Which steel for dobro?

Charles Dempsey · Post by **Charles Dempsey** » 25 May 2006 11:50 am

My fearless has asked me to play dobro on a couple of tunes. I have access to a National Delphi with the action set high (natch), and the available steels are;

Shubb GS-1, Shubb-Pearse SP3, Shubb-Pearse SP4, Stevens Golden Gate, Dunlop Lap Dawg and the Dunlop Stainless Steel Ergo.

Are any of these better for dobro than others?

TIA,
Charlie

Mark van Allen · Post by **Mark van Allen** » 25 May 2006 6:42 pm

Charles, It dependes a lot on your personal approach and playing style. If you lean toward lap steel styles with lots of slants and limited hammer-on pull-off licks, you might like the Shubb-Pearce bars better. If you use a lot of hammers and pull-offs, you might like the shorter bars with a sharper edge, the Lap Dog is great and probably the cheapest of the bunch. I like those, Sheerhorn, or the G Smith, all of which have quite a sharp edge which really gives some snap to pulloffs.

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Stop by the Steel Store at: www.markvanallen.com

Greg Pettit · Post by **Greg Pettit** » 25 May 2006 7:32 pm

I "accidentally" (ie. I was still ignorant) bought a GS-1 to use with my lap steel, at the time not realizing that I was going to learn C6 and slant-style playing first.

I can tell you this, though: for what they're designed for, they're simply awesome. That sharp edge makes pull-offs a snap, and the grip is ergonomic without making you lose contact with the strings.

I have the sneaking suspicion that once I build my second steel, this one will become an Open-G riff machine and the GS-1 will come in handy after all.

Greg

Eric Gearhart · Post by **Eric Gearhart** » 25 May 2006 8:18 pm

I can slant much easier with the G Smith bar,oddly enough.

Greg Pettit · Post by **Greg Pettit** » 25 May 2006 9:12 pm

Can't for the life of me find a link to this G Smith bar to see what it's like.

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 25 May 2006 9:31 pm

You can't find the info because a key item was left off: his first initial.

It's E.G. Smith.

I've been using this bar for a year-and-a-half and I love it. I bought mine from pro player Ivan Rosenberg when we had a workshop out here. There were about four or five of us that purchased one that day. According to Ivan's website, they are becoming more difficult to acquire.

Click on the link below at Ivan's site and scroll down the page, you will find the photo and description.

http://tinyurl.com/mbo3q

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Mark

Greg Pettit · Post by **Greg Pettit** » 25 May 2006 9:48 pm

Thanks, Mark. Looks intriguing. If I get any other non-tubular bar, It's gotta be able to maintain positive contact with the strings in an upright position with only minimal assistance. Is this such a bar?

(in other words, with just a light touch on top, it shouldn't have the tendency to want to "fall" on its side).

Greg

Fred Kinbom · Post by **Fred Kinbom** » 26 May 2006 1:27 am

I got the E.G. Smith bar from Ivan Rosenberg’s site after recommendations here on the forum. It's great – very fast and comfortable for acoustic playing. I still use my SP-2 for electric.

And, yes, Greg - the E.G. Smith bar is bottom heavy.

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www.frockmusic.com
www.myspace.com/ilikerecords [This message was edited by Fred Kinbom on 26 May 2006 at 02:29 AM.]

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 26 May 2006 4:29 am

I have been using two bars.

The E.G. Smith bar which I prefer over the Sheerhorn, Lap Dog, Stevens,& Shubb. I love this bar for bluegrass playing techniques, and "hot styles" (though I'm not so hot). I really love that acute sharp edge for Spanish tunes where I can rake the strings with the bar traveling from the first string to the sixth string, giving a bit of the resquerdo (spelling?) effect.

I have also been getting used to a bullet bar, particularly Jim Burden's bars. I like this bar for tunes that do not require harsh playing, and use more slants. I use this bar for "pretty tunes" and a more flowing style of playing.

Steinar Gregertsen · Post by **Steinar Gregertsen** » 26 May 2006 4:46 am

For sculpted bars I use the SP2, I bought a Scheerhorn a while ago but just can't get used to the sharp edges so I stick with the SP2.

For bullet bars I use a Burden or a Black Phoenix.

Steinar

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"Play to express, not to impress"
www.gregertsen.com
Southern Moon Northern Lights

[This message was edited by Steinar Gregertsen on 26 May 2006 at 05:47 AM.]

Peter Jacobs · Post by **Peter Jacobs** » 26 May 2006 4:52 am

I've been using an SP2 for lap steel, but I play in open G and don't slant. It works really well for me and makes it easy to get single notes. I just picked up a Lap Dawg to see what the difference might be, and I like it, too -- the shorter grip length makes it easy for me to control.

Matt Lange · Post by **Matt Lange** » 26 May 2006 9:18 am

I have the Lap Dawg and the GS-1, and i prefer the Dawg. The GS-1 is lighter, and is great for really fast stuff, but was a little too big for my hands (i'm only 5'8", so you may or may not have that problem). The biggest drawback to the GS-1 is the weight; the wood top makes it lighter and therefor gives you less sustain. BUT, if you're playing lots of fast bluegrass stuff, the loss of sustain won't be a big deal at all. The dawg is a little harder to keep a grip on, but also has sharp edges for quick pull-offs/hammer-ons and has more weight for the long sustained notes. So, it depends on what your style is, but i'd lean towards the Lap Dawg.
Then again, those are the only 2 i've played, so maybe another one is better

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my music: www.myspace.com/mattlangemusic

Greg Pettit · Post by **Greg Pettit** » 26 May 2006 3:02 pm

Is the SP-2 bottom heavy, also?

Mike Fried · Post by **Mike Fried** » 28 May 2006 12:08 pm

The SP2 is bottom-heavy and very comfortable for me for acoustic and electric playing, including slants. If I need a sharp edge for pulloffs (rare) I just turn it around.

Larry Robbins · Post by **Larry Robbins** » 28 May 2006 12:48 pm

I am with you on this one , Mike.
I really like the SP-2 and turn it around if I need to do a lot of slants or pull offs.

Greg Pettit · Post by **Greg Pettit** » 28 May 2006 1:12 pm

Does the surface scratch up much on the Shubb products? On my Ernie Ball bullet bar, I find even the smallest-seeming scratches cause some really ugly string noise and will 'pluck' the string at times.

Gre

Larry Robbins · Post by **Larry Robbins** » 28 May 2006 2:19 pm

I have NO problem with mine.

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72 Professional 8&5,73 PRO II 8&4, 79/80 PRO III 8&4,Fender Steelking, Hilton pedal, USA Tele, Fender Twin,Peterson tuner,Tut Taylor Reso's and Twang to the Bone!!

Travis Bernhardt · Post by **Travis Bernhardt** » 29 May 2006 3:10 pm

re: scratches, it depends on your technique and how much you play. Mine is pretty smooth, and I've had it for years. A friend of mine who shall remain nameless (but whose name rhymes with "Bim Bweedale") can scratch up a new one pretty quick (well, still lots of months).

-Travis

Greg Pettit · Post by **Greg Pettit** » 29 May 2006 8:31 pm

Thanks, Larry and Travis. I know it wasn't "my" thread, but that's helpful to me.

The Ernie Ball (not to defame the name or anything, because it could be my own fault) has become almost unusable for me, in only less than a month of non-serious non-intensive practicing. I started noticing the changes after only a matter of days.

I strongly suspect (though I have no way of knowing) that with my style, the SP2 should still last longer for me than this EB has. Also, I'm interested in trying more bars with 'grooves/grips' (or whatever you want to call them) in addition to continuing with the bullet bar. Once I get some money, a quality bullet bar is still on the list of things to get, but this SP2 is looking like something that would suit me. I feel more comfortable playing with the GS1 that I own, but it's terrible for certain techniques, and the sustain has something to be desired. I think the Shubb-style bars will give me a good middle ground for not too much $ (by comparison to other specialized manufacturers).

Greg

Travis Bernhardt · Post by **Travis Bernhardt** » 30 May 2006 1:44 am

I really like the Shubb SP-2 and would recommend it to anybody looking for a Stevens style bar with a rounded tip. I'm surprised, though, that the Ernie Ball has scratched up so fast, since as a bullet bar the scratching should be spread around rather than concentrated in one place like with a Stevens type bar (or especially a sort of unidirectional bar like the SP-2).

-Travis

David Doggett · Post by **David Doggett** » 30 May 2006 6:21 am

The SP2 is my favorite for electric and acoustic. The chrome plating is very smooth and slick when new, but they do chip and scratch easily. They should either use a harder thicker chrome or offer it in polished steel.

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Student of the Steel: Zum uni, Fender tube amps, squareneck and roundneck resos, tenor sax, keyboards

Charles Dempsey · Post by **Charles Dempsey** » 30 May 2006 7:05 am

I was in the dark on this, and sincerely appreciate the replies. There's lots of good info here. I'm going to print the thread, get a cup of coffee, and go over it with a fine tooth comb.

Thanks a million,
Charlie

Keith Cordell · Post by **Keith Cordell** » 31 May 2006 4:30 am

Hey Matt, if you kinda like the GS bar but have small hands, good news! Greg Swallows custom carves the top section to fit your hand. Email him and he-ll send you directions for measuring your hand and he can make one to fit. Problem solved!

Greg Pettit · Post by **Greg Pettit** » 1 Jun 2006 9:24 pm

I picked up the SP2 and I'm really liking it so far. Once you've been using a hunk of a bar like the Ernie Ball one I've practiced with, it feels a touch "unsubstantial" by comparison. But on the other hand, the EB is kind of a behemoth. I definitely feel more agile with the SP2, but the tone is a lot fatter and the vibrato is more "shimmery" with the bullet bar.

Proof that (as everyone seems to say, so it's no surprise!) different bars can be used for different kinds of songs and different styles.

I'm looking forward to continuing practice with the SP2. I think it's likely to become my main bar, but for Hawaiian songs nothing's going to replace the bullet I don't think. It's got the vibrato that just gets ya smilin'.

Greg