John Pearse Steel Bars

Lee Dassow · Post by **Lee Dassow** » 27 Apr 2015 12:17 pm

Does any one know about or use the John Pearse bars.
I need a bar thats 15/16's diam. 3-1/2in.long, about
9or10 ounces and I know Pearse makes one. If anyone uses that size in any other brand please let me know how you like them. Tenn.Lee

John Swain · Post by **John Swain** » 27 Apr 2015 12:35 pm

I have three John Pearce bars, all the standard size. I think they're very good quality and smooth on the strings.

Mike Wilkerson · Post by **Mike Wilkerson** » 27 Apr 2015 2:09 pm

Tenn Lee I use a 7/8 Pearce I like it alot however if I get a chance and find someone who has one for sale I'm going back to using a BJS bar..Slim

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 27 Apr 2015 2:33 pm

I am a big fan of Pearse bars. Nothing better.

Lee Dassow · Post by **Lee Dassow** » 27 Apr 2015 2:57 pm

Yes, Sure sounds like a real good bar. The John Pearse,(long john) is the one I need. I went to the forum store, they were showing two in stock, but when I went to order it they were out of them. Guess I'll find another source or check back later. T.L.

Mitchell Smithey · Post by **Mitchell Smithey** » 27 Apr 2015 3:47 pm

Very high quality bars.

Stu Schulman · Post by **Stu Schulman** » 27 Apr 2015 5:12 pm

I have a John Pearce 7/8"bar and it's wonderful!I also have a BSG by Don Burrows 15/16 and it's also great.

Bob Russell · Post by **Bob Russell** » 27 Apr 2015 6:03 pm

I have a John Pearse bar that's similar to the Dunlop JERRY BYRD bar in size, and I like it a lot.

Jerry Roller · Post by **Jerry Roller** » 27 Apr 2015 6:55 pm

Lee, I am a long time dealer/user of the John Pearse bar. rollermusic@cox.net
Jerry

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 27 Apr 2015 8:21 pm

Lee Dassow wrote:Yes, Sure sounds like a real good bar. The John Pearse,(long john) is the one I need. I went to the forum store, they were showing two in stock, but when I went to order it they were out of them. Guess I'll find another source or check back later. T.L.

We still have 2 in stock, Lee.

www.steelguitarshopper.com/JP-B5/

Lee Dassow · Post by **Lee Dassow** » 28 Apr 2015 2:37 pm

Right Bob, But when I went to order it, It said out of stock. Anyhow I'll take both of them. How much with shipping? If you want to PM me that information with your phone no.thats fine. I'll pay with a credit card. If not I'll send you a check. I'm no good with E-mails. T.L.

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 29 Apr 2015 7:38 am

The shopping cart will calculate shipping based on your address. It currently says that there are 2 in stock, and that's correct. You can choose to pay by check or PayPal - we don't take credit cards except through PayPal.

When you make your order, the program reduces the number in stock so that no one else can buy them.

Lee Dassow · Post by **Lee Dassow** » 29 Apr 2015 10:11 am

Bob. Well I Finally got through. USPS is 9.64 I'll send you a check for $110.00 just to make sure its enough O.K. Checks on its way. T.L.

Mike Perlowin RIP · Post by **Mike Perlowin RIP** » 29 Apr 2015 11:11 am

I have a Pearse and a BJS bar. IMO, the Pearse is a tiny bit brighter and louder. Not enough to make a difference.

There is a saying, "6 of one, half a dozen of the other."
In this case it's 5.95 of one and 6.05 of the other.

The difference is not in the way they sound, but rather that the Pearse is stainless steel, and therefore will have a lot of friction when used on stainless steel strings, (or so I've been told,) while the chrome plated BJS can be used with either nickel or stainless steel.

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 29 Apr 2015 12:40 pm

I don't see your order there, Lee. Did you submit an order or not? The items stay in inventory until you submit your order.

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 29 Apr 2015 12:45 pm

Mike Perlowin wrote:The difference is not in the way they sound, but rather that the Pearse is stainless steel, and therefore will have a lot of friction when used on stainless steel strings, (or so I've been told,) while the chrome plated BJS can be used with either nickel or stainless steel.

I think that's a myth.

Lee Dassow · Post by **Lee Dassow** » 29 Apr 2015 2:48 pm

Bob, I think I got the order to go through, with a little help from my neighbor. I've got an order no. T.L.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 29 Apr 2015 4:03 pm

b0b wrote:
Mike Perlowin wrote:The difference is not in the way they sound, but rather that the Pearse is stainless steel, and therefore will have a lot of friction when used on stainless steel strings, (or so I've been told,) while the chrome plated BJS can be used with either nickel or stainless steel.
I think that's a myth.

I don't think it's a myth because I can feel the difference between the two. It's not a big thing, and it wouldn't affect my playing...but I can feel it. Of course, I sometimes play with a Sharpie (yes, one of them felt-tipped marker thingies) to get a banjo or dobro sound, so that might indicate I'm not real picky about what I use for a bar.

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 29 Apr 2015 4:08 pm

The myth is that stainless bars on stainless strings "have a lot of friction". Donny, have you ever compared bars on nickel strings?

I feel more drag on stainless strings regardless of what bar I use, compared to using the same bar on nickel strings. Nickel strings feel smoother to me. Not a lot, just a little.

John Scanlon · Post by **John Scanlon** » 29 Apr 2015 8:41 pm

b0b wrote:I think that's a myth.

So glad someone else said it.

I love my JP bar, never owned a BJS, but I have played a friend's. If there is any difference, I doubt it's so much of a difference in feel that's comparable to the difference in price. I imagine it's simply more about personal preference.

That said, I admit I do keep my bar's material in mind when buying strings.

Mike Perlowin RIP · Post by **Mike Perlowin RIP** » 29 Apr 2015 8:54 pm

I have only used my Pearse bar on my purple Millie, which had nickle strings. The the white one has Stainless steel strings. The bar is currently on loan to another player who wanted to try it out. When I get it back, I'll test it on the white one and see if I can feel any difference.

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 30 Apr 2015 4:45 am

I use a Pearse bar , BJS or an Emmons bar interchangeably without any significant differences. I use nickel strings at the moment.the next time I order strings I plan on checking out stainless again . ( I haven't used stainless for years) . Maybe I will feel a difference between in bars then.

The Pearse bars have a very nice hand feel. You won't go wrong using one.

Mike Perlowin RIP · Post by **Mike Perlowin RIP** » 3 May 2015 1:32 pm

I just compared my Pearse and BJS bars on the guitar with the stainless steel strings. I didn't play, just slid the bars up and down the neck to feel the difference between them. It's true. The Pearse bar has a bit more friction than the BJS. Donny is technically right about this.

But the difference is so slight as to be insignificant. If we use the analogy of money, one would be $9,999.99 and the other would be $10,000.

As Bob said, the bars are interchangeable. It really doesn't matter which one you use on either nickle or stainless steel strings.

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 3 May 2015 1:49 pm

As I said, "a lot of friction" is the myth. "A bit more friction" is more accurate. Mike, do you notice the same difference on nickel strings?

Mike Perlowin RIP · Post by **Mike Perlowin RIP** » 5 May 2015 9:38 pm

b0b wrote: Mike, do you notice the same difference on nickel strings?

Not really. I made the test earlier today. If my last analogy was $9999.99 vs 10,000, the same analogy on nickle strings would be $999,999.99.5 vs 1,000.000. Maybe even less.