Bluestem Strings Tone Bar Information
Bluestem Strings glass tone bar with contoured walnut handle
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Don't let the bottleneck players have all the fun!This unique tone bar starts its life as a Dunlop 215 heavy wall glass bottleneck slide and then gets the custom contoured walnut handle to adapt it for use with lap steel guitar. What sets it apart from the customary types of tone bars is its use of glass as the main body of the tone bar and the comfortable contoured and polished walnut hand grip area. It is physically much larger than a conventional steel, but you'll find it totally comfortable to use after adjusting to a slightly different hand position. The glass itself is 2-3/4" in length and 1-1/8" in diameter and the ends are slightly rounded and polished. The glass is bonded permanently to the contoured walnut handle and the handle is then finished with an application of fine furniture wax and hand polished. This tone bar weighs in at only 2 ounces and is quite comfortable to play for extended periods. In comparison, the conventional Stevens tone bar is slightly more than 5 ounces. This bar does not sustain as long as a heavier bar, but it is nice to have tonal options when your style relies more on faster single note play using pull-offs and hammer-ons. Behind the bar string pulls and glissando slant techniques are also facilitated by the super-smooth glass surface.
These bars are currently priced at $25 with first class US post office shipping included to the lower 48 United States. Please e-mail me with "Bluestem Info Request" in the subject line if you are interested in purchasing one of these bars.
Bluestem Strings stainless steel tone bar with contoured ebony handle
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This is a unique tone bar specially suited to the needs of the lap slide guitar. What sets it apart from the customary types of tone bars is its use of solid 303 stainless steel as the main body of the tone bar and the comfortable contoured and polished ebony hand grip area. The stainless steel body of the tone bar is 2-7/8" in length and 3/4" in diameter. The edges are micro-beveled to eliminate any chance of catching on the strings and the ends and contact area of the bar are polished to a mirror finish. The stainless steel body of the tone bar is bonded permanently to the contoured and polished ebony handle. This tone bar weighs in at 6.1 ounces, which is about a 20% greater mass than the conventional Stevens tone bar which weighs in at slightly more than 5 ounces. This contributes to longer sustain that many steel players find desirable. The ebony handle contributes to the bar being quite comfortable to use, with the majority of the bar's mass being low and directly over the strings. Behind the bar string pulls and glissando slant techniques are also facilitated by the polished stainless steel surface.These bars are currently priced at $30 with first class US post office shipping included to the lower 48 United States. Please e-mail me with "Bluestem Info Request" in the subject line if you are interested in purchasing one of these bars.
If you desire to contact me about Bluestem Strings products:
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Please include "Bluestem Info Request" in the subject line, Thanks!