George Kimery
From:
Limestone, TN, USA
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Posted 8 Feb 2019 10:47 am |
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I have been using nothing but a 7/8" BJS bar forever and was completely satisfied. I am a curious person by nature and had been reading about powder coated bars. I found four Hillman bars and a Latch Lake steel bar on the forum at a good price, so I decided to do some experimenting.
Here are the things he I noticed when comparing the 3/4" powder coated bars to my 7/8" BJS:
1. The powder coated bar was smoother and slicker
than my BJS. Part of this may be the difference in
size of the bars and slightly shorter length. The
Latch Lake steel bar is 3/4" and has a lot more drag
on it than the powder coated bar or the BJS.
2. With the 3/4" powder coated bar, I could see my
bar position over the frets much easier. This was
especially noticeable when playing on the 23rd fret.
3. The powder coated bar had a slightly more mellow
tone. Not necessarily a bad thing but a slight
treble boost in the amp brought it up to about
The same as the BJS.
4. The smaller diameter powder coated bar at first,
felt like a toy. But after playing with it for
only a few minutes it started feeling good.I felt
I had more accurate control of my notes.
So what is the determination factors when we choose the bar size? My hands are not large, so I am now wondering if I have been using too large of a bar my whole life. I thought I needed some weight so I wouldn't have to put pressure on the bar, but I don't do that anyway, so that reason is out the window. I thought that a larger bar, having more surface touching the strings, would sound better. I don't believe that is true anymore.
What determined which size bar you are using? Did you try different sizes and picked the one that felt most comfortab!e? Are you just using the bar that came with your rig? Or the size a friend recommended? Maybe it was the only size the music store had? Getting the right bar that really works for you is very important. I think the importance of getting the right bar that fits you is often overlooked. It was for me.
So, after all these years, I am downsizing to a 3/4" bar. I would like to have a 3/4" BJS bar. I have three 3/4" Hillman powder coated bars, and one Latch Lake 3/4 " steel if anybody is interested in buying or doing some trading. |
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