ATTN lap steel players: Tone bar content

[Big Mon]

So, I know there's a few of us who play lap steel here on the board, and I wanted to ask what kinda tone bars ya use? I'm currently using a standard issue one, a Stephens, I think. The problem is it's not long enough for the kind of stuff I play (weird, inverted chords, inverted hammer ons, that kind of thing). Specifically, does anyone use a round nose bar? I ask because I found a vintage cheapy on the Bay that's a bit over 3 in. long, which seems long enough. My new lap steel has wider-than-usual frets, and I needs a bar to compensate for the difference. Thoughts?

[Chankgeez]

Dude?

Vintage Bakelite Manoloff.

I've been wanting to try one of these though:

http://www.tribotone.com/



He makes them in different lengths. Expensive, but supposed to be worth it.

[Big Mon]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/200891607033?ss ... 1438.l2649
I've been thinking about this one...I will research this Vintage Bakelite Manoloff

[Chankgeez]

Yeah, blooghost, that one looks fine. It's certainly cheap enough.

I've got a Dunlop bullet bar, but it's shorter than that. I don't really like the sound of stainless steel though.

The vintage Manoloff bar I've got came with one of my lap steels. It has string wear in the Bakelite. Those Tribo-tone bars are touted as a modern alternative. I'd like to get one and find out if it's a good replacement for the Manoloff.

[Greenfuz]

I use a beer bottle


obviously I'm not a very serious lap steel player

[lapsteel]

Hey blooghost
I play ceramic and steel tone bars.
I got an Oj from Paloma and a poncho bullet from Rocky Mountain. Both gots bull noses to hit single note clean and quick.
My steel bars are stainless rods harvested from defunct printer rods. I mount them on a wood handle to make them easier to manoeuvre.

As you can guess the stainless bars have mega sustain, but you would be seriously surprised at the tones coming from a ceramic bar, especially on an acoustic instrument.

If I could only have one it would have to be the poncho bullet. It just feels right and has a good weight. I have had it for a while and it seems to be holding up nicely.

That eBay dilldoe bar is pretty nice, but I find those a bit awkward to grip, and sometime people get the wrong idea. On the plus side it double nicely as a sex toy.

Also, we require picture of said new lap guitar. It it an eight stringer? Pics please.

[Big Mon]

Also, we require picture of said new lap guitar. It it an eight stringer? Pics please.

...it's....an SX....
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SX-Lap-2-NA-Ele ... 5651caa8e9
Looks like dat. I like cheap guitars. Also, thanks for the input, dude. I wound up missin' out on the dildo-bar, but have since learned to compensate for my current bar's shortcomings. I still may look into some of the ones you and Chankies mentioned. Guess it was just a matter of practicing though. Before getting my new lap guit, I hadn't fooled with one in a few months. However, I've permanently switched to lap steel as I just find it more challenging and fun

[Mudfuzz]

I use a shubb SP-4 and a large Ernie Ball one.

[lapsteel]

That Sx looks real playable. String spacing will make single notes nice 'n clean.

Nice to hear your love for fretless steel, however don't turn your back on those traditional guitars cause they have their place....
I have been playing lap exclusively (not by choice) and It has alot of freedom to play stuff traditional scaled guitars can't, but the biggest change in my approach is the way I hear notes, cause with a slide you gotta find them if you want to be in tune.
I was reading this interview with Harry Manx and he plays a mohan veena, a 20 string Indian slide (badass...even better if he fuzzed and filtered that shit up) and he talks about a players meend, or the defining way a player approaches the notes he/she plays. I think with a slide this kind of tonal fingerprint is way more pronounced and easier to establish, which can be really good or really bad, but either way you can sound more like you.

You know if you want to try what a ceramic slide plays like just grab a coffee mug, or better yet go to one of those build your own pottery places and cook one up. You won't get the secret gloss recipe, but it should work for a while.

[Chankgeez]

Forget about Harry Manx. Go straight to the source, his teacher, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt.

[Big Mon]

Regarding finding "what sounds like me": I actually started playing lap steel somewhere around '07. It started accidentally. I had an old beater with stupid high action. I borrowed a slide from a friend whose interested had waned in slide playing. So I put the Harmony beater on my lap, tuned to EBEG#BE, and almost immediately picked out "God Don't Never Change" and "Dark Was the Night/Cold Was the Ground". Soon, I ordered a Rogue Lap Steel for my oldest son for his bday. Obviously, I had to give it a test run first. When I did, it was pretty magical, even if the electronics were somewhat shit. Wound up ordering myself one of those Joe Morrell intro model doohickeys, then bought a Chandler after that. I tend to play with reckless abandon, often taking stabs at things that may be beyond my capabilities. I think I might be able to attribute that to eating a lot of acid and trying to play guitar to "Bitches' Brew", haha. But I sort of always go for broke. That said, I have taken some time to learn some theory to go with all this dare-devilry. But what I always seem to come back to is "lap steel emulating an angry, drunken woman screaming at God from behind a dumpster in the rain"-which is the impression I got from Robbie Krieger's slidework in "Been Down So Long" by the Doors. I've yet to delve too deeply into the realm of Indian Slide guitar, but very much look forward to doing so. Lately, I've been learning trad. stuff, like "Tennessee Walts", some Slim Whitman, and obviously returning to the blues of Blind Willie Johnson that I initially learned. In fact, I need to isolate two chunks of a really long song I did (these "chunks" were lap steel sections) and upload them to ILF for y'all to hear. One is sort of Swamp Synthy, with a somewhat Disco bassline, and a fuzzed, filtered lap steel solo. The other's a smooth fuzz'd lap steel rant, where the main riff is a sort of moody minor keyed affair, and shifts to major for the bridge (pretty Western AND Hawaiian-sounding). With guitar, I feel as though I hit a dead end. My playing had become a matter of "going through the motions". Picking up lap steel again has revitalized my passion for music. So much new ground to cover. Thanks for the input, guys. I know that there's the old not-quite-mega thread about lap steels already. But any excuse to get into a discussion regarding lap steels is a good one. Definitely gonna check out some Harry Manx and Bhatt this evening. Might even grab my coffee mug and play along.

[Chankgeez]

I've yet to delve too deeply into the realm of Indian Slide guitar, but very much look forward to doing so.

Hit me up when you're ready for some suggested listening.

[lapsteel]

Hit me up when you're ready for some suggested listening.[/quote]


Hey don't hold back on us.... Please suggest away.....

[Chankgeez]

Ah ha ha.

OK, you asked for it.

Here's the father of Hindustani Classical guitar:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NxLk3c-awA[/youtube]

People've been uploading crazy good full length ragas.

[Chankgeez]

And there're a whole mess of Indian steel guitarist who play in the filmi genre.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDncpVE_pLE[/youtube]