C6 lap steel tone bar

trevjo7

Dear all,
I'm new to the C6 lap steel and have been struggling with using a bullet style tone bar. Essentially I find it difficult to physically lift the bar due to its weight and size. Could someone kindly recommend alternatives that may be more ergonomic?
Thanks in advance to all who reply. 
Trevor Joe 

octatonic

Try this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DUNLOP-926-LAP-DAWG-TONEBAR/dp/B0002D02T4

english_bob

I have a similarly shaped bar. It was the first one I bought so I don't know how it compares to a bullet one, but it's quite easy to manipulate. I didn't spend forty quid on it though.

I think the shape will make more difference than the weight within reason- the bar needs to have a decent amount of mass to do its job, but being able to grip it better makes the weight less of an issue.

Jimbro66

trevjo7 said:

Dear all,
I'm new to the C6 lap steel and have been struggling with using a bullet style tone bar. Essentially I find it difficult to physically lift the bar due to its weight and size. Could someone kindly recommend alternatives that may be more ergonomic?
Thanks in advance to all who reply. 
Trevor Joe 

Is your tone bar one made for lap steel or the bigger heavier type that pedal steel players use? When playing lap steel you shouldn't be lifting the bar other than to tilt it and play single notes with the tip. If you'd really like a bar that you can lift but still suitable for lap steel, rather than dobro, the Shubb SP2 is a good choice 

merlin

Yup, I agree with Jimbro. The Shubb SP2 is good. Whatever you get, make sure it has a rounded tip, not a square tip. You'll need that for single note tipping. 

ToneControl

you can play with a hollow tube instead if you like, the tone is not as good
my mate plays with one that is half metal, half glass

I use the Shubb SP1, much easier to grip than a bullet shape rod, and has the bit on the end to do 2 string slides 

DTSB

sounds like you are using a steel for pedal steel

there's a dedicated community of steelers that I'm sure could be of great help

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/index.php

FWIW - I always liked the C6 sound better than the E9. I mean not as some big analysis and there's plenty of E9 that I love, esp in pedal (but then, PSG tends to somewhat erase the diff, esp in U12 tuning)

but just when I hear something and I go "oh, that's nice" i find out it's in C6 a lot

Jimbro66

Another nice friendly community is the British Steelies Society https://www.thebritishsteeliessociety.co.uk

C6 does sound good but it needs some care not to sound too 'Hawaiian' (unless of course that's your intention). I quite like A6 and E13 tunings for lap/console steel guitar but if the OP is starting out on 6-string lap then C6 is a good choice.

jpfamps

As said about you tend to use a smaller lighter bar for lap steel than pedal steel.

Pedal steel players generally use lighter strings (so benefits tonally from a heavier bar) and you tend to do more of the work with the pedals than with the bar.

Generally, as said above, you don't lift the bar off that much, unless you are using open strings, and I would try to find a suitable bullet nose bar rather than a dobro bar as there are some very useful bar slants that exploit the bullet nose.

SnazzyGeezer

Its a practice thing tbh,although you dont lift it that often tbh,you can use blocking (dampening the strings with your picking hand)
Also there are different diameter and weight bars,and just like most things guitar shaped, finding what suits you takes time.

SnazzyGeezer

Heres another.
Good luck

DulcetJones

ToneControl said:

you can play with a hollow tube instead if you like, the tone is not as good
my mate plays with one that is half metal, half glass

I use the Shubb SP1, much easier to grip than a bullet shape rod, and has the bit on the end to do 2 string slides 

I have a Shubb SP2 with one end rounded slightly that works for me.  I'm not sure if the SP1 differs much, they look very similar.