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Author Topic:  Best bar choice for LESS sustain ?
Greg Gefell


From:
Upstate NY
Post  Posted 31 Dec 2017 10:17 am    
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I know that the holy grail for most steelers is getting as much sustain as possible but - for those times when you want more of a plucky fast decay type of sound, what type of bar material would give a shorter decaying sound?
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Rex Mayfield

 

From:
Texas, USA
Post  Posted 31 Dec 2017 10:24 am    
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Maybe Douglas Fir, or maybe soft rubber??
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Jon Light


From:
Saugerties, NY
Post  Posted 31 Dec 2017 10:27 am    
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Not an extremely short decay but a significant difference from my Zirc and BJS bars would be ceramic. Less crystal clear and less 'sustain for days'.
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Tim Russell


From:
Pennsylvania, USA
Post  Posted 31 Dec 2017 10:54 am    
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The "stone" or ceramic bars sound like that, as they only weigh a few ounces. A wooden dowel will also give you that sound.
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Ross Shafer


From:
Petaluma, California
Post  Posted 31 Dec 2017 11:29 am    
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A Delrin bar with no added weight works great for this.
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Ron Pruter

 

From:
Arizona, USA
Post  Posted 31 Dec 2017 11:31 am    
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I cut the end of a broom handle off once. I doubt the janitor appreciated it though. It sounded banjo like, kind of interesting.
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Jerry Overstreet


From:
Louisville Ky
Post  Posted 31 Dec 2017 11:33 am    
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Yeah, I got a broom handle pc. I used for effects sometimes, but that really kills the tone and volume too. Not recommended except for lo-fi garbage sounds.
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Jon Light


From:
Saugerties, NY
Post  Posted 31 Dec 2017 11:41 am    
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I don't know what wood & ceramic is being talked about but the two do not even belong in the same conversation from my experience with my few ceramic bars vs. the all-but-useless broom handle thing.
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Tim Russell


From:
Pennsylvania, USA
Post  Posted 31 Dec 2017 11:45 am    
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Jon Light wrote:
I don't know what wood & ceramic is being talked about but the two do not even belong in the same conversation from my experience with my few ceramic bars vs. the all-but-useless broom handle thing.


Here you go, Jon! - https://www.stoneslides.com/

Paloma Stone Guitar Slides/Bars, have a low sustain level, and of course, a dowel/broom handle will give a dobro or even banjo type of sound. Since Greg did not really elaborate as to exactly what he was going after, it seems plausible to throw several options out there...
Winking
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Ken Pippus


From:
Langford, BC, Canada
Post  Posted 31 Dec 2017 11:47 am    
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Unweighted glass bars are another interesting option.
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Jon Light


From:
Saugerties, NY
Post  Posted 31 Dec 2017 11:55 am    
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I have no idea who made the white ceramic bar that came in a 'grab bag' of bars I bought from someone. It is slightly out of round so I don't like it at all but it is far from totally dead like a dowel.
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Bill Moran

 

From:
Virginia, USA
Post  Posted 31 Dec 2017 12:11 pm    
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Most any cheap bar will give you a muddier sound. I have a old Emmons bar I use when I want to take the edge off.
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Ian Worley


From:
Sacramento, CA
Post  Posted 31 Dec 2017 1:09 pm    
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I like to use a small rainbow trout. They wear out pretty fast, and tend to leave a smelly residue on the strings and fret board, but produce a nice dull tone. The fresher the better.
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Dale Hampton


From:
Missouri, USA
Post  Posted 31 Dec 2017 3:29 pm    
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Sounds fishy to me! Rolling Eyes
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Butch Mullen

 

From:
North Carolina, USA 28681
Post  Posted 31 Dec 2017 3:58 pm    
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Now we are getin' nowhere!!! Happy new year everybody. Butch in NC
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Bill C. Buntin

 

Post  Posted 31 Dec 2017 4:00 pm    
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Bic Lighter
match bro tone bar
standard pocket comb turned up on its back edge
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Paul Arntson


From:
Washington, USA
Post  Posted 31 Dec 2017 6:45 pm    
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Used CO2 cartridge?
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Chris Templeton


From:
The Green Mountain State
Post  Posted 1 Jan 2018 8:19 am    
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I remember Stu Basore using the cut off end of a broom handle. I can't remember the song but it was a classical and sounded like plucked/ pizzicato strings. A great effect.
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Lane Gray


From:
Topeka, KS
Post  Posted 1 Jan 2018 9:19 am    
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Steve Gunder, who is here in Topeka, makes a hard anodized aluminum bar that has pretty much the same tone as stainless and chrome, but makes the sustain noticeably shorter, in the range of a Fender 400 or a Dobro.
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Greg Gefell


From:
Upstate NY
Post  Posted 1 Jan 2018 9:42 am    
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Great ideas guys! I’ll try some of the metal or ceramic bar ideas. Not looking so much for a tone alteration (banjo or sitar sound) just less sustain like a reso or acoustic guitar has compared to steel.
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Pete Burak

 

From:
Portland, OR USA
Post  Posted 1 Jan 2018 10:34 am    
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Hey Greg is there a song that you can post that has the effect you are looking for?
That would be helpful.
Otherwise, it sounds like right-hand hard-blocking chickin-pickin is what you are describing.
I often wonder... If sustain is so important, why is blocking so important?
Smile
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Ken Metcalf


From:
San Antonio Texas USA
Post  Posted 1 Jan 2018 11:05 am    
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Pocket comb for banjo type effect.
Chicken picken for chicken pickin effect.
Tooth blackout wax for toothlees effect. ^_^

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Pete Burak

 

From:
Portland, OR USA
Post  Posted 1 Jan 2018 11:14 am    
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Hey Ken that must be a D10 player!
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Greg Gefell


From:
Upstate NY
Post  Posted 2 Jan 2018 5:29 am    
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Pete, I’m not really trying to copy any existing song. I’m looking to get a shorter sustain, like you might have if there was such a thing as an acoustic pedal steel. The lack of sustain would be like “automatic” blocking. Not as short as palm muted pizzacato, but full toned with a fast decay.
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Erv Niehaus


From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
Post  Posted 2 Jan 2018 8:59 am    
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The bar that comes with a MatchBro has been mentioned and I remember years ago a Nick Manoloff bar that was made from pretty much the same material .
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