The Steel Guitar Forum

This may be fit the bill: http://www.stoneslides.com

I use the plastic bar that came with the Goodrich MatchBro for the dobro sound.

Ross Shafer wrote:This may be fit the bill: http://www.stoneslides.com

Thanks, Ross!

Erv Niehaus wrote:I use the plastic bar that came with the Goodrich MatchBro for the dobro sound.

Does anyone still make those?

It seems that most folks are chasing sustain and smooth response throughout the EQ bandwidth.

Meanwhile, there are vague whispers about currently-unobtainable products that DON'T try to produce these characteristics.

Meanwhile, I'm left to work with stainless steel and this:

https://youtu.be/NYbXzQ4SZc0?t=56

Thanks for the tip, Lane!

Though I've noticed that Jack Daniel's bottles don't work too well for this.

The old Nick Manoloff bars were made of something similiar to the Goodrich bars.
No stainless for me, feels like rubbing sandpaper on the strings.

Erv Niehaus wrote:The old Nick Manoloff bars were made of something similiar to the Goodrich bars.
No stainless for me, feels like rubbing sandpaper on the strings.

Do you use a chromed bar? Anyone still make those?

The finest bar available is the BJS bar and, yes, it is still being made.
If you really want to go 1st class get a BJS John Hughey model.

Erv Niehaus wrote:The finest bar available is the BJS bar and, yes, it is still being made.
If you really want to go 1st class get a BJS John Hughey model.

Thanks, Erv. I didn't realize the BJS bars were chromed, and I wasn't 100% sure they were still being crafted.

I have read a thread in which several of the older statesmen--maybe including you --claimed that one shouldn't use a bar and strings of the same material. I definitely noted string resistance (I guess you call it) with the cheaper Dunlop.

I don't like stainless strings and I don't like stainless bars. You definitely don't want to use a stainless bar on stainless strings. You can get along with a chrome bar on stainless strings but I don't like the tone of stainless strings, to me, they sound thin.
I bought a Williams guitar and wasn't happy with the tone when I got it. I called Bill Rudolph and asked him if he used stainless strings. When he said yes, I knew what the problem was. I put on a set of nickel strings on and then I was happy.

Erv Niehaus wrote:I don't like stainless strings and I don't like stainless bars. You definitely don't want to use a stainless bar on stainless strings. You can get along with a chrome bar on stainless strings but I don't like the tone of stainless strings, to me, they sound thin.
I bought a Williams guitar and wasn't happy with the tone when I got it. I called Bill Rudolph and asked him if he used stainless strings. When he said yes, I knew what the problem was. I put on a set of nickel strings on and then I was happy.

Awesome info. Going back to my original post, it's mind-boggling to me how much difference the "simple" things make when playing PSG.

Around here, the stock response seems to be "your tone sucks because of your technique." But that's not always the case. I learned this when I upgraded from a Carter Starter to a Williams 700, despite being told on here that the Carter sounded bad because I was a bad player (by people who had never heard me play).

Anyway, I will definitely try a chromed bar and also give nickel strings a shot. I did buy a couple of packs to try them out.

So, anyone got a link where I could purchase a new BJS bar?

The BJS website doesn't seem to have been updated in a few years.

Does the phone number work?

Butch Gardner
731-414-4038

BJSBars@hotmail.com

William Holland wrote:http://www.bjsbars.com/

Last update was 2013.

Lane Gray wrote:Does the phone number work?

Psshaw--you mean I have to call someone?

What is this, 1982?

Mostly kidding.

He has mentioned that the Internet is an extremely low priority. If he just wants to fish and sell bars, that's his business.

I put a Sunrise pickup on my Weissenborn, the fellow that makes them has the same idea; he only makes so many a year and if they are sold out you have to wait until next year.

Lane Gray wrote:He has mentioned that the Internet is an extremely low priority. If he just wants to fish and sell bars, that's his business.

Absolutely. I was kidding about the phone thing. I wasn't kidding when I asked if he's still in business. Online stores that haven't been updated in three years do tend to make one wonder.

Including all the variability in bar material and finish, I must also say that weight matters even more to me.

I often practice with a paloma stone slide (very light weight) so I can woodshed for hours with out my hand getting tired. The tone is not so great, and not much sustain so I never perform with it.

I have a BJS bar that I love and use most of the time. But I also have two Very large Very Heavy bars (Dunlop) One I have kept original weight and it gets killer sustain, No downward pressure required at all to have pure fat tone but it kills my left hand after an hour or so.

The second large dunlop bar I have drilled out and lightened up quite a bit. But it is still heavy enough to get me that pure tone I love, especially for my 13 string lap steel. I have even started using it on gigs in place of the BJS and I have got to say I notice the better sustain...

Dom

If you want more mass, and I agree that mass improves tone, SDF has a stainless bar drilled and filled with Tungsten. W is HEAVY

For whatever my opinion is worth, BJS bars are really really nice, but there is no bar that is as nice for the music I play as the now out of business Tribotone bar... Thankfully, a very kind forum member, Bob Hoffnar, sold me one of his after mine got stolen along with a bag full of steel accessories...

The light weight plus zero string noise plus the feel of the coated bar makes all the difference to me. I also have a nice BJS bar, and a reissue Black Rajah bar from Telonics that is similar but doesn't have as nice a tone, to my ears. I only use the Tribotone bar at this point.

Yes, I do realize that posting a "this bar is the very best but they don't make them anymore" response is less than helpful, but who knows - maybe they'll be able to go back in business!

My myself using a zirconium bar more and more all the time.

I don't know if he's still making bars, but you might try looking up David Mason on the forum.

My primary bar is a 3"long, tapered 1 1/4" ->1 1/8" mil=spec 1-pound bar that used to belong to Sneaky Pete.

David made me a bunch in similar sizes - clear acrylic, Delrin, Nylon, some kind of "moly-nylon" (a great plastic-type material with a VERY warm sound) and another I don't recall.

And they all work really well. May favorites other than my "Sneaky" bar are one slightly-larger Delrin and the "moly" one.

The advantage over the 1-pound bar is, obviously, speed. You can get around much faster. But surprisingly, there's not a significant sustain loss. Slightly different tone, yes - which is why I always take 3 to gigs - but sustain is great.

For my choice of bar I prefer the "Bullet Bars" make by Jim Burden.