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Topic: is there a difference in tone bars |
Clinton Zimmerman
From:
Memphis,Mo
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Posted 21 May 2015 4:25 pm |
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| I have a dunlop tone bar,and I have heard of bj bars and others is there a difference in tone between bars? |
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Stephen Cowell
From:
Round Rock, Texas, USA
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Posted 21 May 2015 6:24 pm
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Here's how to tell the difference in chromed bars... pick your thinnest string, and slide the bar *across* the string, like you're sawing it. BJS bars have the best feel I've seen when doing it that way... although I'm a Paloma Stone user because of the weight. You won't find thicker chrome or smoother finish on any other bar... that's why they're so expensive. I wish Butch would come back to Dallas!
_________________
Too much junk to list... always getting more. |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 21 May 2015 8:44 pm
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SDF bars out of Topeka Kansas makes bars in several materials. The important things are hardness and polished smooth. I did a shootout of several bars here
Demo of SDF steel guitar bars: http://youtu.be/--1I9UOHISU and the differences between them is kinda subtle.
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 22 May 2015 8:07 am
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| After many years of playing steel, I find the best bar is a toss up between a BJS and a Zirconia. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 22 May 2015 9:39 am Re: is there a difference in tone bars
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| Clinton Zimmerman wrote: |
| I have a dunlop tone bar,and I have heard of bj bars and others is there a difference in tone between bars? |
I think the difference is sorta proportional to your playing time/skill level. A seasoned player will notice the difference, but a "newbie" (someone who's been playing a year or less) struggles so much with just the basics of bar handling, picking, and muting, that small improvements like the sound of an expensive "pro-level" bar likely wouldn't be noticed.
(For my first 6 or 7 months of playing, I didn't have a pedal steel-sized bar, so I used a wrist-pin from a Mack diesel truck engine for a bar.) |
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Gary Jones
From:
Mount Vernon, Wa
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Posted 23 May 2015 10:07 am
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My favorite tone bar.
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Georg Sørtun
From:
Mandal, Agder, Norway
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Posted 23 May 2015 11:51 am
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| Erv Niehaus wrote: |
| After many years of playing steel, I find the best bar is a toss up between a BJS and a Zirconia. |
Agree on those - have both, and a few others. I do find my Zirconium bars ever so slightly smoother than the BJS though, both in "slide-noise" and in overall sound - the Zirc makes the strings sound a little bit warmer. |
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Bill L. Wilson
From:
Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 23 May 2015 2:30 pm The Bar!!!
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| BJS bars are far superior to any bars I've ever used. Butch put my testimony and picture on his website when I Emailed him how much I loved these bars....I told him when I bought my 15/16's bar, two yrs. later that I felt kinda funny as a nobody being pictured with Paul Franklin, Doug Jernigan, and Mike Johnson on his photo page....Made me feel good when he said, "your business is as important to me as anybody else"....Besides selling a stellar product, he is a fine man to deal with. |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 23 May 2015 2:45 pm
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It has been said that the zirconia bars don't sustain as long as a steel (BJS) bar. This is not exactly accurate. The difference is not on the length of the sustain, but in the shape of the decay. The volume of note will gradually fade away with the BJS bar. It will drop more quickly with the zirconia bar.
It's a subtle difference, but you can hear it. My wife, who is not a musician, can tell whether I'm using the steel or zirc bar by the difference in the way they sound.
_________________
Please visit my web site and Soundcloud page and listen to the music posted there.
http://www.mikeperlowin.com http://soundcloud.com/mike-perlowin |
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Clinton Zimmerman
From:
Memphis,Mo
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Posted 23 May 2015 4:13 pm
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| Thanks for everyone's input I wasn't sure how much a bar played into the overall tone or if there was much of a difference between them. |
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Rich Upright
From:
Florida, USA
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Posted 30 Jun 2015 11:04 pm
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A number of years back someone who I guess was a fan of mine came up to me at a gig & gave me 3 tone bars that he made for me (he was a machinist) They were & still are the best bars I have used to date.
_________________
A couple D-10s,some vintage guitars & amps, & lotsa junk in the gig bag. |
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Chris Lucker
From:
Los Angeles, California USA
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Posted 30 Jun 2015 11:32 pm
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I am not as good a player as most of you on the forum, but I find sustain is maintained or blossomed from your bar hand technique. And your pedal, but the bar hand makes it sound more interesting.
As to bars, I agree that the BJS and zirc bars are my favorites as well--I go larger with a zirc because they are so light, but a Grorge L Chrio bar is nice with stainless strings if you like the darker sound. I don't. I like bright and piercing.
If you want to compare I can send you a Zirc, a George L and a BJS do you can decide.
Sorry, I meant Pearse Cryogenic bar. Spell keeps changing to chrio
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Chris Lucker
Red Bellies, Bigsbys and a lot of other guitars.
Last edited by Chris Lucker on 1 Jul 2015 9:44 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Chris Lucker
From:
Los Angeles, California USA
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Posted 30 Jun 2015 11:34 pm
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As noted above I can send a bar of Dial too if needed.
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Chris Lucker
Red Bellies, Bigsbys and a lot of other guitars. |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 1 Jul 2015 12:31 am
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| Erv Niehaus wrote: |
| After many years of playing steel, I find the best bar is a toss up between a BJS and a Zirconia. |
I agree. But I'd add the John Pearse frozen bar and Glenn Porter's new bars with the brass inserts to that list. IMHO, they are just as good.
All 4 are excellent. It really doesn't matter which of them you use.
_________________
Please visit my web site and Soundcloud page and listen to the music posted there.
http://www.mikeperlowin.com http://soundcloud.com/mike-perlowin |
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John Limbach
From:
Billings, Montana, USA
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Posted 1 Jul 2015 5:19 am
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| After trying lots of bars, I've settled on the powder coated ones available here on the forum. Very smooth on the strings. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 1 Jul 2015 8:29 am
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My question is: just how long will the powder coating last?  |
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Chris Lucker
From:
Los Angeles, California USA
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Posted 1 Jul 2015 9:32 am
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I meant Pearse Cryogenic bar, not George L
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Chris Lucker
Red Bellies, Bigsbys and a lot of other guitars. |
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John Limbach
From:
Billings, Montana, USA
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Posted 1 Jul 2015 1:26 pm
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| Erv Niehaus wrote: |
| My question is: just how long will the powder coating last? |
I'll let you know. So far, don't see any signs of wear. |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 1 Jul 2015 2:46 pm
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Powder coated is very wear tolerant.
It is NOT, however, drop tolerant.
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
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Marco Schouten
From:
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Posted 2 Jul 2015 1:45 am
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I've tried and tested several bars: Sho-Bud, Emmons, John Pearse, BJS and the Zirconia bar. The audible differences between these are so subtle that it is irrelevant. In my opinion, the way it feels in your hand, eg size, weight etc. is the most important decision factor. Take the one which feels the most comfortable to play
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JCH SD-10 with BL XR-16 pickup, Sho-Bud Volume Pedal, Evidence Audio Lyric HG cables, Quilter Steelaire combo |
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Lee Dassow
From:
Jefferson, Georgia USA
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Posted 2 Jul 2015 7:05 am
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John Pearse bars are excellent. I bought a couple Long Tom's at the steel guitar forum store and their price's will not put you in your pajama's. Tenn. Lee
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2015 Mullen D-10 Royal Precision 9x8,-1990 BMI S-10 5x5-1972 Silver face Fender pro Reverb amp,-1965 Fender Super Reverb Amp,- 1966 Fender Showman Amp Two 15" JBL speakers,- 2006 65 Fender Twin Reverb reissue Amp,- 1982 Peavey Session 500 amp,-1978 Peavey Session 400,Goodrich Volume Pedals,John Pearse Steel Bars, |
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Mark van Allen
From:
Watkinsville, Ga. USA
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Posted 2 Jul 2015 8:17 am
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I recently got one of the Red Barn Music bars and it's my current favorite. It's hard to describe the subtleties in bar feel, some are vastly different. Diameter can make an enormous difference in feel as well.
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Stop by the Steel Store at: www.markvanallen.com
www.musicfarmstudio.com |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Tony Palmer
From:
St Augustine,FL
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Posted 2 Jul 2015 1:31 pm
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Other than size and weight I cannot find any difference whatsoever in the "sound" of any bars playing at any kind of gig-level volume.
I think all these discussions about sound and tone should be categorized into either 1)music room or 2)live gig as far as what evaluating what works.
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Sierra S10 (three!), Peavey 112 and 115, Benoit dobro, Beard Model E dobro, Beard Roadophonic, MSA Superslide, Dean Nickless custom dobro |
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Drew Pierce
From:
Arkansas, USA
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Posted 2 Jul 2015 2:52 pm
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I like BJS bars, but I recently dragged out an old Dunlop that I'd used years ago and I honestly couldn't tell a huge difference. The BJS is harder chrome and maintains a higher polish. The Dunlop shows some light surface scratching, but it doesn't seem to affect the tone or "slideability" all that much. Although I've got some pretty well-worn nickel wound strings on the guitar now. The Dunlop would probably make more sliding noise than the BJS on a fresh set of stainless strings.
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Drew Pierce
Emmons D10 Fatback, S10 bolt-on, Zum D10, Evans RE500, Hilton volume and delay pedals. |
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