The Steel Guitar Forum

Hi
High Tech Bars can anyone help on this Goergeboards says there are some of these around smaller lighter than the norm..

I am having problems holding picking it up and moving it around..I surgery twice on the tendon's in my thum wrist.This altho many years ago has left it evry week and when bringing my thumb around to hold the weight to move it there is not enough strength in the thumb..
As a last resort I have used some tape around the bottom of my finget to try and take some of the weight..So a lighter bar would be a wonder for me if they are available..
Thanks Regards Paul

I think Tribo Tone has some lighter bars. He can customize as well. The surface of the bars are easy to hold with less pressure than other bars I've used.

Paul,have you tried something like a Shubb-SP-2 with the grooves on each side ? It's not heavy and easy to hold. May not work,then again it may. YOU BETCHA, DYK?BC.

Scroll down the "Steel Without Pedals" cover page and click on the thread "Paloma Stone Slides". These bars are very light and would seem to be very easy to handle-- haven't tried one yet, but I will (how far wrong can you go for $20?).

Thank you stephan Charles and Mark..

Ive emailed both explaining the problem it might be the answer, It hard enough just trying to get this blocking thing sorted out but is making it 10 time worse with the steel.Again thanks for the input
fingers xxed
RdGs Paul

Paul Higgins wrote:Thank you stephan Charles and Mark..

Ive emailed both explaining the problem

Hi Quick update..
I have been talking to Jay regarding the Paloma Stone Slides I have ordered 2 with him. Im hoping this will help the problem..I will of cause let everyone know how I get on with them..
Thanks again for all your help RdGs Paul

Be careful Charles. The bullet nose round tone bar police are out there and may come after you!!!

Hey Morgan,I can stay ten steps ahead of the Alabama revenuers,the tone bar police would be childs play.The band I work with plays about 20 percent country,80 percent Rock,Southern Rock,and blues. I keep two bars within reach,On the country tunes I use a round bullet bar. On the rock or blues songs that I need to get a little rowdy on I use distortion and a style similar to one of my steel heros [RR] I use the Shubb SP-2 IT IS FASTER.[just my opinion].If EVERY BODY liked the same thing,there would be only one brand of guitars,bars strings,pedals,stools,picks,etc. My advice [which with two bucks will buy a cup of coffee] to a beginner is try as many different things such as strings,volumn pedals,bars, picks,as they can and find out what works BEST for THEM,Don't WORRY about what Mr. Seymore,Mr.Franklin,Mr. White,etc.use. Search and find what works for [YOU]. YOU BETCHA,DYK?BC.

Paul Higgins wrote:I am having problems holding picking it up and moving it around..I surgery twice on the tendon's in my thum wrist.This altho many years ago has left it very week and when bringing my thumb around to hold the weight to move it there is not enough strength in the thumb...

Paul:

I have had some medical problems that left my left wrist very weak. I ordered a Shubb GS-1 with the hardwood handle, and it has worked a lot better for me. My wrist is stronger now, but I still love the GS-1 for the added control. Plus the hardwood is not as cold as steel.

http://www.shubb.com/gs/index.htm

The price on that page is pretty high but if you look around you should be able to find one for ~$30.

Good luck!

Steve Ahola

P.S. If you are using a bullet style bar, Tom Bradshaw sells a Dunlop bar even smaller than the Jerry Byrd model.

I have BAD medical problems. I find that strapping a lighter bar (velcro strap has been the best so far) to my finger is the way to go and alleviates a good bit of strain. Also when things get bad if I use a carpal tunnel brace it seems to help, though I look funny.

I may be able to help you by making a glass bar for you that is lighter and the size you want. If you don't mind me being slow, I would do a simple one for free, I know exactly what you are going through. I can't promise it will be good for you or what you want/need, the tonal quality may not be what you want, weight, etc. But hey, can you beat the price?

Just let me know as much as you can of your preferences and I will see what I can do.

Nicholai Steindler wrote:I may be able to help you by making a glass bar for you that is lighter and the size you want. If you don't mind me being slow, I would do a simple one for free, I know exactly what you are going through. I can't promise it will be good for you or what you want/need, the tonal quality may not be what you want, weight, etc. But hey, can you beat the price?

Well, you could pay *him*...

Have a good day!

Steve Ahola
www.blueguitar.org

[quote="Nicholai Steindler"]I have BAD medical problems.

Thank You Nicholai
what is carpal tunnel brace..As well as the tendon repairs I had other surgery on my wrist and they called it carpal tunnel operation..

Thank you for the offer very good of you, but I am a glass blower ( I used to do it as a living a few years back ) After reading your reply the other day I did try a small glass rod but it sounded terrible..
However I dident think of velcro good idea.
why dident i think of that...

Also I have ordered one of the stone ones, but have to weight a week as they still being made + the time it takes to get to uk

I contacted Shubb by email they have replyed recomending the Gs1 that is on their site..it dose happen to be the most expencive but is also the lightest and has a handel thingie on it..
Ill end up spending more on steels than on the guitar.LoL
I will let every one know the out come when they arive..perhaps by then i might to be able to play something...Thank you once again your help is aprecated RdGs Paul

Paul:

I have had some medical problems that left my left wrist very weak. I ordered a Shubb GS-1 with the hardwood handle, and it has worked a lot better for me. My wrist is stronger now, but I still love the GS-1 for the added control. Plus the hardwood is not as cold as steel.

http://www.shubb.com/gs/index.htm

Hi Steve,
Thanks a lot Ive contacted Shubb they too recomend the gs1 also You are right it is quite expencive..before ordering one I will have a look around see if I can get it cheeper..

it dosent help the time it takes to get here..our custom's are very slow at this end(slightly off the subject ) I make hoods for falcons and order leather from your side of the pond but it takes nearly 3 weeks.. but bI know its not that slow getting into the country..
Ill let you know how I get on
Thanks again for replying RdGs Paul

Paul. Here's another option to try if you want to use a standard round nose bar like Mr. G. Boards uses. You could get a leather finger wrap for your 1st finger. They are available from wood carving stores or you can have someone make you one. Then get some velcro and add a strip along the finger guard. The other velcro strip goes on the bar and voila you won't have a problem when lifting the bar anymore. This would also allow vibrato bar movement quite easily. Just slip the leather guard from your finger and leave it attached to the bar when you finish playing. Once you recover wrist strength you can do away with the leather finger guard.

Hi Dennis
Thank that sounds like a realy a good Idea
I will try it tomorrow. I dont now why Im not thinking of these things..
Must have all the brains on your side of the pond, when he gave them out I must have been last in the que..
I have been useing insulating tape..when I first started useing it a few days ago the end of my finger went blue..difficult to get it tight enough without making your fingers go blue.

Yea the bar is like mr George has in his beginner vid on u tube..
Thanks again will of cause let you know how it goes...RdGs Paul

This is my favorite bar. Two straps used to velcro wires together with some loctite epoxy holding it on. To remove epoxy soak in acetone 20 minutes wipes right off.




If you happened to try a very thin Borosilicate rod, you will get very poor tone indeed. Soda lime is better. Weight is almost all of tone.

Here is brace. All drugstores sell them.






Also, try switching to stretchier strings. This helps TONS. I went to super slinkies on one guitar and it's the only one I can play when I have problems.

Nicholai A BIG thank you for taking the time..
I I did use 12mm just over 1/2 ins Borosilicate rod
dont have any soada thats why it sounded bad ( sounds bad enough when I play it anyway )

I now know what you mean about the strap now Ive seen the pic..
I will be going to get some velcro tomorrow ( it's 12 midnight at the mo )and give it a try..Im not making excuses but ive had the guitar a week now and not much further than when i started.
Im sure you will know what I mean having been through the problems yourself..it is quiteoff putting as I realy want to learn..
Thank you once again for going out of you way to help
THANKS RdGs Paul

No problem! Glad to try to help. Good luck, keep us posted.

Paul Higgins wrote:... I'm not making excuses but ive had the guitar a week now and not much further than when i started...

Paul:

So what kind of lap steel did you get? I don't know what your background is but I wouldn't expect too much after one week. It takes awhile to learn how to hold the bar and use the metal fingerpicks (unless you already play banjo!) You might try mastering some of the various picking patterns until you get a steel that you are comfortable with. Or you could work on harmonics.

Good luck! I hope that these suggestions work for you.

Steve Ahola

P.S. Here's a link to a closed eBay auction. There is a link to a GS-1 near the bottom of the page but the seller is in Germany. Is that any better for you that the US?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SHUBB-GS1-DOBRO-W ... 5ad5a6ed59

or if you don't want to type all of that in try this instead:

http://tinyurl.com/ebayukgs1

anyone know where Billy Robinson gets those plastic bars?

Hi Steve The lap I had http://www.steelguitars.co.uk/SteelGuitars.htm
they are the only laps on there bottom of page
I surpose you get what you pay for but I just wanted to give it ago as Ive always wanted to play one..
Curcumstances at the mo give me a load of spare time so I thought now is the time to try..Buget is limited so I oped for that one..

I play keyboard so music theroy isent a problem..I only play for my own pleasure..I think I would struggle if some one put a strange peice in front of me that I hadent heard before with all the timings ect..

I play a little acustic guitar from back in the dinisaur days
A long story cut short my grandaughter lisa age 9 wanted a guitar for xmas at the time I dident know..and without me knowing it was dicided that, that would be ok cause grampa could play and he would be able to teach her
My wife turned up with this fender one day and then told me the plan, so of cause I had to go and get a cheep guitar, I hadent played for many years, ( infact when I played I dont think tabs had come to life, well that I knew off,
we learned off other friends copied the beatles stones ect and muddled through by ear...
This was before I had two lots of surgery on tendons in the weist that works the thumb and an other one for some caple tunnel thing.. so now my wrist is week. so I have been doing loads of practice..
This littel spark in the back of my mind came back to life so I started looking around at the steels..watched loads on youtube but No way could I aford a peddal so I opt for a lap (also thinking my wrist wouldent be a problem untill I found out I had to be able to pick up the steel to move it ( hadent give it a thought that the steel had to be picked up...)
The picking I dont think is going to be a big problem due to picking the acustic..I am finding some times 1st and 2nd fingers clash..I am having a go at the velcro today..not a lot of success the steel seems to heavy for the velcro to hold think it would if it had a flat top..
Hope I havent board you too much
RdGs Paul

I used 5 minute epoxy to attach the velcro to the bar. If you saturate the velcro with the epoxy first and clean the bar it will stick.

If you need to remove it later, soak in finger nail polish remover for a few minutes.

Nicholai I think Ive been doing it wrong...

you are not sticking the hookes peice on the bar and useing the other felt side on your finger

the sale peice is stook to the bar then comes\ over to make the finger piece am I right
Thanks RdGs Paul

I made a loop out of the velcro that matched my finger first. Chose the side that wouldn't need to open and put epoxy there, and on the bar. Then I held it until it started to firm up. Clean the bar with alcohol first.

I'm not sure I answered your question, I am a little confused.

Hi SUCCESS third attempt..

prob a bit high now with the nail polish remover..
over here they are doing nail polish remover with out acetone defets the object I think ! did get one with it in ..
I have epoxy resin 60 seconds but takes like 10 mins to set. and reading instructions takes 1hr to cure...but i think its right now..ill leave it hr then try it
Thanks again
what did we do before the internet...
RdGs Paul