Help with selecting a new bar

John Daugherty · Post by **John Daugherty** » 9 May 2007 5:54 am

Cal..... try the "Idle Hour". Song writers like to hang out there. Say hello to my old pal, Billy Arr and his lovely wife/singer, Wanda Kay.
You might want to sit near their table with a recorder and automatic copywriting machine.

Back to topic, Yes, BJS is the best out there.

Joe A. Camacho · Post by **Joe A. Camacho** » 9 May 2007 7:50 am

The Idle Hour closed down a few years ago, I happened to be in town that week, so I went by to pay my respects.

Sonny Priddy · Post by **Sonny Priddy** » 9 May 2007 8:36 am

Hay Cal Been There Done That. They ere Good Old Places Back Then. Good Old Lower Broadway. I Played At The Wheel.And A Few Others. SONNY.

Les Anderson · Post by **Les Anderson** » 9 May 2007 8:45 am

When I am playing outdoors durig the cooler times of the year or my hands are in one of those dry as paper modes, I grab for my Fender Dobro bar. It saves those chasing the bar as it rolls across the floor and/or right off the stage evenings

Other than that, I think the bar that a steel player chooses should fit his particular size of hand. Not everyone has a paw like a grizzly bear nor does everyone have hands like Peter Pan.

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 9 May 2007 9:55 pm

ANYONE that thinks a $75.00 bar is going to make them sound better or play better than a $15.00 bar is just fooling themselves. they are many many players here on the forum that would sound great even if all they had to play with was a chunk of 3/4 cold roll.....it aint the bar ,,,its whos hand is holding the bar

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 10 May 2007 4:21 am

Calvin
I'm somewhat shocked and disappointed in myself to realize that after 47 year of playing music... with 42 of them on steel guitar... that I've been fooling myself and living a deluded life. Thanks for finally waking me up.

Edit: Please excuse the momentary sarcasm, but in my experience, I disagree. That experience has shown me that seemingly little things can make significant differences in playing ease and yes, sound. One of those is the difference between a high-quality chromed bar ($50-60), and a basic stainless bar with a less polished surface. But one would need the time behind the guitar to see these qualitative differences.

Yes, I can play well with a cheap bar. But it's not as pleasant, it's a distraction, and I don't enjoy it as much. I do this job professionally, and it matters. With all the guys here talking about the high qualities of BJS (and other) bars, you'd be well served to take heed. But of course, your mileage may vary.

Chris LeDrew · Post by **Chris LeDrew** » 10 May 2007 5:33 am

Calvin,

Have you tried the BJS against the Dunlop? If so, I will respect your comments.
But if you've only used a cheaper bar and are going on assumptions, I think your comments are misleading to those who are looking for informative opinions.

Like many players on this forum, I've owned all of these brands:

Dunlop
Black Phoenix
Fulawka
George L
No Name
BJS
Bullet

Believe me, there's a significant difference in feel, tone, and performance. Listen to Herb Steiner. He's devoted his life to instrument. He knows what's up.

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 10 May 2007 6:23 am

I agree.
My Ernie Ball and Dunlop are fine for beginners, but as an instrumentalist matures s/he becomes more sensitive to a lot of things. A comparison would be cheap rosin for an experienced string player. It works in a pinch, but that's all.

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 10 May 2007 8:48 am

ok just so you know, back in 90 or 91 i bought an expenve bar, about $70.00 back then, i still have it and just the other day i picked it up thought what the heck i'll try it again . played 2-3 songs with it put it down and went back to the $15.00 Dunlop .
i really think its more how a bar feels in YOUR hand more than anything ( by the way both bars were the same size) the Dunlop is a little lighter for some reason and i think thats why i prefer it

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 10 May 2007 9:57 am

The Dunlop bar that I have came with an old lap steel that I purchased. It appears to be chrome-plated. Did Dunlop ever make chrome-plated bars? Their web site only mentions stainless bars. This bar is quite slick and doesn't "stick" to the stainless wound strings that I use. While it does sound a little different than my BJS bar, it feels every bit as slick. As I mentioned before, it's a tad shorter and fits my small hands better than the BJS.

A. J. Schobert · Post by **A. J. Schobert** » 10 May 2007 10:30 am

I think ernie ball no longer makes 10 string bars, I really liked them though the chrome would come off in a few years.

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 11 May 2007 5:22 am

While we're on the subject, maybe someone can help me out. I found this bar, in a Dunlop plastic sleeve, among my things. Is it a Dunlop, or something similar? It's not an ounce's difference from an EB.

Bill Moore (RIP) · Post by **Bill Moore (RIP)** » 11 May 2007 6:35 am

Charlie, that is a Dunlop stainless bar. I use one like that most of time. If you polish it regularly, it's as good as any other bar.

J Fletcher · Post by **J Fletcher** » 11 May 2007 6:51 am

Another vote for the Dunlop bar. The size and weight is perfect for me. The "boutique" bars seem to be just a bit, 1/16", too large. Does anybody make a Dunlop size and weight bar, out of higher quality materials?...Jerry

john widgren · Post by **john widgren** » 11 May 2007 7:35 am

Jim Burden at Bullet Bars (See forum: manufacturers links; related products) Will make you a bar, any size you like. Either Hi polished SS or Hard Chrome. I have a variety of sizes, and like em a lot. Best, JW

Marc Jenkins · Post by **Marc Jenkins** » 11 May 2007 10:16 am

What's the best method/material to polish a stainless steel bar?

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 12 May 2007 2:55 am

Thank you, Bill.
I echo Marc's question about polishing a bar.

Calvin, perhaps you should relax your shoulders.
Of course, I'm just judging from one picture.
Notice Herb's arms in his avatar.
This is not intended as anything but an observation.

And you can send me your $75 bar; I'll see what I can do with it.

John Daugherty · Post by **John Daugherty** » 12 May 2007 3:19 am

Joe Camacho, The Idle Hour is still very much alive, although the owner passd away (his wife still owns it). When their building was torn down, they moved to a new location. A film crew was at the idle hour last week doing a story on the place.
Now you know all about Dunlop, BJS and "smokey old' bars.

Bill Moore (RIP) · Post by **Bill Moore (RIP)** » 12 May 2007 3:58 am

I use a small buffing wheel and Mother's mag wheel polish to polish bars. You could use othe chrome or metal polishes. Mothers is good for the final polishing. If you are patient, you can polish by hand with a rag. Scratchs and small nicks can be removed with very fine emery cloth, like 600 grit. Then give it a final polishing. The newer the bar, the easier it will be to polish. After polishing, I wash the bar with plain water and dry it. A solid stainless bar can be polished over and over. If you are willing to take the time, you can give it a flawless finish. The smoother the bar, the better it plays.

Russ Tkac · Post by **Russ Tkac** » 12 May 2007 4:47 am

I have a BJS and the Bullet bar in 15/16" Both are well made but I like the Bullet better.

Russ

James Morehead · Post by **James Morehead** » 12 May 2007 5:03 am

I prefer a BJS bar. Mine has a diamond in the end. I've tried the other colored stones, but the diamond sounds better to me. Your mileage may vary.
I've tried other bars, but find they are all about the same in my area---happy hour is still happy hour.

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 12 May 2007 6:20 am

So, has Dunlop ever offered chrome bars?

How does one tell if a bar is chrome plated or stainless steel?

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 12 May 2007 6:48 am

Lee,
You should be able to tell the difference with a magnet. Although some of the stainless steels can be somewhat magnetic, usually they're not.

Joe Naylor · Post by **Joe Naylor** » 12 May 2007 7:13 am

If you want to find out how many different bars people use just start making them. Chuck Back and I started to make bars about 3 years ago from some of the blanks he had from buying steel guitar companies. The very first show we started selling bars we found everyone (I mean everyone) has their own idea. We started with 1" and 15/16" and were told most used 7/8 and all different lengths.

Desert Rose now offers many size (diamerters and lengths) there are some people that did offer bars no longer offer them due to the costs of materials.

Like so many things in the steel guitar world there is no standard.

Mike Ester · Post by **Mike Ester** » 12 May 2007 7:15 am

When I started back in 1980, I had a cheap bullet bar. I used it for a couple of years, and it taught me a valuable lesson. I was putting so much pressure on the bar that I literally wore ridges in the cheap chrome. Oops, don't force it.

I then bought a 7/8" Marlen stainless bar from Tom Bradshaw's catalog. By that time, I finally figured out not to push down so hard. I kept it polished and used it up through 2005. Then I decided to take the plunge and bought a BJS bar (1", 12-string) to go with my new Carter S12U.

When I first used it, I found that I could just let it glide and not focus so much on my left hand. In fact, it turned out that I do better with a larger/heavier bar.

Moral of the story: Herb's statement about the small details making a difference has credibility with me.