BJS bars, worth the $?

[Ken Byng]

Got mine from Gerry Hogan years ago. Without doubt the quality is worth paying more for. I wouldn't play with any other brand - period. For those here who use stainless steel strings, a polished chrome plated bar is a must.

[Steven Finley]

you have tried the rest so now BUY the
best,BJS!!!!!!!!!

[Bill Howard]

I have had my stroud bar over 25 years it cost 45.00 back when what 2 bucks a year or less:),. I love mine

[Brian Herder]

I have a bunch of cheaper bars.. Ernie Ball, Dunlop.. no names.. they all seem about the same, so I never bothered with a BJS. A couple of months back I finally bit the bullet and bought one after seeing the reviews on here. At first, it was nice but I didn't immediately see what all the fuss was about. After a very short time though, the difference was apparent.. going back and trying my old bars was an eye opener! The feel and balance of the BJS was so superior to me.. it's just .. better! I am glad I bought it, and will eventually buy an 15/16 to "replace" my other 15/16 stainless, which is a very nice bar in it own right, but not really on the same par (it WAS less than half the price and a GREAT bargain). The price of BJS is small considering the quality, I think.

[Jeff Scott Brown]

You guys are killing me with this. I ordered one while I was out of town this week, hoping it would beat me home. It didn't.

I am anxious to give this thing a whirl.


JSB

[Jim Curtain]

Sitting down with the new BJS bar.......

[Jim Curtain]

Oh! My.....

[Jim Curtain]

Yes indeed.....Thank you all for your input, this is money well spent in learning the PSG.

[Alan Harrison]

Bought my 1" BJS from Bobbe Seymour about 10 years ago. You will not only hear the difference but you will feel the difference. JMHO but None Other Like It.

[Stan Knowles NC]

Bought my BJS Hughey 15/16th from Bill...and from time to time I use others I have in my small arsenal...but
I ALWAYS come back to my BJS 15/16th!

It just has the perfect feel...the perfect tone for me!
BAR NONE! Sorry for the pun!

[Shawn Altman]

I just received my first BJS bar in 15/16 John Hughey Lite version. Butch was very helpful picking out the right bar for me. Size and Weight wise.

The bar was shipped quickly, and came very well packaged with a nice pouch.

Holding it, not a question. The quality and feel is on another level from multiple bars that cost around half as much.

5 seconds after being on the guitar, immediate difference on how the bar slides across the strings. I could pull across the whole neck and it was smooth without any overtones. It feels good in my hands, very agile. I got the 10 string bar. Fits me perfect. I find it centers well with the 15 /16 compared to the 7/8 bar.

I love the bar, if this one grows legs and leaves, I'll buy another one.

Worth every penny. Wish I would've pulled the trigger sooner.

[Roger Rettig]

This is an old thread but I'll chime in anyway. I have two 15/16" BJS bars that I've had for as long as I can remember. I have a few other brands but they don't come close. I only keep them in case of some unimaginable emergency.

I have no way of knowing if I've used one of my BJS bars more than the other but they both look and feel like new after literally thousands of shows.

I seem to have lost track of my earlier 7/8" BJS but I wish I could find it - I'd use that for Dobro. The larger ones are a touch too hefty for comfort on resonator.

[Kevin Fix]

BJS Bar here also. 25 years plus. I have one for a spare, just in case. I use the heavier one. Best in tone you will find.

[Mike Perlowin]

It is the smoothest and best sounding bar on the market. The only bar that possibly equals it is a Zirconia bar.

I have a zirconia bar. I prefer the BJS.

I have a couple of other good ones; a Red Barn and a Pearse frozen bar. I like them both, but they usually sit unused in my Paca-a-seat, along with the zirc bar. The BJS is the one I actually use.

[Jack Ritter]

Best I have ever had.

[Bobby Hearn]

BJS for me. The cheap bars will groove out, hard to see with the eye but you can feel them if you grip bar between a piece of cloth and spin it.

[George Kimery]

Ditto to everything above. I used one exclusively for 40 years. I have a Dunlap and an Ernie Ball. There is a big difference in the drag on the strings between these and a BJS. As a fluke, I wound up with two Hillman 3/4" powder coated bars. The drag on them was significantly less than the BJS. I really liked the feel of a smaller, 3/4" bar. Lighter and I can hit the frets more accurately. The tone is slightly more mellow, but it can be changed with EQ. I sold the BJS in favor of the smaller, powder coated Hillman. I am not recommending this for everybody. It worked for me and I was quite surprised. As David pointed out, considering what you have invested in all the gear in trying to get a good sound, the price of a BJS bar is peanuts and will last a lifetime.

[Mark McCornack]

I bought one just recently and I’m very pleased! It’s a 15/16” bar and my prior main bar (Dunlop) is a 7/8”, The Dunlop is just a tad shorter too, so there is a weight difference and different feel. 216 grams vs. 277 grams.
The surface finish is ABSOLUTELY PRISTINE and I imagine this evoked some of the comments above such as “ like butter” or “effortless”. If I could afford the whole stable of the different diameters, weights, lengths, etc I’d go for it. Haven’t won the lotto yet, and I’m not saying these bars aren’t well worth it, but they are a bit of an investment. Just LOVE IT.
Mark

[Bobby Bonds Sr.]

I really like mine. I practice with a 1" bar, and play using a 7/8. Feels like a feather.

[Barry Blackwood]

Yep. Worth it.

[Ian Rae]

After reading all these posts by people who seem to know their stuff I decided to take the plunge. Having invested in a Williams guitar and Telonics gear I thought it made no sense to skimp on the bar so I ordered a regular 10-string BJS a couple of weeks ago. It just arrived and I'm delighted with it. I like a heavyish bar and the one I chose is 8½ oz - great on a 12-string.

I knew that the shipping and import charges would double the cost but I still think it was worth it. I shall keep my Pearse as a perfectly good spare. I really do believe that you get what you pay for. The Pearse (at two-thirds the price) is excellent but the BJS sounds even better.

[James Flaherty]

You'll really enjoy the BJS bar. I still have 2 other chrome bars as backups but so far i haven't needed them. I still keep them "just in case."

[Larry Ball]

I will join the long line of satisfied customers on the BJS Bar.

Just one further consideration "Stainless Steel" or "Chrome"

[Erv Niehaus]

Chrome!!!
Erv

[Donny Hinson]

I would like to hear a blind comparison so we all can see if everyone can hear the difference on a recording. Maybe one of the forum members who is versed on such things could post an A/B test for us, using similar size and weights!