The Steel Guitar Forum

I got it and replied... hope you got it OK.

Mail sent, those look really interesting, and VERY affordable!

Is you TB1BN modelled on the Shubb SP2 (my all-time favorite bar)? The dimensions seem similar, but the nose seems even more rounded (a big plus in my book...)

Can't wait to hear the 'user reviews', especially compared to a standard large chromie and the insanely priced space agers.

Tone is the name of the game.

Hi Jay, sent you an email, just checking you got it.

Ron Whitfield wrote:Can't wait to hear the 'user reviews', especially compared to a standard large chromie and the insanely priced space agers.

Tone is the name of the game.

Yes, it seems to me that all players are involved in that never-ending search for tone. The important thing to keep in mind with my slides is that they have their own tone... not like steel, brass, glass, porcelain, or bone. And the blue ones sound different from the white (clear glaze) ones.

These are fresh out of the second kiln firing. The first firing shots are in a previous post.



new shapes are far right and middle, existing SB1 in second from right



The two newest editions are shown center left, and front. These measure 75 mm long, 33 mm high and weigh about about 62 grams. You'll notice the size comparison to my SB2 "Peterson shaped" tone bar, center right for reference.

This was a shape submitted by a Forum member that seemed very interesting to me as it was inspired by a slide available many years ago.

The first five emails I receive in this shape will receive a free one of these to test for me. I'd like to know if it has "legs". Please be sure to include shipping address. Let the games begin.

Jay

Hi Jay,
recieved my TB-2 in Cobalt Blue yesterday. Only had time to give it a quick try..about 20 minuets. So far:
I was suprised at the light weight but full tone! a bit warmer than the Shubb SP-2 I an used to playing with. I really like the fact that the glaze does not cover the top of the bar. This makes it much easier to hold on to!! Another thing..it's a bit wider at the bottom than I am used to but to my surprise, I had no problem with intonation ( other than normal,hahaha! ) I will be ordering another soon!! Thanks for a well thought out product!

Hi Jay:The three shaped tone bars arrived. Two with round ends and one with square ends. The round end shaped bars one large and one small. The small round end I think was to be white but it turned blue by the time it got here, not really a problem though, as my old ears probably couldn't tell the difference between the white(clear) and the cobalt blue. Wow....I really like them.
first off, I thought weight was great and it is I guess, but these feel wonderful to hold and play being light as they are. Nice tones. The bars really told me right away to put some decent new strings on my Ricky, the strings really are bad.

Now, I will be anxious to try some of the round bars with bullet ends.

Thanks a big bunch Jay.
PS
I sent some pixs of my granddaughter playing her lap acoustic, but your email won't let them through, perhaps too big of a load to send at once? End I know you're email site is real busy with lots of activity. I will keep trying.
I too like that unglazed bar top.

I will probably order a longer shaped bar from you too.
Have a great week Jay.
Dick Chapple Sr

Really interesting!
Email sent, need to have a go with these... I'll have a blue and white of the same shape so as to see what effect the glaze had on tone.

I'm fascinated to hear how such a light bar sustains, as I thought sustain was largely dependant on weight/mass... every light bar I've tried before has lost out on sustain compared to a heavier one... intrigued...

Nothing like a flurry of contacts and orders to make one really get organized! Thank you Steel Guitar Forum! I had to upgrade my email server which became overloaded, and have my wife help me set up a "real" filing system to properly keep track of everything... I had lost a couple of orders and then found them!

On top of everything, I had to spend a little time in the hospital, just returned home today, and all is well again. I'll be putting the finishing touches on the new round bars with indents for the thumb and will post those pix for you to see in a few days. I think these slides will be really cool and thank the Forum for the suggestions.

For those of you who are waiting for your slide order, I appreciate your patience and anticipate that I'll be back on track and caught up with everything within a week.

I have posted a few more reviews on my web site, http://stoneslides.com/reviews-and-comments , which might be of interest to you.

Again, thanks for your support and...

Keep slidin',

Jay

Just ordered a cobalt SP-2.

At this price point, how could I not do it?

M

I received my bullet and Stevens type bars today and gave them a good workout. They look and sound great with a tone all their own. They're lighter than what I'm used to but you get used to the feel real quick. A lot of guys experiment with hollowing out steel bars to get a lighter feel but these are pretty light so there's no need to ruin a good steel bar by experimenting any more. Another thing is that they're easy to hold with a sticky feel to them yet they glide effortlessly over the strings. Definitely something to add to your collection for a little different tone. I'm very happy with these bars. Good job Jay!

Jay,

Just got mine this morning. I'll try it out soon, thanks!

My new bottleneck arrived yesterday and it is my new favorite,Smooth and it does have a tone all it's own...and it's a great tone,Thanks Jay.

Hello from uk,
My bars/slide's/stones arrived today from the other side of the pond...I am very pleased with them,
I expresed in an other post, my difficulty with the weight on the 7/8" steel which came with the guitar, because of whrist /thumb injury..
Jay actualy very kindly sent three giving me an extra chance of finding one that comfortable, which is very kind..

I have tried all three and found them very comfortable to hold and to use,
they are RB1, RB2, and SB2

The tone I can only put this in a beginners way... with the steel/cromed one I did think to me it sounded vert tinny even with the tone turned all the way up/down
With these new bars it has taken a lot of the tinny sound away..
As I am a beginer and not having tried load's of bars, I only know, the stone is more pleasing to me.. and not so tinny.I bet they sound great in experanced hands.
OH and they come well presented quality finish, with their own little swade looking tie bag

Of cause being over in the uk these do take about 11-14 days post but well worth the waiting..
Im sure jay will sell loads..
Thank's Paul

Sorry I couldent find the edit...
Jay actualy very kindly sent three giving me an extra chance of finding one that comfortable, which is very kind..
"
I had originally ordered 2 different ones and received 3 different types after speaking with him he says he wanted to give me the best chance...
I have no more excueses now practice practice practice
Thanks again RdGs Paul

This just in: Acoustic Guitar Magazine's latest issue has posted a brief write-up and photo in their latest issue on new stands now! This is the first press release for the slides and has already generated orders from music stores! The article is found in the "In Stores Now" section.

Many thanks for the suggestions and patience of Steel Guitar Forum members... I am now better organized and prepared to deal with upcoming orders!

My Palomas just showed up, SP2 types. I like them both.

The longer one has the blue finish which gives great individual note definition. The white finish has a great ring, sounds more like a traditional metal bar, but still a bit mellower. As pictured, they have a tall profile, easily controlled. Powerful, even without the weight of metal.

Looking forward to playing with them.

Hey Jay, would it be OK for me to sand or file the longer slide on the non playing side? It would be nice if I could put some contour on the area where it meets the base of my index finger. If so, what do recommend in terms of grit, etc..

Thanks for the kind words, Matt. It's still hard for me to believe that the slides really work as well as they do!! The research and work with my focus groups has paid off!

There is no grit of sandpaper made that will allow you to sand these! The glaze is too hard and the clay body is too hard... both resulting from the formulas for clay and glaze that I have developed and the very high temps I fire at... 1950 degrees the first time, and 2460 degrees the second time.

I would suggest that we get together and try to shape a slide to your wishes. It is much easier to shape them after they have dried and before they get fired the first time. If you can, send me an email with a diagram of what you'd like and/or give me a call and we'll talk about it! Sounds like I can do this for no extra charge... but it might take 10 to 14 days in my current production schedule to do a specific custom slide for you.

I recently picked up a bullet bar type stone slide from Portland Music -- in Portland -- and I'm using it on my lap steel for swing tunes. It's nice and speedy, has a good sound, light weight and good sustain. It's also about as thick around as a Mudslide which is something I prefer. Skinny little slides cause my hand to cramp up.

Recommended.

I received my blue and white SP2-shaped tone bars this week - my first impressions:

The "nose" is more rounded than on an SP2, almost like a bullet bar - great for single note playing or slants.

There is a slight difference in tone between the two colors (the blue is slightly warmer/darker, the white slightly brighter), but it is minimal, you'll only notice if you are actually looking for it.

The difference in tone to an SP2 bar is quite noticeable, though - the ceramic bars sound warmer, they take those harsh treble frequencies off, that you can sometimes get.
I've also got a bullet bar made from acrylic glass, which is quite dark and makes my electric lap steel sound like a dobro - the Paloma ceramic bars don't have that quality, the tone is still like a lap steel, just a bit warmer.
I guess if you are looking for the ultimate in treble frequencies, brightness, chime (and maybe use a lot of harmonics in your playing style), you might prefer a metal bar, but if you like a warmer sound, and/or play with overdrive tones, the ceramic bars are great.

Both my SP2 and my Dunlop metal bullet bar have noticeably more sustain than the Paloma bars - but the ceramic ones are definitely NOT lacking in sustain, and should work well for 99% of all players (my acrylic bar, on the other hand, has a lot less sustain) - only if you need to squeeze out the last bit of sustain, eg. for pedal-steel-y stuff, you might go for a heavier metal bar.

-----

BTW, when I ordered first, there was a mix-up, and I got the "wrong" kind of bar at first, a Stevens-type dobro bar without a rounded nose; Jay sent me the right kind as a replacement, and told me to keep the other one; but as I don't have any use for it, I will send the Stevens-type bar out free of charge to the first forum member from inside the EU that contacts me via a private message!

Hi...Just sent you $ thru paypal. Be sure to check your email for preferences...thanks...Bob

Jay,I'd like to pickup one or two bullet bars at the Portland jam if you will have any for sale?

Jay, got your tonebar a few weeks ago. I got the RB3...
great tone! Very mellow, smooth.
My new favorite! I'll be ordering another very shortly!

Having had problems with the weight of the bar which came with my lap steel, I e-mailed Jay to ask the weight of his slides.

He replied quickly to my questions and I've now ordered a RB290 with the thumb indent.

Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to getting the new bar