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Topic: dunlop bars |
Phil Halton
From:
Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 25 Oct 2007 8:05 pm |
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Is there much to be gained from upgrading from a Dunlop bar, say, to a BJS bar? I know there's much $ to be lost--is that the only real difference?
I get a bit of bar noise (and I know it couldn't be me  ). Thought I heard something about less bar noise on the wound strings with the BJS bars.
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Disclaimer! I make no warranty on the manure I've been spreadin' around here. |
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Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
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Posted 25 Oct 2007 11:48 pm
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The Dunlop may last you for a while. They work fine but do wear out. A BJS is about as good as a bar gets and will last forever. I also use the John Pearse bars and I use a "carp" bar the Rains guys make.
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Bob |
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Andy Sandoval
From:
Bakersfield, California, USA
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Posted 26 Oct 2007 12:06 am
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| I like my Dunlop bar but I haven't touched it since I bought a BJS bar. They're awesome! |
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Phil Halton
From:
Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 26 Oct 2007 6:09 am
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Bob and Andy,
Is there a discernable tonal difference between the dunlop and the BJS? What exactly is the benefit of the BJS bars over the dunlops besides lightening your wallet?
thx
_________________
Disclaimer! I make no warranty on the manure I've been spreadin' around here. |
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Jim Bob Sedgwick
From:
Clinton, Missouri USA
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Posted 26 Oct 2007 7:58 am
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| substantially less drag on the strings. The first time you use a BJS, you'll find that you overshoot the fret, if you are used to a regular stainless bar. Practically eliminates the wound string noise. Tone is substantially improved. Is that enough? Also, if the chrome plating ever chips, cracks, etc. send it back to Bill Stroud. A brand new one will be in the mail toot sweet. Can't beat that warrantee. |
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Allan Thompson
From:
Scotland.
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Posted 26 Oct 2007 8:41 am
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| BJS bar every time, no contest. |
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J Fletcher
From:
London,Ont,Canada
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Posted 26 Oct 2007 8:58 am
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| The Dunlop bars are just a bit shorter than most others. I'm so used to them, that other ones I've tried all seem too long...Jerry |
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Mike Shefrin
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Posted 26 Oct 2007 9:11 am
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The BJS bars are arguably the best ones out there although if you want a special customized size or something out of the ordinary you can get Jim Burden of Bullet bars to make you one. Jim makes a great stainless steel chrome bar that is just as good as any of Bill Stroud's BJS bars IMHO. Personally I use a BJS bar but below is the link to Jim's website in case you want to check him out also.
http://www.bulletbars.com/index.html |
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Clyde Mattocks
From:
Kinston, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 26 Oct 2007 2:37 pm
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As stated before, the difference is in what feels to
me to be "slickness". I had used the Dunlop and it
served me well. I liked it. Upon getting a BJS, It
seemed harder to hold on to for a few days. Once I got used to it, I understood why it is so popular.
I use the BJS most of the time. My Dunlop is packed
with my "B" rig. |
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Phil Halton
From:
Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 26 Oct 2007 6:56 pm
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[quote="Jim Bob Sedgwick"]substantially less drag on the strings. The first time you use a BJS, you'll find that you overshoot the fret, if you are used to a regular stainless bar. Practically eliminates the wound string noise. Tone is substantially improved. Is that enough? Also, if the chrome plating ever chips, cracks, etc. send it back to Bill Stroud. A brand new one will be in the mail toot sweet. Can't beat that warrantee.[/quote]
Yep! That's plenty--just what I wanted to know. 
_________________
Disclaimer! I make no warranty on the manure I've been spreadin' around here. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 27 Oct 2007 12:47 pm
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Despite what some others may tell you, I still don't believe there's any magic in a bar. One might be a tad smoother, a tad lighter, or last a lot longer, but they have very little effect on your sound.
Put quite simply...if you're a good player, you can sound good when you play. If you're not, no bar on earth is going to do much to improve your playing, or your sound.
Having the best wrenches don't make you a good mechanic.  |
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Ron !
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Posted 27 Oct 2007 12:58 pm
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Donny...most of the time I agree with you....but I have to disagree now.
I am using a bar that is made of "Chrome Steel".This bar has a lot more sustain then a chrome plated one does.
Ron |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 27 Oct 2007 2:31 pm
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The question asked was:
"Is there much to be gained from upgrading from a Dunlop bar, say, to a BJS bar?"
I think it would depend on the condition of the Dunlop bar. I have a very old Dunlop that is still in pristine condition and I love it. My guitar produces a little different tone when I use it instead of my BJS bar. Does the BJS bar produce a better tone? No, I don't think so. They're just different. The Dunlop may produce just a hair more noise on the wound strings, but on the bandstand, nobody's going to notice that. The tone produced by the BJS bar is little brighter to my ears.
Lee, from South Texas |
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David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
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Posted 28 Oct 2007 3:19 am
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| Dunlops are a lot softer than Jim Burden's Bullet bars. You can reshape and rework a Dunlop pretty easily, while the Burden bar's steel could wear out your tools. I would assume that the hardness makes for a slicker ride and less gunk on your strings, though I use nickel strings only nowadays. There is said to be evil lurking in the interaction between SS strings and an SS bar. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 28 Oct 2007 4:38 am
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| Ron Steenwijk wrote: |
Donny...most of the time I agree with you....but I have to disagree now.
I am using a bar that is made of "Chrome Steel".This bar has a lot more sustain then a chrome plated one does.
Ron |
Disagreement noted and accepted!
However, I still believe there aren't "significant" differences (that is, differences someone other than the player can hear), as long as the bars aren't radically different in size or design. |
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David Ziegler
From:
Lancaster, Ohio, USA
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Posted 28 Oct 2007 8:58 am
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| Donny, I have only been playing 3 years and am still a "hacker" but I just got a BJS bar on Wednesday and when I started playing with it my son stuck his head out of his room and said,"man, you sound good on that thing today!" He didn't know I had even ordered or gotten a new bar. In my judgement, I didn't get that much better overnight so it must be the bar. I truly am impressed with the difference in sound. |
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Willis Vanderberg
From:
Petoskey Mi
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Posted 28 Oct 2007 9:50 am
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Sorry, I have to agree with Donny. I have Dunlop, Emmons, BJS, and a few off breed and some homemade bars.
I sound just as good or bad, on one or another. (depends on your who is listening )
By the way , what is the bar that has a red insert in the back end and it look like three letters, maybe oDD in it ?
Old Bud |
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Howard Tate
From:
Leesville, Louisiana, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 28 Oct 2007 10:35 am
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| That's a Dunlop. Isn't there more then one grade of Dunlop bar? I have the one with the red insert, and a couple with black. I think the one with black has less drag and noise. Even though I can't hear the drag on stage, I think I can feel it. |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 28 Oct 2007 10:41 am
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| My Dunlop has the black insert. I have no idea if it's polished stainless steel, or chrome-plated. It's a very nice bar. It's just a hair shorter and actually fits my hand a little better than the BJS. |
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Johnny Thomasson
From:
Texas, USA
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Posted 28 Oct 2007 11:13 am
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Phil,
I've only been playing (steel) for 3 years, and up to now used the Dunlop bar the guy I bought my Pro-II from threw in on the deal. I had read all the hype on the BJS bar and like you, I was skeptical. I mean, it's only a bar, right? I finally decided there were just too many people raving about BJS bars for this to be some kind of cult following, so I finally broke down and bought one. It arrived in the mail on Friday.
I can tell you that in my opinion, ALL the "hpye" is true. The difference is absolutely amazing. Tone wise, no bar/string noise as others have said. Sustain is substantially increased. More punch, clarity and string separation. Playability wise, this thing is as slick as glass. It's going to take some getting used to, but the zero resistance feels good to me. My vibrato is about 200% better with this bar. Now of it would only improve my blocking and attract good looking women...
I'm not dissing Dunlop bars, but IMHO, the BJS is far superior. I can't think of a single way you could realize the same degree of improvement for what one of these bars cost. BIG bang for the buck. All MHO of course, YMMV.
Cheers,
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Johnny Thomasson |
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Phil Halton
From:
Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 28 Oct 2007 1:17 pm
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Thanks for all the pros and cons on BJS bars. I know its not going to make me a better player--I watched in others, and went through that dillusion myself with banjos a few decades ago. What I am looking for is less drag/bar noise. It sounds like that's a feature of BJS, and Tribo-tone bars as well. Anything else, like greater sustain etc would be pure gravy.
_________________
Disclaimer! I make no warranty on the manure I've been spreadin' around here. |
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Chip Fossa
From:
Monson, MA, USA (deceased)
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Posted 30 Oct 2007 7:42 pm
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My good friend, excellent steeler, and machine shop owner (makes parts for Fessenden guitars & others), Sammy Gibson, made me a beautiful all-nickel bar. No chroming at all. It's a great bar for my U-12.
Measures "3 5/8" x "7/8".
There's a trade-off when it comes to bars. Use a lighter weight one and you can move around quicker; but have diminished volume and sustain.
Or, use a heavier bar, and have to fight the "heavierness" and all that goes with it, but realize much better sustain and tone.
I'll take a heavier over a lighter bar any day.
After a while, you'll get used to the heavier bar, and it won't seem so burdensome. Worth the effort.
IMHO.
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Chip
Williams U-12 8X5; Keyless; Natural Blonde Laquer. |
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Ron Page
From:
Penn Yan, NY USA
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Posted 31 Oct 2007 7:41 am
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Phil,
Put it on your Christmas list. It's one of the few steel guitar accessories you can trust your family to buy for you. Add your birthstone to the tip too. 
My daughter bought mine with the noting but the size of my other bar and a link to Bobbe Seymour's Steel Guitar Nashville. I'm sure they are widely available through your favorite shop.
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HagFan
Emmons Lashley LeGrande II |
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Dave Stagner
From:
Minnesota, USA
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Posted 31 Oct 2007 9:59 am
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| Donny Hinson wrote: |
| Ron Steenwijk wrote: |
Donny...most of the time I agree with you....but I have to disagree now.
I am using a bar that is made of "Chrome Steel".This bar has a lot more sustain then a chrome plated one does.
Ron |
Disagreement noted and accepted!
However, I still believe there aren't "significant" differences (that is, differences someone other than the player can hear), as long as the bars aren't radically different in size or design. |
That's true of many gear-related things. However, I think the differences that only the player can hear can affect playing quite a bit! I know it does for me. You should see drummers fussing about the shape of the tips of their sticks.
Other people can hear bar differences, though. I did a recording session recently and brought both bars I use - a Dunlop, and a pyrex glass bar. I prefer the pyrex for both tone and feel, but it has a number of chips and scratches that snag the strings and can mar recordings. But the producer and other musicians all INSISTED that I use the pyrex bar - it sounded much better to them! |
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mike nolan
From:
Forest Hills, NY USA
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Posted 31 Oct 2007 11:56 am
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I really like BJS bars for the slick feel and when you are playing in a situation where string noise is an issue.... like some singer/songwriter acoustic duos that I play in. I have 4 different ones.
In regular band playing I give a big thumbs up to the bars that Sam Gibson makes. Sam also makes some pretty fantastic custom aluminum PSG legs. Four of them weigh about what one standard leg weighs.... great for the travelin' man. I bought a set for my Lamar keyless D-10 and a set for my Williams S-10. Subway gigs with either guitar are now no big deal. |
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