The Steel Guitar Forum

Havent been playin real long and im using the bar that came with the steel and its stainless. My instinct tells me a chrome bar is smoother and less noisy, am i mistaken ? The stainless sounds a little noisy to me the more i play. Whats a good chrome bar to use? Also i see alot of guys using those blue thumbpicks , whats the story with those?Are they different than , say a regular national thumbpick? Thanks , Bob

I have never used a stainless bar. But I have used stainless strings. Some have said that stainless strings and a chrome bar tend to create more friction or "drag" between the bar and the strings (dissimilar metals or something like that) and that a stainless bar is better with stainless strings. (That having been said, then wouldn't a chrome bar and nickel strings create the same effect?)

I prefer nickel strings and use a BJS chrome bar. But I'm hardly any expert...

Seymour says the opposite, you shouldn't use the same material for bar and strings. Using a stainless bar with stainless strings causes galling.

Ooops. Maybe I got it backwards. Then again, I never could understand anything Seymour says...

No no what Bobbe said is when your in a bar
don't drink from a metal cup.
Makes sense.
BJS... are the bar.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Chuck McGill on 20 August 2002 at 02:58 PM.]</p></FONT>

I used to use various chrome bars but there was always something that didn´t feel quite right about them. Now I have an Emmons stainless steel bar and am totally happy with it. It actually helped me to improve my left hand technique and overall sound. I´ll NEVER go back to a chrome bar again. Of course, this is just what works for ME.

Regards, Joe H.

Side by side, on nickel strings (only strings I've ever used), my chrome BJS bar slides slicker, quieter than my stainless bar. I want to say that it has slightly brighter tone too but the BJS is heavy & 1", the ss bar is lighter and 15/16" so it's an apples/oranges comparison. They both have better tone than an apple or an orange.

If you can't tell the difference, then it doesn't matter which one you use. If you can tell the difference, then there is no choice at all. It has to be chrome. Still having trouble Mark?
Joe Henery, the reason the stainless bar feels better is because it sticks to your skin slightly better, making it slightly easier to handel, but it also sticks to the strings slighly better hurting sustain and the ability to slide (slightly) . Yes, stainless steel bars against stainless steel strings is NOT the way to go for best performance. Chrome against stainless steel is the choice of pro's for many years.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 20 August 2002 at 03:51 PM.]</p></FONT>

I also use a BJS. Very good bar. I tried a stanless steel bar once but it seemed to have more drag on the strings.

Used to use chrome but found the strings cut grooves into the bar and it would hook and make unwanted sounds.
I've used an Emmons stainless steel bar since then and have found the musical tones to be great! No plans to change or even consider it.

Like I said Ray, If you can't tell the difference, it doesn't matter.

<SMALL>Used to use chrome but found the strings cut grooves into the bar and it would hook and make unwanted sounds.</SMALL>

Ray, I wonder if this is related to the particular chrome bar that you were using. I can't imagine something like that happening with my BJS bars. They are both as new looking as the day I bought them-not even tiny marks on the surface.

On the other hand, the Jim Dunlop stainless bar (I suppose not the best stainless bar available), started developing marks and drag immediately upon use.

That Emmons bar sounds like it might be a pretty good example for stainless. For me, the improvement in tone with a BJS is such that I can't ever imagine using something like the Dunlop stainless again.

Playing with old strings will cut grooves in <u>any</u> bar...been there, done that!

New strings are much easier on the bar (any bar), and yes...chrome is "faster" than stainless.

Next?

I use a BJS bar and am completely happy with it. Would not change for any thing.

I use both and can't tell any difference. I have to look to see which one is in use. Chuck Wright made my stainless bar 36 years ago and it still looks and sounds great.

If you polish a stainless bar with any chrome or metal polish, you will be amazed at how "slick and smooth" it will be on the strings. The process of chrome palting involves polishing the metal several times, beyween coatings, while a plain stainless bar is polished just once. I like the Jim Burden bar stainless bar, he does a great job polishing them. But I still give it a little polish now and then.

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Bill Moore

my steel guitar web page

I prefer a chrome bar because of less drag on the strings. And I also prefer a BJS bar because of the high quality and the super nice guy that makes them. I wouldn't want to hurt his feelings by using any other bar!
Also, I like nickel strings for the tone. I grew up in the old school that appreciated a fuller, richer tone from their steel. The stainless strings give a thinner tone in my humble opinion.
Uff-Da!

Depends on what type of stainless steel your talking about. If the bar is made from a 300 series stainless (i.e. 303,304,316,321 etc.) you cannot heat treat it and therefore being "soft" (RC 20) will cause more drag and wear quicker. I made a bar for myself out of 400 series stainless (440C) which is a heat treatable stainless. Once I had the rough machining done I had it heat reated to 60-62 RC (which is harder than a wedding night...... uh, you get the picture) then I had it centerless ground and polished. Because of the hardness it glides over the strings and does not wear at all, as a matter a fact I have dropped it onto concrete a few times and there is not a scratch on it.

The chrome bars I have seen were all soft steel (most likely 1018, 1215 etc.) and chrome plated for a hard surface. The only problem with these type of bars is that when you drop them they will dent. Chrome is very hard but it is also very thin and cannot protect a soft material underneath.

My reccommendation is to go with a fully heat treated bar if you can.

Just my $.02 worth.

Bob, I basically have to agree with Bobbye Seymore, but as your skills develope,you will
probably become more discriminating and the quality of various bars run the gamut. On a scale of 1 to 10, an Ernie Ball might rate
a 4 and a BJS might rate a 10, but the EB will only cost you $20, whereas the BJS is nearer to$50. This is not to put down EB. Ernie simply made a useable, decent bar at
an affordable price, whereas, BJS spared no expense and went for the best. Take your time and find what sounds the best and feels right to you. That's the only way you'll really be happy. Oh, and the most expensive one is not necessarily the one that will make you happy. I have one with grooves in it that I'll gladly sell for $500. ha!

Well, O.K., since no one has commented on those thumb picks, here goes! Years ago there was a blue thumbpick that was highly favored because it had just the right amount of flex, would stay on your thumb, & lasted a long time without breaking. Bobbye Seymore may still have a source for the originals, but all of the blue ones I've seen in recent years fall far short of the quality those had. There are plenty of good choices,however, and it comes back to what works for you. Some folks like a wide,hefty pick, some like thin and narrow. Remember, some guys have large hands, others are small.
My hands are not tiny, but are probably considered as being "small". For me, the white Nationals(w/the narrow tips) are just fine, but I still use others from time to time. Seymore, can you still get the old blue thumbpicks? Inquiring minds want to know!!
W.C.

Bobbe,
I can´t complain about my sustain and slides to me actually sound better now than they used to. Maybe that´s also because, after lots and lots of trouble and experimenting, I believe I finally found the right way to tune this particular guitar. Everyone´s telling me it sounds right now. I really feel that this, and also the new bar, got me one step closer to where I want to get. I don´t believe all pros use chrome bars, either. Sure in the old days they didn´t, that´s where most of my steel "culture" comes from... I got turned on to the Emmons bar by a very prominent player who has seen it all and knows what works. It´s up to everyone´s personal preferences, isn´t it.

Your buddy, Joe

I prefer my zirconia bar over my BJS (which I think is chrome), unless I want to sound real country. For most things, the zirconia is smoother and mellower.

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<small><img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (F Diatonic) Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6)

Thanks everybody, For all the good info,im gonna get one of those chrome plated bars.Wheres the best place to get one of those BJS bars? I tell ya ,this is great gettin advice from one of the "real deal" steel players. Thanks again Bob

I understand what you are saying Joe, This works best for you, this is what you should have . I respect that very much. I have trouble with your saying that you are playing that bar because some "star player" said to use it instead of you evaluating it yourself and using your own personal taste to make up your own mind. I'm sure you have been playing long enough and hear well enough to make a choice on your own. I do respect YOUR choice, not the choice of a "starplayer" that may be getting free bars or whatever to sway the desisions of trusting admirers. I don't subscribe to the theory "that if it's good enough for ole' Buddy,Jimmy, John,Paul, it's good enough for me." I know what's good enough for me, only the best. Joe, I'm not picking on you at all and like I said, I do respect YOUR opinion, (more than your opinion of others).
Your buddy, Bobbe <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 22 August 2002 at 04:53 PM.]</p></FONT>

And, Joe, don't worry about what "everyone else says" you sound like , you are a better judge that they are about what you sound like. You study it, they don't. Don't sell yourself short! Get back here to the states and get a good road job out of Nashville(if there is such a thing) and suffer the way the rest of us have. Ha! Ha! Most of all ,, just get back here Joe!
Bobbe