The Steel Guitar Forum

hi, i'm sure this topic has been addressed, but was wondering if i could get it all in a concise way in one place!
i'm trying to experiment with a different bar on my weissenborn, that might be quieter with less scraping/string noise etc., i currently have a latch lake brozophonic? any experiences with quieter bars ? suggestions? thanks!

IME the absolute quietest bar is the TriboTone, produced in Austin, TX. I've got one and it's scary quiet.

http://www.tribotone.com/

Unfortunately Eric is not taking orders at this time... looks like he'll start back up around Nov 1st... you can call and confirm this.

BJS makes the slickest chrome bars I've found... they must lay it on thick and polish it well, because it's as flawless as they come. They're about the same price as TriboTone, which is on the order of $60-$80... not cheap. The best never is.

Just read you're playing acoustic... probably a bar with a handle on it. These guys may not have what you want... I don't see one on TriboTone's website.

Tribo-Tone indeed!

I haven't played many different bars in my life, only two actually. I started with a Dunlop steel bar--I think 908 is the model number--and then I switched to the Tribotone B Weight bar. The Tribotone is far quieter than the Dunlop.

Tony L.

TriboTone, for sure. Also easier to hold onto than steel, but paradoxically, more slippery on the strings.

thanks guys, will check out the tribotone, im using a bullet bar at the moment just FYI. what is the tribotone made of ? maybe ill google first....

The moment I saw your post I dove in to say Tribotone, but I see others have already done that.
I have many different types of tone bar in many different materials, and the Tribotone is by far the quietest.
It's also the warmest in cold weather. It won't freeze your hand like a steel bar does.

It's made of lead, covered with a high-impact plastic.

Clayton glass bar (dark green almost black)or the red Rajah. I use both on my Weissenborn.

Thanx,
jim

Sebastian Müller wrote:I would also consider flat top strings like these ones:
http://www.thomann.de/gb/daddario_eft13 ... phonic.htm
to bring down the slide noise, really does make a difference.

You should think twice before using flatwound strings on a steel guitar. The subject has been discussed many times, and the general opinion seems to be overwhelmingly negative. Check out these links...
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/search.php?mode=results
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... =flatwound
The opinions come from some of the masters, who should know.

The D'Addario EFT13's in phosphor bronze and the GHS 1600's in nickel are not really flat wounds. They are so-called semi-flats for resophonic guitars. The only other dobro player in my area, a staunch traditionalist, uses the EFT13's and I've used the 1600's for several years. There seems to be a slight noise reduction without noticeable sacrifice of tone or volume as compared to corresponding round wounds.

I think that nothing beats one of Jay's Paloma Stone bars for a W-type hollowneck acoustic hawaiian- it is like a match made in heaven. I don't think that they are as slick as the TriboTones but I would like to hear from someone who has tried both.

You can check Jay's website for all of the different lengths, diameters and styles that are available (he makes slides, shaped tone bars and round tone bars):

http://www.stoneslides.com/products

Steve Ahola

P.S. I have the semi-flat "ground round" strings on some of my steels and they seem to be a good compromise between round wound and the flat "tape wound" strings (they start off with round wound strings and then grind the outside surface down.) I don't find the "tape wound" to be useful on guitar or steel. In any case the semi-flat strings are smoother than round wound strings but I don't think that they are as bright or that they last as long as plain old wound strings.

I think that proper muting techniques eliminate most of the noise from the strings that you aren't playing.

Alan Brookes wrote:You should think twice before using flatwound strings, the general opinion seems to be overwhelmingly negative. The opinions come from some of the masters, who should know.

After thinking twice, think again how THE Master (of Touch and Tone) always used flats, and managed a decent career in spite of it.
Most folk want the bright Fender-ish sound, Byrd prefered the "spookier" sound flats can give, in the right hands.

I have a Stringmaster T3 strung 2 necks with D'Addario flatwounds... the tone is great, the feel is great, I love 'em. C6/E13, I mix the light and regular sets I can get at my local GC. They sound 'fruitier' than rounds.

Ron Whitfield wrote:After thinking twice, think again how THE Master (of Touch and Tone) always used flats, and managed a decent career in spite of it.

Good point. I was wondering if he used flatwound strings on the dobro he used on TV with Marty Robbins.

Not that I have seen a lot of steel guitar strings from the 30's and 40's in cases but they have all been flatwound.

Steve Ahola

P.S. How about the Western Swing players in the 40's- did most of them use round wound or flat wound strings on their D-8's and T-8's?

P.P.S. Has anyone tried coated strings on their steels?