I Have Seen the Future of Bars

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 22 Mar 2005 8:07 am

I just got a really nice leaded crystal bar from Ian McWee at Diamond Bottlenecks, 1 1/4" X 3 3/4". It weighs 6 1/2 ounces, which is exactly the weight I've been looking for - the right balance between speed and tone. I have a 3/4" X 3 3/8" stainless steel Bullet bar from Jim Burden that weighs about that, but of course it's little and harder to hang on to. The tone of the crystal bar is really nice, and it is perfectly finished - really smooth. I have a couple of other glass bars, one that's sort of pitted from the casting process, and a cut glass bar that has little flecks of melted glass stuck to it, but this bar is perfect. I have an earlier glass bar cut from clear rod stock from them that's nice too, but this crystal bar has a certain magic aura? If you look at the "signature" page of their site:
http://www.diamondbottlenecks.com/p_sig.html

I asked for a bar with a hemispherical nose shape and straight sides like the blue one in the picture for "Charlie O" - it looks like some of their slides come out with long noses and curved sides, maybe O.K. for six-string lap slides but not so hot for pedal steel. Mine is a deep, semi-mystical translucent green, but the shape's what's important and they nailed that for sure. I guess it has whatever drawbacks any 1 1/4" bar is supposed to have - some people say it's hard to mute behind even a 1" bar, though I've been using 1 3/8" acrylic bars with no problem - muting does start getting weird with 1 1/2" bars. I've read posts here where people say it's harder to stay in tune with a 1" bar because they can't see the fret markers? I guess they know that they're in tune because of where they see their hands are.

Finally, a glass bar comparable in quality to a BJS. I think this one is just perfect, in every way comparable in quality and function to the best metal bars available. I sent Ian an email suggesting he get some of these to Bobbe, or Scotty or Billy Cooper, because it's just a matter of time before Paul Franklin or Buddy Emmons or somebody famous starts using one, it's that good. The weight is just right to get good tone but be able to move the bar fast, and the sides are perfectly straight, important for pedal steel. I can’t imagine any pedal steel guitarists not wanting one.

Pat Burns · Post by **Pat Burns** » 22 Mar 2005 8:23 am

...foo....I thought this was going to be a topic about getting a beer from a drive-in window...

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 22 Mar 2005 8:36 am

No thanks!

They're a little too prone to chipping and breaking for my tastes. If I drop my steel bar on a concrete floor, it may get a ding in it, but at least it'll still be in one piece!

Pat Burns · Post by **Pat Burns** » 22 Mar 2005 9:00 am

...never mind...this is a family forum...[This message was edited by Pat Burns on 22 March 2005 at 09:01 AM.]

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 22 Mar 2005 9:52 am

I have several glass bars and I like them a lot. Glass has less sustain than steel and a more "acoustic" timbre. Often I want those qualities for certain songs.

1.25" does sound too big to me, though. Bars that are bigger than 1" are harder for me to handle.

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<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/Hotb0b.gif" width="96 height="96">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs, Open Hearts
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