Bar Drag

J. David Carrera · From: Los Angeles, CA

I'd heard of "bar drag" before but hadn't experienced it until a few days ago when I put a set of George L strings on my Emmons. There seems to be a lot of friction when sliding and doing longer slides up or down results in a lot of unwanted noise and vibration in the strings I'm not playing. Is this common with most strings?

I'm using an Ernie Ball bar right now but I'd like to get another. I hear about BJS and frozen bars and whatnot. Whats the best way to go? I'd like the heaviest 7/8ths bar I can find.

Thanks

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

It sounds like you put a set of stainless steel strings on your guitar.
And if you're using a stainless steel bar, that's a no-no!

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

David, may I suggest the SDF chromed brass bar? Brass is a little denser than steel, and the chrome makes it really hard.
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Jerry Kippola · From: UP Michigan, USA

I carry a birthday candle in my string case, and run it very lightly up the strings when they need it. The wax works as a dry lube

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

David Biggers · From: Texas, USA

just use finger ease .. I do... I notice when I am doing an outdoor show where it is pretty cold I have to do that.

Greg Cutshaw · From: Corry, PA, USA

Any good chrome or zirconium bar will solve your problem.

"Bar Drag" is a decent name for a pedal steel instrumental!

Scott Duckworth · From: Etowah, TN Western Foothills of the Smokies

J. David Carrera · From: Los Angeles, CA

Thanks for the help guys. I think stainless on stainless is my problem.

Would chromed or polished brass be as smooth as a BJS bar? What is it that makes BJS so slick?

Jerry Kippola · From: UP Michigan, USA

I had a cousin who lost all the skin on his hands w/ finger ease

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

The BJS is a chromed bar and they just do an exceptional job in getting it smoooooth!

John De Maille · From: On a Mountain in Upstate Halcottsville, N.Y.

I switched to stainless strings several years ago and wondered why my bar always felt like it was a little slower, no swishing, just slower. I think it was Jeff Newman who told me about the advantage of a chrome bar, so, I bought a BJS chrome bar and immediately noticed the difference. I only use a chrome bar now and I like the feel and sound coming from it. Now, I'm not promoting any brand of chrome bar, but, they do make a difference and I highly recommend them. It's just another thing to experiment with to find out what works for you among many other aspects of steel playing.

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

The only bar that comes close to the BJS is the zirconia bar. That also is a smooooth bar.

Don McGregor · From: Memphis, Tennessee

BJS is my top favorite. I also love my Zirconium bar. When I finally began using BJS bars, my unwanted string noise was enormously reduced, and the notes could not be any clearer.
Though hard to believe, the Zirc barfeels even slicker on the strings, producing even less string noise, and is very comfortable in my hand. However, comparing the two, I find the Zirc seems to muffle some of the highs a bit. The notes it produces are beautiful, but just a tiny bit softer around the edges, whereas the BJS produces a slightly brighter, clearer tone. I like and use them both. It's a bit like comparing a P-90 pickup (BJS) to a PAF Humbucker (Zirc). Both are really great, and each have their strengths.

Wayne Ledbetter · From: Arkansas, USA

I noted using a chrome bar and also a mention of Ernie Ball tone bar. Not sure if there are stainless ones without chrome but one of Ernie Ball bars are chrome. I have noticed that some bar companies do not really distinguish the coating or non coating. How does one know? I happen to see that looking for a chrome bar.
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Greg Cutshaw · From: Corry, PA, USA

"As a side light, I also used a zirconium bar on this recording and included a few pics of it below. It's a bit lighter than my BJS bar and they are both 3 3/8" long and 15/16" in diameter. The zirc is an excellent bar! I feel the zirc is slightly more slippery against the strings than the chrome BJS bar and has a small amount less sustain. Either bar is a really great product and I know users that prefer one over the other. I intend to keep both and will migrate to using the zirc on my dobro and on steel when I need to move the bar a bit quicker on faster songs."

If you can find one of the old Jim Dunlop hollow chrome bars with the red plug on the end I think you will find it has a more mellow tone than most and darn near as slippery as the Zirc bar. These are a bargain and sold for only $18 brand new. I think the newer Dunlop bars are stainless.

Pics here:

http://www.gregcutshaw.com/StroboPlusHD/StroboPlusHD.html

Steve Lipsey · From: Portland, Oregon, USA

Been hearing some really good stories from players I trust about the Cryo bars...have one coming in the mail, will see how it compares to my trusty BJS...

John Pearse Thermo-Cryonic Pedal Steel Tone Bar
http://www.steelguitarshopper.com/JP-B3/
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J. David Carrera · From: Los Angeles, CA

The only thing I still don't understand is what make BJS chrome bar so much better than the chrome Ernie Ball bar i've been using. Steven Gunder is making a chrome bar that's nice and heavy and I'm wondering if it'll be more like the BJS or Ernie Ball.

Steve Lipsey · From: Portland, Oregon, USA

Pearse Cryo bar arrived....very similar tone to BJS, but definitely more slippery, basically frictionless. I kind of like the very teensy drag of the BJS...keeps me from sliding too far..probably just a matter of getting used to it.
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Williams S10s, Milkman Pedal Steel Mini & "The Amp"
Ben Bonham Resos, 1954 Oahu Diana, 1936 Oahu Parlor

Herb Steiner · From: Briarcliff TX 78669, pop. 2,064

One thing about the wonderful BJS bar, and I've been using one since the late 1980's, is that if it even had the slightest mar in it after years of use, Bill Stroud would replace it immediately with a new bar.

I even mildly argued with him once about it, saying my old bar was completely fine, just a minute scar on the back end. He wouldn't have any of it; "I don't want one of my bars out in the world looking like that!"

That's the kind of wonderful man Bill Stroud was. America needs more men with pride in their work and product like him.
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Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg?

Curt Trisko · From: St. Paul, Minnesota, USA

I use a steel bar on stainless strings. If hadn't seen this thread I wouldn't have known I was doing anything wrong. Now I won't be able to get it off my mind! Ah well, I was thinking of buying a new bar anyway to experiment with it being longer and a smaller circumference.

Willie Sims · From: PADUCAH, KY, USA

I think I read something somewhere a bout the difference between chromeplated bars and the stainless steel bars could be checked with a magnet the magnet was supposed to stick to one or the other bars. I'm not sure which bar the magnet would adhere to. If anyone knows please let us know .

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

A stainless bar is non-magnetic.

David Mason · From: Cambridge, MD, USA

I've been getting fond of both brass and non-stainless, ferrous steel as things to play with. They take a tiny bit more care to avoid corrosion, but they roll off various amouts of the +6K frequencies that are of no great pleasure to my ears. And plastic... and crystal... and and and....

Ross Shafer · From: Petaluma, California

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