The Steel Guitar Forum

I sometimes use a Aluminum bar made by Wayne Johnson..a forum member..his bars are really reasonably priced..I got a 4" bar to cover the wide string spaced SD10 that Jimmie Hudson makes..IMHO I think it gives the steel a kind of Dobro sound..bright and less sustain which I think is due to the light weight of the bar..

The Ezzee slide made by Basil H from UK are available right now. There's a little waiting time to get one (they are custom made to your specs) but from what I read about them on the UK steel forum they should be worth the wait. I haven't tried them (yet), but I do have one heading my way as I write.

Here's a thread on the topic: http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... e5c457687b

And here's the Ezzee slide site:http://www.waikiki-islanders.com/html/e ... 20bar.html

I love mine. Used it Saturday on my gig

There's these also: http://www.silicasound.com/brass-n-glas ... y=Tone+Bar

Earlier in this thread there was a mention of glass coated brass slides, it must be the Silica sound that was referred to.

I have both the 113 and 114. The 113 works well for 6 string lap steel and the 114 is "aimed" at 10 strings. I really like the smooth action/tone on these. Zero string noise and drag.

Elderly music had a good price on these (and very reasonable shipping to Europe which is why I bought my 114 from them).

re the Silica sound 114. It says on the manufacturers page, people love them for 10 strings, and it is definitely OK for that. The only thing is I found them to be a tad short. I only had it for a few weeks and haven't used it that much so may be a matter of just getting used to it, but if you consider one and have other bars that you like (length wise) do some measuring before buying it. I would probably have gotten the 115 for my 10 string knowing what I know now.

I just wanted to post an update.

Butch at BJS bars has re-vamped his website and online store, and we've been in touch. He's been wonderfully responsive to my questions, and we've had two great transactions.

I've bought a couple of his chromed bars (of different sizes to try out), and they are fantastic.

The 7/8" bar is a little longer than the Pearse, and it sounds fairly similar (in terms of its EQ, which also is "focused" in the mids). The chrome seems to have a slightly longer, more even decay and smoother feel on the strings, though. Vibrato seems a little easier.

I actually got the BJS 15/16" bar first (regular weight). It seems to have a much flatter EQ, with less mid-range than the smaller bars. I think this has to do with its size more than its material. The chrome feels even smoother with the extra weight on the strings, and vibrato is a great pleasure with this bar.

As of now, the 15/16" is my go-to. Thanks, Butch!

I've also picked up one of these from Rocky Mountain Slides:

http://www.rockymountainslides.com/poncha-bullet.html

I'm still experimenting, but I'm hoping to get less attack and less sustain when I want a Duane Allman-esque blues/rock sound. So far, I'm liking it for that.

Shop has 1" titanium stock... what would a bar made of titanium sound like/feel like compared to my 7/8" Ernie Ball (dunlop)? We also have several other materials to play with.

I read through this thread and saw very little reference to titanium... it's light, it's hard; why not?

Ti bars without some sort of coating won't work, the hardness of titanium is highly overrated....it can be mighty tough, but tough and hard are different things.

I made myself one out of 6-4 Ti (the the honcho spendy strong stuff)....works horribly. It galls as you're playing and you can feel it scraping along the strings.

BJS is steel in business, I just got mine today and it’s 2 years after theses posts were made

Yes , you can be assured that once you have tried one of Butch Gardners bars you will never have to seek another. BJS bars have been the staple for steel guitars, Bar none, If you ask any steel player who has ever tried one , you will get your answer. ,and I can promise you this , Contact Butch Gardner at bjsbars.com

When I wanna impress a chick in a club I'll sometimes use a beer bottle!

I just received a couple of the Clinesmith polymer bars and they are quite nice.

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

My 2 cents

Having tried the fabled BJS Chrome bar - beautiful bar

I asked Ben from Ben's bar here in the UK to make an exact replica of steel and he did for £25. He is a master with steel forging and hardening and polishing.
https://www.bensbars.co.uk


I played both and it was night almost identical with the exception of Ben's bar sounded rounder and smoother and fuller in tone.

WHAT!!!! I paid over £114 to get a BJS shipped here how can a £25 bar be in the same class.

Yes the type of Steel and the hardening and polishing can make a huge difference.

I have also owned Paloma Stone Slide bars, Dunlops, Shubb bars, and many more etc.

Then I remembered, MOST of the heroes we listened to and attempt to emulate what bar did they RECORD their legendary albums with. Did they use Steel?

So simple things to consider.

Heavier Bar
better sound
harder to manipulate and play over longer periods of time.

Steel on Steel strings
Does not cause a problem this turns out to be FALSE
If any degradation/damage to a steel bar you can get re-polished easily not chrome though any damage and thats the end of it

Stone
I will keep my mouth shut for steel playing
But its great for twangy slide sounds

Glass
Same as Stone
Doubt me play either options with no effects pedals/distortion

Polymer
So I'm told (Has a warmer tone not as crisp highs)
reduces string noise drastically (which in most band settings with better hand control you shouldn't have any noticeable noise so not sure if this should be a selling point.)

Steel as used by Jerry Byrd, Buddy Emmons, Doug Jernigan, Murph, Morrell and many others on their landmark recordings were stunning. So something to think about when someone discusses bars.

We create hand-blown solid leaded crystal bullet bars for P.S.G and lap-slide over here in the U.K. ~ all of our bars are individually made so any bar length required can be supplied.

We have made metal-filled glass bars (glass covering over a steel insert) but the longevity of durability was questionable so we don't offer that option.

Ian McWee (Diamond Bottlenecks)

Www.diamondbottlenecks.com