What type of Slide / Tone bar for an 8 String Lap Steel?

David Burns · Post by **David Burns** » 9 Apr 2021 10:12 am

Hello All,

My first post here. I started playing a 6 string Electro lapsteel but my first 8 string should be arriving today in the mail.

I purchased a Shubb-Pearce SB-1 slide which is supposed to be for 8 string lap steel but it seems really long, over 3". I was reading about Jerry Byrd Dunlop 919 which is Jerry's preferred length of 2 3/4" so now I'm getting confused as to what type of slide I should be using.

Then I started thinking about Don Helms because he played an 8 string too. Any assistance to help untangle my confusion would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,

Dave B

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 9 Apr 2021 10:26 am

BJS makes a Jerry Byrd bar, that's hard to beat!

Erv

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 9 Apr 2021 11:48 am

I own Clinesmith, Jerry Byrd, Shubb, Pearse, Tribo-Tone and a custom rail bar given to me by Cindy Cashdollar (sentimental favorite) but my favorite everyday bar for 6 or 8 strings is the Clinesmith. That said, the choice of bar is a very personal thing and what others like may not be what you prefer.

https://www.clinesmithinstruments.com/c ... ccessories

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 9 Apr 2021 11:55 am

Andy, what are the dimensions of your Clinesmith bar?

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 9 Apr 2021 2:29 pm

Mark, for the life of me I can't remember. .... ruler says 7/8 by 2 and 7/8ths. Does that make sense?

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 9 Apr 2021 2:42 pm

I will check Todd's website later for a comparison. Thanks

Nic Neufeld · Post by **Nic Neufeld** » 9 Apr 2021 3:34 pm

I bought two Ezzee slide bars from Basil Henriques, both of which I love...one is I think a smaller bar which I preferred at first, because I had a hard time with reverse slants starting out and did better with a smaller, more manageable bar. I think it may have been 2 7/8" by 3/4". The first bar I bought was larger, and while at first I found it unwieldy, in time I much, much prefer it. It is 7/8" x 3 1/3" or thereabouts. Basic bullet bar with recessed end for ease of thumb control on reverses, and the polymer construction is quiet on the strings. I play (aside of the acoustics) exclusively 8 string and that is what I've come round to preferring...

D Schubert · Post by **D Schubert** » 9 Apr 2021 4:10 pm

Maybe I'm odd, but I've been using a huge Shubb Robert Randolph bar (like a Stevens bar but 7 ounces) on my D-8 Stringmaster. I do a lot of forward and reverse slanting and it feels right to me.

Jim Fogarty · Post by **Jim Fogarty** » 9 Apr 2021 5:05 pm

I use, and love, a Clinesmith I have. Black, 3/4â€ diameter, 2 7/8â€ length, 5.3oz. At some point I may get a white 13/16 x 3" from him.

I've also used the BJS Jerry Byrd, same size, and liked it a lot.

I know some people like the Ezzee slide, but I tried a friend's and found it almost unusable. Lots of extraneous noise. Not even close to the Clinesmith. He also said Basil was very unpleasant to deal with. YMMV, but be forewarned.

But before you go buying ANYTHING, that Shubb SP1 is perfectly fine. I use it as my backup bar, and if I'm going to play something that involves a lot of bar lifting and hammer-ons/pull-offs. It's pretty good for slants, too. A new bar won't change your life!

Joe A. Roberts · Post by **Joe A. Roberts** » 9 Apr 2021 8:35 pm

I use a 3~5/16" bar on 8 strings myself. (polymer)
I also do a lot of slants, but Jerry Byrdâ€™s preferred 2~3/4â€ you quoted would drive me crazy!
Youâ€™ll have to experiment and see what works for you.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 9 Apr 2021 10:23 pm

My hands are large, and I have tried and struggled with the smaller lap steel bars. Anything under 3/4" diameter or 3-1/4" length cramps me up, and even 3/4" is a challenge. So I generally just use my pedal steel bars (typically 15/16" diameter or 7/8" at the smallest and 3-3/8" - 3-5/8" long) or use a Shubb SP-1 semi-bullet bar if I'm gonna be lifting/crashing the bar doing hammer-on/pull-offs a lot, which is often => Western Swing. I know a lot of lap players eschew the dobro-style bars, but the SP-1 combines features of both and I think it works pretty well.

I think personal ergonomics plays a large role for a lot of players. Weight can get to be an issue for a larger bar, so I often use one of my Zirconium bars, which allow a larger size at a lighter weight. Ed Packard did a run of these 10-15 years ago, don't know if there are any left. But they are excellent bars - not quite as bright as a chromed bullet bar, but very smooth and very, very hard.

I probably should try one of Todd's polymer 3/4" bars. The extra grippinness of the polymer might help with my handling issues.

Bob Watson · Post by **Bob Watson** » 10 Apr 2021 1:05 am

Jerry Byrd was one of the most amazing steel guitar players to ever play the instrument and when I started playing lap steel I thought it would be a good idea to try out the size of bar that he suggested, so I ordered a Dunlop 919. Perhaps you should try one out, they're cheaper than a lot of other bars out there and you would be able to see whether or not you liked the size and feel. The 918 is similar but a little longer. I got one of those next, but I wound up liking the 919 better. When you figure out what size bar that you prefer you can spend a little more and get one made out of something other than stainless steel and see if you like the tone better. I have a Tribotone that's real close to the same size as the 919 and I go back and forth between it and the 919, depending on what kind of tone I'm looking for at the time.

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 10 Apr 2021 6:01 am

IMHO, the best bar, when you finally find it, is the one you don't even think about - it just works for what you want to do. Like Barney Kessel once said about his guitar, the bar becomes "like a comfortable old pair of slippers".

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 10 Apr 2021 6:55 am

Dave,
I usually play with a zirconium bar.
I bought a white one and a while later I bought a black one from Ed.
I think he quit making them because the raw material got too expensive.
I like the tone and the feel of a zirc bar.
Especially in the Minnesota cold weather.
It doesn't feel as cold as a steel bar when you pick it up.
My next favorite is a BJS, John Hughey bar.

Erv

David Burns · Post by **David Burns** » 10 Apr 2021 6:59 am

Wow,

Thanks for all the great replies!

I found a Dunlop 919 on Ebay for 15 bucks so I can compare with the Shubb SP1

Now onto strings! I like the sounds of Buck Owens steel player and would like like to try to play along with some of that Bakersfield stuff. So I bought an E9 pedal steel string set but now I'm reading on the forum that E9 isn't the best tuning for lapsteel...

Well I can always go back to the Don Helms tuning I was using which has such a happy sound (Walking After Midnight in a Box...) but I was hoping to expand my use of tunings a bit

Dave