Tone bar Style size / weight ?

Ken Barrett · From: Sebastian, Fl.

What Style/ size / weight do you record for a tone bar? If it matters, I have short fingers?
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I have played guitar for over 60 years, PSG for 5 & bass for 7 years. Currently, I play bass in a band. I also collect guitars and basses. I live in Florida on the east coast. In my picture is a 1948 Gibson Grande of mine that was used in a Hank Williams movie.

Barry Coker · From: Bagley Alabama, USA

Bar size and weight are totally personal preference there are so many options of manufactures, sizes and price ranges that you may get a hundred different answers. My Opinion I Prefer the BJS 7/8 x 3 1/2 bar my self. I've used 3/4" & 1" bars and many different Manufactures but the BJS is hard to beat.

Good Luck Barry
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Zum-D-10, Webb 614-E, 65 Pro Reverb, Evans RE200, 69 Gibson Birdland, 89 Telecaster EAD Bad!!

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

I agree that BJS bars are hard to beat and I really like my John Hughey 15/16" bar.
It's hollowed out so it weights about the same as a 7/8" bar. Very Happy

Erv

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

I really suggest a simple forum search for info like this to get a general feel for pretty much any topic about steel guitar. There have been literally dozens if not hundreds of discussions about what constitutes the "best" tone bar, steel guitar, steel guitar amp, strings, picks, and pretty much any steel guitar product, over a period of 20+ years.

On tone bars, here are just a few from the last few months:

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=344254

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=232678&start=75

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=346854

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=348535

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=345800

And, there are a lot more if you go past the first search page. Honestly - you will get far more information doing a search to find out the lay of the land than asking a completely generic "what should I do" question. In the end, every question about "what should I do/get" comes down to personal preference, but (IMO) should be armed with knowledge of what are the basic parameters.

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

For many beginners, this type of question proposes a quandary. Which should I use? How will it make me sound? What's really best? In the end, it doesn't matter as much as you might think. For years (or maybe decades) the "standard" 10-string bar was 3 3/8" x 7/8". Then, people started saying that "such and such a size is better", and "this brand has a better tone", blah, blah, blah...etc., etc., etc. IMHO, it's mostly all personal preference, a purely subjective thing. Asking what people prefer is kinda like asking what kinda car they like. You'll get a gazillion answers, but the truth is that it won't matter very much unless your physiology is vastly different, or you have some kind of health deformity that makes you different than the average player. So, if you're hands are bigger than a dinner plate, yes - you might need a bigger bar. If you have small hands, you might need a smaller bar. And if you have a deformity or exceptionally-sized hands, you might need something altogether different. Otherwise, for the remaining 98% of players, the standard sizes will probably do the job. All this to say - don't sweat over bar choice. In the overall scheme of things, it's a really tiny factor in the "How well I play", or "How do I sound?" equation.

I know motorcycle riders who can just listen to a motorcycle, and tell you what make it is. But I don't think anybody on earth can just listen to you and tell what kind or size bar that you're using.

Paul E Vendemmia · From: Olney Maryland Mongomery

well said Donny !

Charley Bond · From: Inola, OK, USA

I have a White Zirconium bar... that's the Bees Knees for me...
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Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

Charley,
Yes, that's what I am using at present also.
Very smooth on the strings! Very Happy

Erv

Jerry Horch · From: Alva, Florida, USA

I recently got a 7/8 12 string John Hughey bar.have a regular 10 string 15/16 & 7/8.BJS's. I kinda like the feel of the longer one in my hand...
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Franklin D10 /Walker Sterio Steel JBL's /DigiTech Quad4/ Korg Toneworks/ Dobro DM 1000 / Santa Cruz Guitar VA

Bobby D. Jones · From: West Virginia, USA

I suggest you try different lengths and diameter bars and find a bar that fits your hand, "Not Mine".
It seems for best control, You need 4 points of contact with the bar. The bar should be long enough to contact your hand at the junction of your index finger and palm. The index finger should contact the top of the bar with the rolled end extending past the end of the index finger. The diameter of the bar should be large enough so your thumb and middle finger can grip the bar just below the widest diameter of the bar. This way with even sweaty fingers, Your fingers gripping below the center of the bar gives you a very firm, No slip grip on the bar.
With the bar trapped between middle finger on left, Index finger on top, Thumb on right and back of bar seated at the junction of the index finger and palm. You have like an extension of your index finger to point the bar as you wish. As for bar weight, A heavy bar and the weight of your hand and fingers will keep the bar in firm contact with the strings with no down pressure added. This allows you to concentrate on the movement of the bar when playing.

Good Luck and Happy Steelin.

Rich Upright · From: Florida, USA

I have about 10 bars, from my Dunlop standard, all the way up to a massive 1" 12-string bar. That big baseball bat sounds the best, & generally,IMHO, the bigger & heavier the bar, the better the overall tone. At least that is my experience with my bars.
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A couple D-10s,some vintage guitars & amps, & lotsa junk in the gig bag.

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