Ken Byng These bars are the single biggest factor that you can have to improve your playing and tone. =D
Ken Byng said
16 August at 11:40
Kudos to Basil Henriques's bar that I used over the weekend. The more I used it the more that I came to the conclusion that it has really improved my tone. I am not on commission (yet - ha) and can truthfully say that this item is one of the biggest game changers for steel players that they can get for the money. An absolutely brilliant product. Tone is so important to me, and the Ezee Slide tone bar is definitely the way to go.
Quote from a new user "Basil! Having just tried out the bar, I can state that it is everything I'd hoped - virtually noiseless, light, smooth, and even beautiful. It is a fine product, and will absolutely be my "go-to" bar, except for times where I need a little more weight.. At some point, I will purchase a heavier bar from you, for a complete set!
"I am very very impressed with the bar, and will absolutely recommend it to everyone - great price for what you receive, as well.
Thank you very much, Basil. I am most satisfied"
Lee Jeffriess‎ to Fender Non Pedal Steel Guitar
6 hrs
I'm as happy as a ''pig in shit'' with my new 7/8 to 3/4 tapered bar from Ezzee slide, I started hunting down vintage Black Rajah's 20 odd years ago. I fell in love with their softer tone, but they are ''time bombs'' you just have to look at them wrong and they fracture ! they came straight and tapered and its the latter that always felt the most comfortable. About 5 years ago I got a Tribotone K bar and retired the Rajah's, the K bar's larger dia and added weight were a nice change of pace and the fact that the new plastics are indestructible and sound the same as the vintage material were all major pluses for me, but I always wished it was tapered ! Then along comes Basil picking up where Tribotone left off ! As soon as I found out what he was doing, I asked could you make me a 7/8'' to 3/4'' at 3, 3/16 bar ? and he said ''Ezzee Pezzee'' ! I am extremely happy with this bar, it is sincerely the most natural feeling bar I've held ! and that ''tone'', also plastic bars are quiet, very low handling noise. I totally recommend Basil's product, I think anyone of any style would benefit from having a well crafted plastic bar in their arsenal
Phil Morgan I've got to agree Lee, totally! I got back from Spain with the family last Thursday night. I had ordered two bars from Basil (3/4 & 7/8). They were waiting for me at work, as I had asked for them to be delivered there. I opened the box, put the 7/8 in my hand and straight away it felt right. The same with the 3/4 and after an hour of settling myself into work, I stopped, left my desk, sat at my '1000......just great! Totally warm and tonefull and easy to use. I've always had problems with "bullet" bars either slipping or feeling like they are starting to slip out of my hand resulting in using an SP2 more than I've wanted. Both of these just stay put....fabulous!
Playing up in London tonight and using them - cannot wait! From me and hearing what Basil Henriques has done for you with the "taper", I would suggest any player with a desire or the slightest thought that they may want to go "this way" to do it!
And Christopher. Other:->
I received my bar today - incredible packaging, pure beauty of a bar!
Oh my - now THIS is class! My new Ezzee-slide...
Thank you very very very much - absolutely stunning.
From Finland :->
Hi Basil..... At last my bar was in may post box! But there is something strange going on! The´first bar has copied it self??? The copy looks almost like the first one or the other way
I run down to my Music room and gut stuck there for an hour or more! Ezzee slide is very nice in my hand. I am amazed about the smoth friction against the strings!
This will be recommended by me to my steeling friends. I will for sure take a small video to put up on FB for all steelers to see and hear later!
Super nice!
Thank you very much Basil.
All the best to you and your wife.
I sent him a choice, the bar he ordered and one that had the most unusual "Tiger Stripe" markings..Strange things can happen in the polymer cooling process.
HI Basil. Hahaha,,,, I just found your letter in the box that the bars came in! No way that I send one bar back. I gonna keep them both. How much do I owe you for the second bar? Can I send to you over PayPal? or just a normal bank transaction?
Just let me know. The bars is very nice!
Regards
Uffe
And wouldn't you know that a Pirate would appreciate the "Pirate's Chest" box the bar comes in..
Quote "Well, well... My friendly postal representative brought a package from overseas today. I'm loving the tone and feel of both bars. Great work done by you and your thousands of employees!
Thanks,
Jim
Arrrrr... T'was sent from me EyePad
David Hartley said; "I used one of these bars at the weekend for the whole time I was playing some steel. It really is smooth, the weight was good for me and Basil made it with the same dimensions as my BJS John Hughey bar. It is one I will use a lot of the time. It does have no noise I could hear on the slides I used, and sustain was as good as a steel bar. The tone was a bit more mellow than the BJS. You would be pleasantly surprised with the Ezzee-slide bar. David Hartley..
Ken Byng said "Here is a piece that I wrote this morning on the British Steelies web site. "Well while on the subject of Tribo-Tone Basil, Maurice Anderson gave me a TT bar quite a few years ago as a gift. I wasn't enamoured by it too much at first, but it did improve after a bit of use. While the Ezzee Slide looks identical to the TT bar, there is a substantive difference on first use. Basil's bar is much slicker, so it is apparent that he has used a different type of polymer to Eric Ebner, manufacturer of the TT bar. My Tribo-Tone bar is on its way to one of my pupils as it is redundant.
I bought a 1" Ezzee bar after buying one of Ben Burrow's excellent 1" stainless bars recently. While the Ezzee is considerably lighter in use to Ben's bar, it still weighs in around 7.5 ounces. Also in use, the Ezzee bar is very slick on the strings and easy to manipulate on faster passages. The big difference between the Ezzee bar and my stainless and chromed steel bars is a slightly mellower tone on the unwound strings, which is a big plus for my personal taste. To'ing and fro'ing between polymer and steel bars highlighted the more metallic tone of the latter on the unwound strings, which is pretty logical. The tone of the Ezzee bar on the strings is more pleasing to my ears.
Overall, I am very impressed with Basil's bar and while it is priced at 2 or 3 times the cost of a traditional stainless or chromed bar, it must be remembered that the manufacturing process of his bars is way more complex. It comes in a nice presentation box complete with drawstring bag for both the bar plus a second one for storing picks. I will still continue to use my all metal bars, but having the Ezzee bar in my armoury means that it will be my primary 'go to' bar"."
Well, well... My friendly postal representative brought a package from overseas today. I'm loving the tone and feel of both bars. Great work done by you and your thousands of employees!Â
Thanks,
Jim
Hi Basil,
The new bar arrived today.
It seems quite wonderful, thanks!
(I compare against my old Dunlop bars)
It'll be interesting to see how it ages.
Hi Basil,
The bar seems quite wonderful.
I'm not that experienced a player,
But I sure like the slick and quiet compared to my old Dunlop.
Best,
Preston
Basil,
I just finished my first show minutes ago with the 7/8 bar and it was great. Hot day, outside in the sun and I had no problem hanging on to it. I'm an intermediate player at best, so take this with that in mind, but it seems the best of steel and Tribotone. Super low string noise, no string resistance, and a brighter tone than Tribotone. I wouldn't change a thing. The 3/4 bar was a gift for a friend. the tone and feel are great. I have Burden, Tribotone, and BJS in that size and I like the Ezzee-slide better than all of those. Great job engineering these beasts.Â
Hi Basil
The bar is great, no need to worry about any modifications. As some of your other users have already commented there is a noticeable warmness to the tone on the unwound strings which I really like and prefer. It will definitely be first choice from now on. Plus being white it looks cool with the white guitar
Regards
Les
Hello Basil
the sound is perfect: quiet and warm.
Many congratulations
Giovanni
Â
JSG Damn,
I received my Ezzee-slide from Basil Henriques and can't tell how much I love it!!!! It's a huge upgrade from my BJS bar!!! Wow good job mr Henriques!
Jim Newberry.
I'll chime in from the upper left coast of Amerikay to say that I got two bars delivered last week. I'm no great shakes of a player, but I am truly impressed. I play non-pedal early country, some Hawaiian, and Cajun music. I bought a 7/8" bar for use with my 8-strings and a 3/4" bar as a gift for a pal who's lusted after my other "polymer" bars which are not currently available. The Ezzee-slide seems the best of all worlds; it is easy to grip, has very low string noise or friction, but is nearly as bright as the top-shelf metal bars I have. It's heavier than my other polymer 7/8" bar and I perceived significant improvement in sustain.
Great job, Basil!
Will Cowell
Bar arrived this morning, Basil, I'm just trying it right now. Feels great, a good fit in my hand, you have the dimensions spot-on. The reduced weight is not a problem, and the tone is - well, difficult to describe. On the one hand, mellower, but on the other, there is a very nice "definition" to it - a sort of "bite" without harshness. That sounds contradictory, but there it is.
A.N. Other: They're both well after their trip to Spain.....haha! Seriously, they are a pleasure to play with. As I've been using the Wright' and a Dual Pro, the larger 7/8 has been used more; I feel more comfortable with that one. I really am happy with them. I was showing them and recomending to a Uk friend plus two American friends of mine this past weekend . Thankyou for producing these fine, essential bit of equipment.
Jim Sliff said “Quick post - still kind of tough to sit up and type post-surgery and it's tedious to post from the iPhone or iPad.
But this is important. Sneaky's old bar - the 3 1/2" x 1 1/4"->1 1/8" , One-pound bar made from aerospace material (reportedly at Convair in San Diego - I have the slightly-smaller of his two) is officially semi-retired! It'll be used, but only on special occasions.
The reason? Well, I have tried empty-zillion bars. Typical 5/8" bars been like a piece of uncooked spaghetti, and I have a bunch of wonderful synthetic bars made by David Mason, but those are also "special use" bars (all being far lighter than "Sneaky"). Also tried several high-end bars, none of while really impressed me.
Well - I got a custom Ezzee-Slide Baz made for me - 3 1/2 x 1 3/8 x 1 1/8, 8.75oz (on my cheap scale) and it blows them all out of the water. The size is close enough to "Sneaky" that my sight-line is essentially the same, the weight (a little over half of what I've been using) is FAR easier to move around with - but the really stunning things are the tone, sustain, and complete absence of string noise. It sustains as well as the 1# bar (and the size/weight was intended to improve sustain on Sneaky's 400...improved tone was a bonus); the tone has the same clarity with just hair more warmth; and the polymer Baz uses seems to be completely frictionless.
Some players have posted on boards over the years that bar vibrato friction is critical to improving sustain. I've always doubted that, and felt it was the change in harmonics (due to string length) that increased sustain - although if you had a bar as rough as sandpaper it'd activate a string. The Ezzee-Slide absolutely proves the point. It's an absolutely incredible tool I highly endorse for both pedal and lap/console steel. Oh - and the recessed base FINALLY allows my weirdly-shaped left hand to do backwards-slants correctly.
Even the packaging is stunning - a wooden box with a logo burned into the top, a beautiful knit protective bag, and a spare black velvet bag (for those less adventurous).
Order one, and let Baz know what you need - he's custom making these things to order and can vary the dimensions AND weight (within reason). Trust me, you won't be sorry (and I am the most anal feel/tone freak you'll even find save Eric Johnson...).“
Jim Sliff It is interesting how it does not slip at all in your hand (like a chrome or stainless bar - it actually seems to adhere in a way) yet slides like a demon on the strings!
Anyway, it's a hit, I really like it, and thank you for doing it so quickly.
George Redmon
Hi Basil,
Please forgive me for not getting back to you sooner. I know how very busy you are and I simply didn't want to be a bother. The ezzee~slide bar is excellent. Your eye for detail, close tolerances, and balance are amazing. More sustain, no string drag even on stainless strings. Feels comfortable in my hand and well balanced. This is exactly what I have been searching for in a tone bar, nothing comes close. I am starting to develop arthritis in my hands and wrist. Because you went the extra mile for me with the ezzee~slide, I know it will extend my playing time, with much less discomfort. Again thank you for making this for me, it really means a lot to me. I will spread the word and promote your excellent product among steel guitarist, at my gigs, and steel shows I play and attend. I now wouldn't dream of playing my Whitney keyless or Williams Keyless steel guitars without my ezzee~slide bar.
Respectfully Yours,
George Redmon.
‎Gary Victorine‎ to Basil Henriques
7 mins · Western Springs, IL, United States ·
Hi Basil; so, I received the Ezzee-Slide bar you'd sent me a couple of weeks ago, and I was really liking it when playing steel at home. But I wanted to wait until I played a couple of gigs with it before I weighed in. Stage performance is the true test, for me.
So, this past weekend I played two gigs, both of which were around three hours of actual playing. I had on deck four bars -- a 7/8"" steel bar, a 3/4" steel bar, a 7/8" nylon bar for dobro effects, and finally the 7/8" "Basil Bar". I thought I was going to have to force myself to use the Ezzee-Slide to give it a fair shake. But no.
To the contrary, I used the Ezzee-Slide most of the night each time, and every time I tried to go back to the steel bars for comparison, I was disappointed -- and went back immediately to the Ezee-Slide. Very nice warm, musical sound; super-quick sliding around up and down the fingerboard with so little drag; no rattle at the first fret; easy to grip. As far as I can tell, there is a slight reduction in sustain, but I'm more than willing to accept that in light of the other advantages of the Ezzee-Slide. This is an impressive product, my friend, and I will be ordering more of them.
A lot has been written already about Basil Henriques' Ezzee-Slide tone bars, but I wanted to take a moment to personally thank Basil for his amazing work and give some thoughts on these bars. I am fairly new to the instrument so these words may resonant best with some of the less advanced players who are thinking of getting an Ezzee-Slide. I went with the 7/8"x 3.3125" size in black. Right out of the box the bar just felt right in my hand. What I love about the bar is that it has all the sustain and weight of a big bar without being too heavy and taxing on my hand. Fatigue is never an issue with this bar. I can sit and play for hours and it feels great the whole time. The sound is mellow and warm but articulate. There is no muddiness to the sound. It has wonderful sustain and I find that with harmonics and single notes it really sounds amazing. It produces a pointed bell like quality to each note unlike my other bars. The action of the bar is fast and very quiet. I also love that the bar stays warm in my hand unlike a cold steel bar, especially with winter rapidly approaching. In addition to being a great bar, there is something special about knowing that Basil crafts each one of these by hand and that each one is really a labor of love from start to finish. When I am playing and I feel it in my hand and hear it's sound, it inspires me. It's rare these days to have something hand made with such great quality. It is worth every penny and much more. Basil was so helpful in consulting with me to recommend the right size that was suited best for my guitar and playing style. Do yourself a favor and invest in one and you won't regret it. - Nick Fryer (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Ken Byng
21 November at 11:17
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Thank you to Basil for the very kind entry above. I have been a long time admirer of Basil's playing since the 1960's. I can't praise his polymer bars enough. Every time I use mine it puts a smile on my face. All that I can say is that if you are serious about your tone, you must try one of his bars. They smooth out the top strings on a steel guitar, particularly the (sometimes) problematic 3rd string on E9. I have received so many compliments about my tone since using the Ezzee-slide tone bar, which is extremely gratifying. =D
Daniel Mitchel Glasgow UK
I can't believe how much more control the Ezzee-slide has given me.
Movement with it is so, for want of a better word, 'EASY', that my first attempts saw me overshooting the mark!
To summarise; great feel, terrific tone, sweet sustain, fast action and absolutely no bar fatigue. It's an excellent product. I love it. Thank you Basil.
Basil,
Thank you for stepping up and getting this product on the market. I have owned or played almost every bar in the steel universe, and yours is by far the best. I love the grip and the feel of the Ezzee-slide, and the lighter weight really makes a difference in playing faster runs. The tone is spot-on; exactly what I was hoping for.Â
I’m ready to place my order for a black one next.Â
John (Jack-E) Wilson from Ventura, CA
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Christopher Woitach
21 December at 03:15
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Thank you, Basil! I love how balanced the Ezzee-slide is between the wound and unwound strings - seems to help thicken up the unwound strings, making voicing choices easier, for me..
Ulf Edefur
22 December 13:15
Merry Christmas Basil. I play the bars you made for me every day. In fact I do not have any bars made of metall left. I gave them away to my students and a couple of beginners that bought steelguitars from me😄
Nick Fryer
22 December 18:29
I am already thinking about a second as well, because my first is just that good!
Original post

Dana Duplan
22 December 18:24
I'm enjoying my 7/8" straight bar--nice and light (but not too light) and very smooth! Basil's dialing in a black tapered bar for me now--just for fun! Thanks Basil!
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Ken Byng
22 December at 22:18
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Well Basil, I have got to the point where my Ezzee bar is as integral to my set up as my guitar and amp. The fact that I no longer have to EQ out the offending 1st and 3rd strings on my E9 neck is a real boon. The balance of wound and unwound strings now makes it a real pleasure to play my E9 neck, especially for recording. For those folks who have been having a scoff at the concept of using polymer instead of steel for a tone bar, I would say don't knock it until you have tried it. If you are happy using a stainless bar, then continue to do so. This is not a case of the emperor's clothes - the Ezzee bar makes a real and definable difference to both my tone and my playing. Full stop.
David J Garcia
28 February 01:17
Basil, exceptional quality on your bars. The clarity and sustain are exceptional.
Christopher March
3 March at 01:07
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I've been meaning to post a review of my Ezzee~slide bar for months now – I just haven't been able to set it down long enough to write one! I absolutely love everything about this bar. Very close to the tone of my favorite Bakelite Manoloff bar but with far better sustain. The weight is perfect and it's easy to hold. Most bars go flying out of my hand due to a broken left index finger that healed about 30 degrees crooked from the second knuckle – not an issue with the Ezzee~slide. And unlike the ol' Bakelite, if it ever were to happen, I'm more than confident it would survive the fall! Basil Henriques makes a fine product!
