The Steel Guitar Forum

Well, I’m very happy with mine. It’s hard though for me to differentiate between attributes of the chrome finish or the added weight of the 15/16” over my standard 7/8 bars. The BJS is the only chrome finished bar I have, and it is also the only 15/16” bar I have. It feels different for sure, but is it weight, finish, or both? If I had the bucks, I’d get a standard 7/8” BJS for comparison.
In any case, I like the bar bunches. I still go back to my “faster” 7/8 now and then, but this has been my go-to bar of late.

I bought my first BJS bar from Bill Stroud and just this past week bought a new 15/16” John Hughey bar from Butch Gardner who took over from Bill. Butch is carrying on Bill’s workmanship and great customer service Bill was known for. I love my new bar Butch and my sincere thanks again. If you are looking for a new bar, BJS is top shelf! Carl

I've got a standard size stainless steel Ernie Ball bar, a standard size chrome bar that I bought from Jeff Newman years ago, and a BJS 12 string that I use all the time. I love the feel of the BJS and the weight. It took a little while to get the hang of it, but not long. Now when I pick up one of my 10 string bars they feel really light. It's all a matter of preference.

p.s. I keep a spare bar or two in my pack a seat in case I forget my BJS bar. The spares have come in handy on more than one occasion.

Donny Hinson wrote:I would like to hear a blind comparison so we all can see if everyone can hear the difference on a recording. Maybe one of the forum members ... could post an A/B test for us, using similar size and weights.

Well, I've taken the first step and recorded the same piece using my Pearse and BJS bars and I have convinced myself there's a difference. But the BJS is very slightly longer and heavier, so the philosophical question arises as to whether the difference is a property of the bar itself or the player's response to it......

Because the ear has such a short span of recollection, my next step will be to record the same thing twice then intercut it phrase by phrase. This will take time I don't have till next week. Listen to this space!

I might try this, I have a BJS, HIllman, Clinesmith, Latch lake, some dunlops and Ernie Balls and a jumble of other dobros and bullets in a box. One thing that's obvious is the little stone in the nose of my BJS makes it a lot easier to do slants. Maybe you never do slants, but lap steelers will care.

Thes a/b comparison are tricky, when you're playing a single coil into an interface or preamp and then into headphones, difference's apparent, but thru a miked amp, you're looking at more components coloring the sound and especially losing initial attack.

There was a pickup comparison (I think i read about it here) Truetone vs Geo L vs Alumitone, where everybody was saying "I can't hear any difference" but i have all those pups in various guitars and they sound dramatically different (course they're mostly lap steels, different woods, scales, bridges/tailepieces etc.

BJS bars are top quality and Butch’s customer service is excellent!

Gene Tani wrote:One thing that's obvious is the little stone in the nose of my BJS makes it a lot easier to do slants.

Why does the stone help with slants?

I don't understand that either.
Erv

Well I still haven't found the time to do the A/B test that Donny suggested, but this much I have learnt:- that although I can detect a difference on the Williams I keep at home, where the BJS really scores is on my gig guitar, the long scale Excel. I can really dig in and get the best out of the higher string tensions. Also the neck on the Excel is set slightly further forward and the BJS is slightly longer than the Pearse, so although it's only fractional it makes my hand more comfortable which can only be good.