Hillman Powder Coated Tone Bars

John Brabant · Post by **John Brabant** » 2 Sep 2016 10:46 am

Great post George Redmon. Everything is red, including your name. They only problem is those orange socks! Were the red sox in the laundry hamper?

John McClung · Post by **John McClung** » 2 Sep 2016 7:28 pm

I ordered 2 white 3-3/8 bars from Michael, one @ 7/8", one at 15/16" dia., I'm surprised at how much I like them. It does tone down the metallic highs a bit, and definitely yields less wound string noise as you glide up and down the neck. My favorite part is how warm they are to the touch, no freezing cold metal bar you have to warm up. Sustain is fine, roughly equivalent to my usual BJS bar.

Of the 2, I'm gravitating most towards the 7/8" bar, the weight and balance just seem perfect.

Service was great and super fast.

Thanks for these great bars, Michael!

John McClung
Pedal Steel Lessons, Casuals, Sessions
Olympia, WA 98512
Email & PayPal fees â€“ steelguitarlessons@earthlink.net
Easy PayPal link: paypal.me/JohnMcClung
Website â€“ http://steelguitarlessons.com
Skype name: professortwang
Cell & text: 310-480-0717

Michael Hillman · Post by **Michael Hillman** » 3 Sep 2016 5:24 pm

Thanks, John, appreciate you taking the time to post - Michael

Michael Hillman · Post by **Michael Hillman** » 8 Sep 2016 1:54 pm

Just a moment for us to pause and to say thanks to all who bought bars in August, it was a very busy month for us, with a total of 60 bars sold, and a few "rain checks" to Forum members who wanted colors or sizes that we just flat ran out of. Most of the rain checks have been honored as I type this, still waiting on a couple of batches from the powder coater to finish up the last few. Someone asked during the sale what our most requested color is, and that would be black, with red being a close second, and white is third.

We are pretty much taking the proceeds from the sale, and putting those funds back into a batch of 316 grade stainless steel standard sized sitar bars, these bars are really labor intensive and still in process at the machine shop, but we are getting closer to having them ready. We will follow those with a batch of "snowmobile" purple bars in various sizes.

Meanwhile, present pricing is buy any bar at full price, and receive a second bar of equal or lesser value for and additional $15.00 - current pricing on page 15 of this thread. Thanks for keeping our project viable, and please don't hesitate to post ideas for colors and sizes that we haven't considered to date. Michael

Michael Hillman · Post by **Michael Hillman** » 19 Sep 2016 7:15 pm

Picked up a couple of batches of bars from my powder coater today, I believe that with the bars shipped this afternoon, we have honored all the rain checks from our August sale.

We are expecting purple bars to be compleated this week; and, should be posting pictures of the first 316 stainless steel standard sized sitar bars near the end of the week.

If I've overlooked anyone who contacted us during August, please let me know, we are now well stocked with colors and sizes - thanks to all who have supported our powder coated bar project. -Michael

Carl Williams · Post by **Carl Williams** » 20 Sep 2016 2:22 am

Michael, sent you a Pm...Thanks, Carl

Michael Hillman · Post by **Michael Hillman** » 20 Sep 2016 5:59 am

Thanks, Carl, saw it this morning and sent a reply, Best from Idaho! Michael

Carl Williams · Post by **Carl Williams** » 21 Sep 2016 1:02 pm

Wow...that was lightning speed on my two bars Michael! Appreciate the superb customer service and your even better August Special! My Red and Black 1" bars arrived today and they look fantastic and feel great! That's the good news...other news is that I just sold my only pedal steel BUT have a brand new MSA Studio Pro being built as we speak and can't wait to try your bars out on them. Thanks again, Carl

Michael Hillman · Post by **Michael Hillman** » 21 Sep 2016 1:14 pm

Thanks, Carl, I'm pleased to hear that they arrived undamaged and look good to you. I just returned from my powder coater's shop, and picked up a selection of purple bars, some shown in the picture below:

This color is a man's purple, as Donnie, my powder coater puts it --"snowmobile purple" There are mostly standard sized bars, a couple of 15/16", and some lap steels available in this new color, buy one bar at full price and I'll include a second bar of equal or lesser value for and additional $15.00, and thanks to all who support our powder coated bar project!

Stephen Abruzzo · Post by **Stephen Abruzzo** » 21 Sep 2016 1:32 pm

I like that "man's" purple. Any chance my sitar bars are in that group?

Michael Hillman · Post by **Michael Hillman** » 21 Sep 2016 1:45 pm

Yes, Steve, just sent you an email with a photo of your two purple sitar bars - finally got these completed, and, my machinist just called to tell me the first of our grade 316 stainless steel sitar bars are ready, I'll be posting photos of those tomorrow.

Michael Hillman · Post by **Michael Hillman** » 22 Sep 2016 2:36 pm

Just received the first of these, a standard 7/8" x 3 3/8" bar with a 5/16 flat milled down the side of the bar. Gives a pretty decent "sitar" effect when the flat side is down, a bit easier to grip the bar when used with the flat side up. These turned out to be a bit more labor intensive than my machinist anticipated, thus they are priced at $56.95, we will still include a standard powder coated bar of your color choice for an additional $15.00.

Thanks, all, don't hesitate to email me with comments or questions, vmhillman66@gmail.com or call me at (208) 867-5062, always love to talk music, instruments, bars, etc. Current pricing is:
Lap steel bars $36.95 3/4" x 2 3/4", 3" or 3 1/4", 7/8" x 3"
Standard bars 49.95 7/8" x 3 3/8"
15/16" bars 56.95 15/16"x 3 3/8"
1" bars 59.95 1" x 3 1/2"
standard sized, grade 316
stainless steel Sitar bar $56.95
add $15.00 for a second powder coated bar of equal or lesser value-
prices include shipping to US Zip Codes, add $5 per bar to Canada, add $20.00 for International shipping. All bars carry a money back guarantee, if for any reason they don't work for you, return within 30 days for a full refund, plus the postage to return bars to me - Michael

Michael Hillman · Post by **Michael Hillman** » 24 Oct 2016 2:58 pm

To the top....

Bob Knight · Post by **Bob Knight** » 24 Oct 2016 4:59 pm

These bars are NICE!!

Bob

Michael Hillman · Post by **Michael Hillman** » 24 Oct 2016 7:03 pm

Thanks, Bob, appreciate the kind words - Michael

Stephen Abruzzo · Post by **Stephen Abruzzo** » 25 Oct 2016 7:05 am

I recently received two of Michael's sitar bars.

Both 7/8" x 3" and powder-coated purple. Once I figured out the flat side goes up (Duh!) I quickly got used to the bar and it is excellent. Makes it easier for someone with arthritis or manual dexterity issues to use than a regular tone bar. The bars easily glide across the strings with very little string noise.

The powder-coating gives a warmish feeling to the bars...much more so than if there was no coating.

As others have stated...it's a pleasure to deal with Michael.

Terry Niendorf · Post by **Terry Niendorf** » 25 Oct 2016 12:43 pm

Just for those who don't know, Michael and his lovely wife Sheryl make up half of our band. Mike is a first class bass player who loves all the Ray Price, Haggard, etc songs from the past, and Sheryl is equally talented on drums. A steel players dream.

Michael Hillman · Post by **Michael Hillman** » 25 Oct 2016 6:31 pm

Thanks, Steve, I greatly appreciate the kind words, and, its always a pleasure to work with you, let me know if you have any other ideas for colors and bar styles.

Terry Niendorf, you are a gentleman, a heck of a steel player, and I'm blessed to count you as one of my nearest and dearest friends. Just a little personal note - Hard to believe we've been playing music together for WAY over 50 years. The first time I ever got paid for playing country music, I was 14 and Terry was 16. We had a pal who was 13, played rhythm, had a pretty fair singing voice, and knew about every country song on the charts - in 1959. We practiced non-stop, got hired to play for the Fireman's Ball on New Years Eve, at the Timberline Bar in Victor, Idaho-we were pretty sure we'd made the big time. I don't remember how much we were paid, but that didn't matter much, we were on cloud 9, and well on our way to a long, long avocation of playing music together. I'd expect that our musical history parallels many of our Forum brethren, who are near our age. And....anyone passing through Boise, check in with us, we'd love to have you join our Thursday night jam sessions!!

George Macdonald · Post by **George Macdonald** » 15 Nov 2016 9:02 am

Just received another bar from Michael yesterday. This one is a brown lap steel bar, and looks great with my "brown" Melbert lap steels. Thanks again Michael. Your bars are just the smoothest, most comfortable bars I have ever used. [I think I have 10 now in different colors and sizes.] George

Michael Hillman · Post by **Michael Hillman** » 1 Dec 2016 2:28 pm

Hello, George, always good to hear from you, thanks for continually supporting our powder coated bar project! Best to you and Sharon, and we hope you have a great Christmas and New Years, Michael

Ken Metcalf · Post by **Ken Metcalf** » 18 Dec 2016 7:54 am

When I first got these bars I was kind of so so and thought it was too soft. After using it awhile it seems ok ad I really like it.
I normally use TriBoTone and can't tell the difference any more.
Thank You for the great bar Michael

Will you ever make a pinky slide?

Michael Hillman · Post by **Michael Hillman** » 18 Dec 2016 9:47 am

Thanks, Ken, we've thought of running some pinky slides, do you have an old one that I might take to my machinist for a size sample? I'd return it to you - Michael

Ken Metcalf · Post by **Ken Metcalf** » 27 Dec 2016 5:40 am

Bump for a great bar. ^_^

Dustin Kleingartner · Post by **Dustin Kleingartner** » 30 Dec 2016 9:24 pm

Hi Michael,
I've been thinking that I should buy a couple of these bars for a long time, so tonight I did.

I sent you an email as well as the payment.

Thanks!

Michael Hillman · Post by **Michael Hillman** » 30 Dec 2016 9:32 pm

Thanks Dusty, I'll get those bars out to you tomorrow- Michael

The Steel Guitar Forum

Hillman Powder Coated Tone Bars

Thanks, John,

Thanks for a great sale, all!!

As of today, I believe we've honored all rain checks....

Thanks, Carl

Thanks, Carl,

Hey Steve! Definitely a macho purple on these bars!

Stainless steel Sitar bars in standard size

Ttt^^^

Nice

Thanks Bob!

The real Michael Hillman.

Thanks to Steve, and to my lifelong pal Terry Niendorf,

Brown bar

Thanks George,

Thanks, Ken,

time for a powder coated bar

Thanks, Dusty!