say it:

"Avoiding bar scrape":

avoid the bad drunks and leave before the rowdies start causing trouble.

Dan

Bill Miller · Post by **Bill Miller** » 7 Apr 2012 4:28 am

This is flame bait for sure, but I'd go a step farther and say don't use stainless strings, period. Well alright, that's bound to be too extreme a position for some but I did find that the stainless strings even made wear bands on my BJS chrome plated bar after awhile. I've mentioned this before and no one responded to it at the time so I wondered if I was the only one to ever have that problem. There was no doubt about it however. A pattern of wear bands on the bar perfectly matching the position of the wound strings started showing up in good light. It could not be polished out. Bill Stroud replaced the bar at the time and I quit using stainless strings. Never had a problem with nickel wound and I prefer the warmer ( less scrapey and dry sounding ) tone of them anyways. They do lose their ring sooner but that's a trade-off.

Ransom Beers · Post by **Ransom Beers** » 7 Apr 2012 4:39 am

I don't know what the material is in the strings that Tom Bradshaw sells but I use them & have never been in a bar scrape,course if I got out more I might but my guitar sounds great with the strings I get from Tom,I also use a Dunlop 7/8" SS bar I got from Tom & it never gets into scrapes either.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 7 Apr 2012 7:39 am

Of late, I've been using a zirconium bar.
The jury is still out on whether I prefer the zirc bar or a BJS.
A Stainless bar isn't even in the running.

Rick Myrland · Post by **Rick Myrland** » 7 Apr 2012 9:01 am

I tend to like nickel strings better for their tone, not sure why I tried these stainless strings. The one hyperlink posted had in interesting technique mentioned, of using the left thumb in the lower strings in front of the bar to dampen them, will have to try that too.

Along the same vein, and I'm sure the topic may have come up before, but I have trouble getting the same volume and bright tone from my #1 string -- will different strings make that any better? Has anyone found a particular string make that helps with this? I feel the #1 string often gets lost (not that it's often played with other string groupings), even on some faster licks where you quickly go from say the #3 string to #1 to #4 for example. I sometimes wonder if the audience can hear the fleeting #1 string in there.

Gary Reed · Post by **Gary Reed** » 7 Apr 2012 9:10 am

Anyone have place to purchase 'individual' strings listed below?

Lane Gray · Post by **Lane Gray** » 7 Apr 2012 9:18 am

Alleviate my ignorance: What's Power Wound?

Gary Reed · Post by **Gary Reed** » 7 Apr 2012 9:23 am

Lane -I have no idea.
That's what listed here under the 'Description' Tab.

http://www.juststrings.com/sit-be-e9th.html

They have some IDV here, but i'm not sure they are ok for PSG/
http://www.juststrings.com/nickeljustst ... rings.html

Ransom Beers · Post by **Ransom Beers** » 7 Apr 2012 9:26 am

Rick Myrland wrote:I tend to like nickel strings better for their tone, not sure why I tried these stainless strings. The one hyperlink posted had in interesting technique mentioned, of using the left thumb in the lower strings in front of the bar to dampen them, will have to try that too.

Along the same vein, and I'm sure the topic may have come up before, but I have trouble getting the same volume and bright tone from my #1 string -- will different strings make that any better? Has anyone found a particular string make that helps with this? I feel the #1 string often gets lost (not that it's often played with other string groupings), even on some faster licks where you quickly go from say the #3 string to #1 to #4 for example. I sometimes wonder if the audience can hear the fleeting #1 string in there.

I don't know if the strings would have anything to do with that but it is possible to have a dead spot in your pup or maybe some adjusting is required.

admin · Post by **b0b** » 7 Apr 2012 2:07 pm

Mute the low strings with the thumb of your left hand.

Lane Gray · Post by **Lane Gray** » 7 Apr 2012 2:25 pm

Gary Reed wrote:Lane -I have no idea.
That's what listed here under the 'Description' Tab.

http://www.juststrings.com/sit-be-e9th.html

That tells me they're S.I.T. I'd try B0b, Jim Palenscar, or Bobbe. If that failed, I'd try S.I.T. directly

They have some IDV here, but i'm not sure they are ok for PSG/
http://www.juststrings.com/nickeljustst ... rings.html

I'd give them a whack. Most strings are pretty similar as long as you keep the same metals together.

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 7 Apr 2012 2:54 pm

Changing bars and strings or putting goop on your steel probably won't make any difference. To deal with that scrappy sound you need to practice the right way. The problem is most likely how you hold the bar and how hard you pick. Generally that sound comes from the lower strings. Everybody learns how to work through it. The operative word being "work". I don't know any pro players that have a problem with string noise because of what kind of bar or strings they use. Everybody has preferences but its not such a big deal.