The Steel Guitar Forum

Anyone got ideas?When I got my 1975 steel,4 yrs ago it was virtually dingless,anyway I let a nephew of mine play it a couple of years ago and he lost interest fast and then dropped the bar between necks heavily dinging it.Just tonight I did the same by accident as I dropped the bar,and thought to myself,enough is enough,here is my short term fix,possibly even long term.It is a modified old leather belt with double sided tape underneath,hopefully the tape will not damage the finish long term,peace of mind Graham.

When I was playing a D-10 I fitted and glued a piece of naugahide (is naugahide made anymore?) to the area. The piece was close enough in color to the steel so it wasn't really noticeable. Worked for me.

edit: naugahide, or naugahyde: a soft plastic with cloth backing similar to a tablecloth, comes on a roll and sold by the foot.

Allan Jirik wrote:
edit: naugahide, or naugahyde: a soft plastic with cloth backing similar to a tablecloth, comes on a roll and sold by the foot.

Hobby Lobby, any cloth/craft store. I cut a matching piece of formica, and glued soft backing on it.

Bill

I took a piece of that black spongy rubber shelf liner stuff Rubbermaid makes..and cut it to fit between the necks, it even protects the edges of the neck too.. stays put when I pack it up, comes off when I clean it, and no adhesive.

Allan Jirik wrote:When I was playing a D-10 I fitted and glued a piece of naugahide (is naugahide made anymore?) to the area. The piece was close enough in color to the steel so it wasn't really noticeable. Worked for me.

edit: naugahide, or naugahyde: a soft plastic with cloth backing similar to a tablecloth, comes on a roll and sold by the foot.

How much do you need..I have a bunch of cut off pieces..Now it isnt called naugahyde ,or at least the company I purchase from..They call it ENDURATEX

To each their own but I just don't get it. Most dings happen when the place between necks is used for resting the bar. As one goes to put the bar down it slips the last inch or so from the fingers and there's another ding or nick.

At the risk of sounding arrogant, again, I'm sorry, I just don't get it. Don't put the bar down between the necks. Get in the habit of laying it between the 5th & 6th strings on the tuner/machine head. Way simple and a zero possibility of dings. Only a very, very few keyhead designs don't permit it. It's a simple habit which is way more preferable to looking at those bar dings forever.

Naugas have been on the Endangered Species List since 1977, when it was estimated that fewer that 500 still existed in the wild.

Eric, I have always rested my bar on the strings there, but the dings I have received over the years have happened from those who sat in and then haphazardly sat the bar down on the guitar when they were finished, so, better safe than sorry ….. IMO, the only real way to avoid guitar dings of almost any kind, is to own a Formica guitar.

Picks, bar (s) and tuning wrench all in one place. It only takes an extra 10 seconds to mount it to the leg. This has been discussed before on the forum but I still feel this is the best answer for lacquer as well as mica. I think Bobbe sells them a little cheaper. Although I do like Cal Sharps idea when you stop playing to take a sip of your beer make sure you stand the bar up next to the neck at the proper fret so when you return you remember what key you are in.
http://qwikstix.com/OnLineStore/index.p ... f445d27074

When I had a lacquer Legrande I had a piece of plexi glass cut to fit in the space between the necks. The only thing was once a string broke unexpectedly and I was startled then dropped the bar ahead of the front neck leaving a ding in the deck and then it fell leaving a ding in the pedal bar.Nice try.

I do rest the bar between 5th and 6th string but have dinged when the bar slipped from my fingers and also recently dropped the bar at front of fretboard and dinged the pedal rack as well,Good suggestions guys thanks Graham

My dings were caused by the bar slipping from my fingers when I was learning to play. I haven't dinged my new guitar, though I've dropped the bar on the floor a couple times. S#@! happens, no matter how careful you are. I had a strap on my Dobro with a "pick pocket" and I got accustomed to slipping my Stevens bar in there. After a performance as I getting out from under the strap, the bar slipped out of the pocket and hit the guitar's side. Let's see, an object falls at 16 ft. per second squared I believe, and that bar made a pretty good dent.

If you really hate the bar dings, then you can put nearly any material between the necks to guard against it. Do watch out for any adhesives though, as most of them will have some unwanted finish interaction. Long term, there is some possibility of the finish fading differently where it is covered up, as it has reduced exposure to the sun.
Personally, a couple dings don't really bother me. The first ding in a new guitar means that it is finally mine. .... that said, I do hate to see a guitar that has been abused.....

and don't let jerks sit in on your axe.