Tone bars

[Uncle Roy]

Hi all, just for interest I wondered how many here still use a steel bar and how many use bars that are made from other materials? ie like the Ezzee-slide that Basil Henriques produces.
I have had one of Basil's bars for a few years and love it but my steel bar' length is 3 1/2 where my Ezzee bar is 3 1/4 .
Due to having large mitts I find the length of the steel bar fits more comfortable.
I wonder what the popular size for most players and the materials?

[Donny Johnston]

Hi Roy, I purchased an EEZI SLIDE BAR almost 3 yrs ago and I would never go back to my steel bar unless I lost my Basil bar, and then only till it was replaced. Did Basil know the size of your bar before he sent the one you have ? He might be able to help. Donny.

[Danny Mitchell]

Well Roy,
I've got a Pearse 1" 'Big Daddy' thermo-cryo steel, a 7/8" Eezzee-Slide from Basil and a 7/8" stainless steel Ben's Bars. And when last seated at my beloved GFI, I favoured the heavier Pearse for slow sustained parts and the super slippy Eezzee-Slide for nippier stuff.
Unlike you, with your large mitts, I have lovely, little, lady hands, just like 'The Donald', and find 3 1/4 a comfortable fit.

[simon_f3]

This is a very interesting topic - I have a couple of cheapo Jim Dunlop bars: 7/8" by 3 1/4" (which is great for lap steel but a tiny bit too short for pedal, and 1" by 3 3/4" which is generally good for slower E9 stuff, but too hefty for anything requiring fast movements, and slightly too large for my dainty paws.

However, it is extremely hard to work out what would be ideal without buying a bar and trying it! Obviously in these virus-ridden times it would be foolish to grasp another man's tone bar without appropriate protection, so does anyone have any suggestions for how to find the 'right' size without spending £200 on online shopping?

I guess I would be comfortable with 7/8" or even 15/16" diameter, and 3 1/2" length. Should I just buy a Basil bar and be done with it?

Grateful for any advice anyone can give

[Donny Johnston]

Yes, Buy a Basil Bar. Speak to him, let him know your requirements and you will get a bar you will never get rid of. Donny.

[Danny Mitchell]

Hi Simon,
You should have a gander at this site. Really good tone bars at a price that would let you experiment a bit with size, etc.

https://www.bensbars.co.uk/products

And, further, Basil's bars are a completely different experience and he also supplies custom orders.

[Haddock]

In response to Roy’s survey question, I have several bars but only ever really use my ⅞” x 3 ½” Bens Bar. Much prefer the performance and shape to both my BJS and Basil Bars. Slightly more rounded on the flat side (if that makes sense) so feels more comfortable and I like the ‘zing’ of steel.
Just my 2.5 pence worth..
Calum

[Ken Byng]

I am fortunate to have accumulated a number of bars over the years. Some I have passed on to a few of my pupils, but most have remained in my possession. I have stainless, chromed stainless, plastic, polymer and even a wood bar made from lignum vitae. I would like to say that we are very lucky to have some world class bar manufacturers from the UK, including Basil Henrick and Ben Burrow. Both Ben's and Basil's bars are fully customised for length and diameter, and in Basil's case you can even order a bar with a taper.

Ben's bars are of an extremely high quality and in my view, very good value for money. I have a custom made bar (1") made by Ben and it is polished to a really high standard. I use it on several of my guitars that have certain pickups on board, and it plays really great.

I've sung the praises of Basil's bars a number of times on this site since I became one of his first customers, mainly for their ability to smooth out the pronounced zing and whine on some of the high strings on E9. (Sorry Calum) His latest bars have a much improved surface, as smooth as any BJS bar I've tried. It works well with any make of pick up on any of my guitars. One advantage of a polymer bar is the ability to remain in the hand. On a hot sweaty night under stage lights, the metal bars can get extremely slippery. Basil's bars don't have that problem. Plus, they are worth their price for the improvement in tone alone.

In years gone by, one or two bars that I've bought from across the pond have had a very faint edge where the bar starts to curve into a bullet end. I know that neither Ben or Basil would foist such a bar onto the public at large. They are both too good at their job to let that happen. So there we have it - we're spoiled for choice and quality, and we don't have to buy bars from abroad paying exorbitant shipping charges in the process.

[Jif]

These be my bars.

These include a BJS chrome, (far left back), the white bar is a sitar bar, the blue bar, (front right, looks black in the photo), is a pottery bar which I use a lot, it gives a similar tone to using a bottle neck on 6 string and is great for playing bluesy stuff. The two coloured bars are powder coated and are decent bars but I don't use them much these days. My favourite which I use almost exclusively is the bar at the back on the right with the little brass circle on the nose. I bought it from a guy on the US forum who sold them under the name Red Barn but has since changed the name to NU Generation.

It is weighted so it is slightly heavier towards the nose making it easier and more natural to tilt onto the nose to play single notes or two adjacent strings. It feels good in the hand and has a very nice tone. I was lucky enough to purchase it when he first starting making them a few years ago and was selling them at a reduced price to get his business going, (you can take the man out of Scotland....).

I've tried Basil's bars but they didn't work for me, probably takes time to get used to the different feel. Different strokes and all that.

[Haddock]

Sid asks how you know you have the right bar without spending lots of money. Much more worrying - how do you know you have the right guitar? I think my MSA legend is probably the best guitar out there. But can I be sure?????? And why do I keep lusting after some of the guitars that appear here and in the ‘other’ place? I reckon its only the fact that I play a 12 stringer that’s kept it under control. Looking at the long lists of instruments in folks forum signatures tells me I am not alone with this problem....
Cheers

(And for John, one word - BANJO)

Calum