Better Gripping Bars

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

I already know that the old Tribo-Tone bars are easier to grip in the dry-hand winter. I assume & believe that this applies to the current polymer or whatever bars such as Clinesmith and Eezy Slide as well.

But how about sweaty-hand summer? Are these or any others significantly better when you're fighting 90+Â°F conditions? I've been playing a bunch of these gigs this summer and I'm struggling. Bar drops, cramping hand (from overly tight grip) and I'm even having notes drop out because my desperate grip is messing up the behind the bar muting.

I've been using my #1 Zirc & I've tried my chrome plated bars. Is there anything anyone's tried that is less slippery-when-wet without sacrificing a lot of tone?

Larry Dering · From: Missouri, USA

No bar advice, but consider those finger rubber protectors for your thumb and index or middle finger. Might be a problem solver.
Amazon shows some that cover most of your finger. I keep a small towel handy and dry my hands.

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

I actually used to use those things in my day job. Bought them by the gross. Interesting idea.
Yep -- a towel is my best friend.

Jacek Jakubek · From: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Try a bar made from brass. It's what I use for the same reason you describe. It has a nice mellow tone, too.

The only downside is that it will leave your fingers slightly dirty after playing, but who cares about that when you have better bar control. I think that's the reason the brass does not slip: The bar sheds a very small amount of fine brass powder when you constantly move it over the strings and this fine powder absorbs sweat and allows for better grip.

You can get round brass bar of the diameter you want at metal supply stores and cut it to however long you want.
Brass is very easy to cut and shave with a file if you want to make a bullet tip.

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

Not sure how I feel about either the grindings/residue or the mellow tone. But it's an idea. Thanks.

Johnie King · From: Tennessee, USA

Robert Randolph uses a dobro bar very well I might add!
Two side groves an place for thum ground in bar works ok it’s my favorite bar.

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

Hmm. Now we're talking. That looks pretty cool.

I've got this old bar I got from Carter. It seemed like a great idea but I don't like the feel of it at all. And I can't find any kind of comfort with a dobro type bar. I even just bought an SP1 last week with the slight rounded nose to see. Nope.

But that bar there, Johnie, looks like it would still feel round and proper in your hand.
It's only something I'd be looking to use in sweaty situations. Otherwise I totally love the Zirc bar.

Thanks for the ideas!

Johnie King · From: Tennessee, USA

Jon I guess there has been lots of attempts at all shape bars look like the round bar has proven itself for know.

Rick Abbott · From: Indiana, USA

Jacek Jakubek · From: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Jon,
I think I made the brass sound more scary than it really is. If somebody told me about grindings/residue when choosing a bar, I'd definitely stay away, but because of the grip, it's the only bar I use(Even though some bars have a cleaner more trebly sound that I like more.)
There are no grindings/residue, just your hand will have a minimal amount of dirt on the edge of the palm after hours of playing. Easily wipe off on your pants or shirt. To be honest, I don't know if that dirt doesn't even come from the strings.

I've also experimented with the grooved bars mentioned here, such as the dobro bars. They don't work as well for pedal steel because of the low mass (poor tone) and since they are not round, you can't do as great of a "rolling the bar" vibrato.

As for the "mellow" tone, it is a little less trebly/sparkly than a BJS bar, but it's still good. You can adjust tone with amps and effects, but if your bar is slipping from your hand, you got a bigger problem.

I suggested to make your own, but if that's not your thing, you can probably find a brass bar on ebay.
Give it a try, you got nothing to lose except a few bucks.

Bobby D. Jones · From: West Virginia, USA

The best way I have found to cope with summer sweaty hands is use a larger diameter, Longer bar.
I got the bar in a deal buying my GFI Ultra 12U. It has become my favorite bar.
It is a 1" X 3 3/4" bar, The diameter and length of the bar allows me to get my middle finger and thumb below the center of the bar diameter, Grip and hold the bar between the meat of my palm, and tip of index finger, With middle finger and thumb gripping the bar it gives me good control of the bar.

Jacek Jakubek · From: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Bobby, I totally agree. When I switched to my home made brass bar, I experimented with different diameters and found the larger diameter less slippery. I settled on a 1-1/4 inch very thick bar for better grip, at the expense of playing in tune better in the higher frets, which is more difficult with a fat bar...always gotta be a compromise somewhere.

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

Rick -- I had forgotten the Randolph connection. I believe you are right.
This bar make sense in the context of transitioning from a Shubb style bar.
I have always played a bullet bar and I just can't make physical sense out of the overhand sort of grip of a 'handled' bar but when you see the SS players such as Robert work with them, obviously it's a totally workable approach. I keep hanging on to this thinking that one day I'll be glad I did.

I do have a 1 inch bar and I will carry that with me for the next sweat-fest. My standard bar is 15/16" .

Jacek -- you are right. I had images of metal filings grinding into my new guitar and wearing away the strings. Ha! I knew that's not what you were saying but I still saw it in my head.

John McClung · From: Olympia WA, USA

I've been using Michael Hillman powder coated bars for a few years now, very easy to hold onto, less wound string noise, good warm tone.

For metal, BJS is still my first choice.
_________________
E9 INSTRUCTION
▪️ If you want to have an ongoing discussion, please email me, don't use the Forum messaging which I detest! steelguitarlessons@earthlink.net

Don Walworth · From: Gilmer, Texas, USA

this is the kind of bar I use. Fellow in AZ also makes one like this.

http://www.shubb.com/gs/

don

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

A Shubb style bar won't work for me.

I had totally forgotten that I've got an old Brattain Red Rajah. It's been hiding in a pocket of a case for several years.
It is definitely grippier and large. It's never been in my arsenal because it sacrifices a fair amount of tone. I'll have it on hand for tonight's gig. I will gladly work around the loss of some high overtones to not be chasing a rolling bar across the stand.

Willie Sims · From: PADUCAH, KY, USA

don helms, showed me a bar with grooves,like a dobro bar that he put Velcro strips in the grooves.too help hold the bar in sweaty hands.

Gene Tani · From: Pac NW

Michael Hillman is making a version of the red rajah with side grooves for grip tho I haven't tried it, you can look at this loooong thread https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=270422&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=550

I do think his regular bars and Clinesmith's polymer bar have a little better grip than a chromed steel bar (I use BJS) but not a huge difference. I just lay a hand towel over the bolt on wrist pad,

you can also look at hand treatments e.g. https://www.healthline.com/health/hyperhidrosis-handle-sweaty-hands#1

and guitar pick treatments like Gorilla snot or plastidip (i just decided with guitar picks, it's easier to lay out 3 or 4 clean picks than glue stuff on them)
_________________
- keyless Sonny Jenkins laps stay in tune forever!; Carter PSG
- The secret sauce: polyester sweatpants to buff your picks, cheapo Presonus channel strip for preamp/EQ/compress/limiter, Diet Mountain Dew

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

Thanks for the conversations & the ideas.

I've actually been ok with my picks staying put, even in the worst conditions.

The Hillman bar has my interest although it looks similar enough to the Carter in shape and that doesn't suit me well. I'm finding the idea of texture -- either milled or attached -- more appealing than radical shaping.

Last night turned out to be mild temperature so I didn't get to test the Rajah. I'll be experimenting. It's possible that I've seen the last of the 95° gigs for this year.

Brendan Mitchell · From: Melbourne Australia

Kenny Kitching the greal Australian player once explained his unique bar to me . It was basically a bullet bar glued onto a Stevens bar . Works well for him .

Forum Index > Pedal Steel		Next oldest topic :: Next newest topic