The Steel Guitar Forum

On a recent trip to a music store in Canada, I picked up a sitar bar on a whim - I guess they had a problem moving it off the shelf because it was marked down really low...I couldn't resist. The thing is, this bar seems pretty darn big and heavy...

I have been using a pretty modest size bar (the same one I've always used - originally bought with a 6-string lap steel)..Don't have the dimensions available right now, though...

My question is: are sitar bars purposely bigger or heavier to help achieve that sitar effect, or is my judgement just out of whack from using a smaller bar?

[Sorry I can't provide any dimensions or weight - I don't have the bar with me at the moment]

Paul Franklin Sr. made this one.


I's light and small. Works well.

Thanks, Joey - I've never seen a bar like that (you learn something every day!) - the one I got up north is cylindrical with a quarter-inch flat area. It's a Dunlop, 1" x 3-3/4"...

Anyhow, I think I solved the mystery by surfing around the net reading different bar sizes. My original bar (the only one I've ever used) is 7/8" x 3-1/4"... I guess I've been using a bar that's intended for 6 or 8 string steels on my Single-10? Leave it to the new kid...

Man, steel players get all the chicks, man

Yeah, there have to be *some* perks for us guys who sit off to the side crunching numbers to find chords all night!

Nathan,

I got one of those sitar bars, and yes, they are heavy. I think to get the best sitar effect you need to not press down any on the bar, but just let the weight do the work. That said, I quickly lost interest in the "sitar effect." Guess if I wanted that, I'd learn the sitar.

But the bar is still useful as a warm up aid. I like to use it round-side-down for a while when I start playing, so that when I grab the regular bar, it really feels light. Sort of like baseball players swinging a weighted bat before they go to the plate.

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Bob Shilling, Berkeley, CA--MSA S10, "Classic"

I have the same Dunlop sitar bar Nathan has. It's a very good bar BTW. I've tried other sitar bars and this one seems to be the best.

At any rate, when I bought it, I seem to recall is being listed spacifically as designed for 12 strings. I could be mistaken, but I think there was a little sign that said "12 string sitar bar."

The sitar bar I got is 3 and 3/4" long - is that the accepted length for a 12-string bar?

Speaking of bad habits, anyone see any harm in using the round side of the sitar bar as one's "main" bar? I've been trying it and it sounds fine now that I'm used to the weight - plus having the flat side on top acts as a "guide" or "handle" for my left hand index finger... Then the sitar effect is just a bar-roll away, right?

Thanks very much for the input, everyone - and keep the info coming. Sorry if I'm overkilling this topic, but I'd hate for my one "bargain bin" purchase to develop any bad habits!

Nathan,
The sitar bar is another once-in-a-great-while effect that you shouldn't have to use all the time just because it's made to do so. Keep it handy but use a bar that feels right for your work. I have a round bar with a sitar strip, and the thing I like most about it is being able to lay it on a table without rolling off. When it's not on a table, it's usually buried somewhere in my pack-a-seat. If memory serves me correct, the last time I used it was 1987. I'm still waiting for the right tune to come along though, so I can use it again.

Thanks a million, Buddy. I certainly don't want to overdo the sitar effect... As a new player, I guess I just don't trust my instincts yet when it comes to gear, etc.

And let me say it's a real honor to get advice from ALL of you pro steelers, not to mention a master such as yourself, E!

My best,
Nathan

Never had the chance to play one, but am currently working on a track that needs a sitar, and my sitar samples(synth) are pretty lifeless. Do these things sound like the real deal. Any recording that use a sitar bar that I can check out?

Thanks,

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Mattman in "The Big Sleazy"-:
S-10 Dekley, Suitcase Fender Rhodes, B-bender Les Paul

Tim McGraw -- "Please Remember Me"
LeeAnn Womack -- "I hope you dance"

Toby Keith - "My List" (intro)

<SMALL> I'm still waiting for the right tune to come along ...</SMALL>

My band sometimes plays Norwegian Wood. I use the bar on that song.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Mike Perlowin on 31 October 2002 at 04:08 PM.]</p></FONT>