The British Steelies Society

just wondering what type of bars people go for?

I've got a fat one (1"?) and a thinner one 3/4" perhaps

the fat one doesn't have as nice a surface as the thin one so I practise with the fat and gig with the thin.. (the idea being that i have to work harder when I practise but get the better tone when I'm playing)

what does anyone else use, in terms of diameter brand and anything else?

do you polish them? how?!

how long do they last?

also i'm about to start on a 12 string.. do 12 string players use longer bars?

I used a ernie ball, stamdard 7/8ths 10 string bar at first, Until i was persuaded to change to a BJS bar. It's 1" thick, and is a twelve string bar so slightly longer than standard. no looking back.
Polish? Didn't know I had to..........

cheers Jason. where did you buy it? ebay or from Gerry Hogan? or somewhere else..?

I started with an standard Emmons 7/8. Nice bar, still carry it, but I wanted one a little heavier. I tried some 1" bars but they seemed too wide to me so in the end I purchased a BJS 15/16 (10 string) from Gerry Hogan ages back (at least 5yr maybe more). Great bar for me, still same as new as far as I can see and hear. I just keep it shiny & grease free using a microfibre cloth.

When gigging regularly I generally used a 3-1/2"x1" bar. I still use that, but often use a 3-1/4"x7/8" (e.g. Dunlop 920), especially for pedal C6th and for 8-string plank.
Somewhere I have a 3-1/2"x1" glass "sitar" bar that's big but light - fun for a while but the lack of weight can lead to overshooting the fret .
My "dobro" bars are 3"x7/8". There are two, one is hollow (I think Jim Kerr made the solid one). My resonators are a 7st. and an 8st. Don't like stevens bars .
I also have a long bar, 3-5/8"x 7/8", but never really found a use - suppose that's what you mean by a "12 string" bar.
The 1" steel bar is good for hand excercises because of the extra weight but I could easily live with the "920" size for everything. BTW - I have small hands.
Incidentally, I bought a Dunlop 920 last month from an eBay shop in USA and the total (inc. shipping) came to £14.52 because that price is under the minimum import duty/VAT threashold. OK, so it took a couple of weeks to arrive, but it means I can afford a bar in every guitar case!
Just like Allan I keep them polished and in pouches/boxes and some are over 30 years old.

Gerry Hogan for mine, Henry. Even got me a birthstone in the nose. What the hell, I thought.... Fits my sausage fingers quite nice.

thanks everyone