Clinesmith tonebar too fast???

[Twayn Williams]

I just got my new Clinesmith tonebar for my lap steels, and I'm a bit shocked by how fast it is! i.e. there seems to be very little friction. Unfortunately, this is causing me to wildly overshoot. I've got a gig on Saturday and I don't think I can use the new bar, but will have to go back to my Dunlop JB for the gig if I want to be able to play in tune! Anyone else have this experience?

[Alan Davidson]

I have a Clinesmith and also some EZEE slides, which are very similar. Yes, they are like ice gliding over a warm glass tabletop. I love them. They make stainless steel feel like sandpaper. But, for sure, they take some amount of time to get used to them. I also think they sound a tad warmer.

[Rob French]

It’s fast, don’t panic! It took me a bit to get used to mine, but now I love it. Vibrato is effortless, and it does have a richer tone. But don’t gig with it until you are ready…

[Frank James Pracher]

I had a similar experience with my Tribotone .... by the time I got my Clinesmith and EZEE slide bars I knew what to expect. Like others have said, once you're used to it metal bars will seem to drag on the strings.

[Mark Evans]

Never having played a Clinesmith bar… I’m intrigued!
I do have a Michael Hillman tapered bar, powder coated. Is the finish on the Clinesmith comparable, in as far as icy slide-ability?

I will say that, coming out of playing Weissenborn w/Shubb/Pearse SP-2 grooved bars, it took me (literally) years to adapt to bullet bars (always on the floor!). As soon as it was sorted… no turning back! (The powder coated bars seem easier to grip vs. steel for me)

Mark E

[Pete Martin]

I loved the Clinesmith bars right off the bat!!!

[Mark Perrodin]

i really like my clinesmith bars. all my other bars feel like obsolete technology in comparison. the clinesmith bars don't have the metallic sizzle either. i liken it to the difference between a big fat jazz guitar and a tele. both great sounds but for me it's a clinesmith. just bought another two weeks ago.

[Twayn Williams]

Don’t get me wrong, the bar is great, just a bit unexpected

Gonna hold off on using it till next month. I figure it’ll take me at least a month or 2 of solid use till I adjust…

[Andy Volk]

My favorite bar!

[Tim Whitlock]

I own both the Clinesmith and Eazzee Slide polymer bars. They are my go to bars and I would have a hard time going back to a metal bar. They are indeed very slick right out of the box, however with use the surface will wear and they lose some of their slickness. This is actually a good thing as they become easier to hold and the action is more controllable. I haven't reached a point where the wear diminishes the performance of the bars, though I suppose it could happen with enough use over time. I did drop the Eazzee Slide on a concrete floor and it got a nick in it. You do have to be careful as they are not as resistant to drops as a steel bar. I covered the nick with a bit of red electrical tape so I can keep that side of the bar up, and now use it only as a backup. I'll be ordering another Clinesmith soon.

[Bill Leff]

I have a Tribotone and an Ezzee and used to have a coated Red Rajah type bar. Love them but they don’t have the volume or high end of the same dimensioned chrome bars that I own.

[Mike Neer]

I did find a need to be a little more conscious of my vibrato when using my Clinesmith bar, because it is a bit faster and my vibrato was starting to sound a bit nervous until I got control of it. As far as the general playability, it's really nice and I like the slickness of it. Unfortunately, I use 5/8" bars 90% of the time, so I need to check in with Todd about having a few made if possible.

[Michael Kiese]

Aloha Twayne,

If you like it, you can get used to anything with enough practice. Probably a smart idea to go what you're used to for the upcoming gig.

I had a Clinesmith polymer bar. They are remarkably smooth, with great tone. That said there is a trade off of material hardness for that low friction.

The plastic polymer is relatively soft (especially in comparison to stainless steel). Though some will swear that it is hard and durable, I didn't trust it enough to heavily perform with for fear of nicking it along a sharp edge, or dropping it and getting a flat spot. I want to avoid that happening on live gigs. I felt like I had to treat it with kid gloves. To me, the risk was not worth the reward.

I didn't even trust putting it in my pocket with my car keys or house keys. It would be just my luck that I'd drop that bar on a high pressure gig, when I need it the most. If I don't think I can rely on a piece of gear when it counts the most, then it's not for me. Just my choice.

The last time I said as such on the forum, a bunch of people got upset. You'd think that I was after Todd's livelihood or something. lol.

There are plenty of people who swear by them and trust them.

[Mark Eaton]

Never having played a Clinesmith bar… I’m intrigued!
I do have a Michael Hillman tapered bar, powder coated. Is the finish on the Clinesmith comparable, in as far as icy slide-ability?


Mark E

Hillman vs. Clinesmith: Todd’s bars are definitely more slippery and slidey.

[Mark Evans]

Never having played a Clinesmith bar… I’m intrigued!
I do have a Michael Hillman tapered bar, powder coated. Is the finish on the Clinesmith comparable, in as far as icy slide-ability?


Mark E

Hillman vs. Clinesmith: Todd’s bars are definitely more slippery and slidey.

A tone bar rated at least PG13

[Mark Evans]

Mine is to be delivered Saturday. I shall report

[Nathan Laudenbach]

I have a prototype Clinesmith bar, it has a much thicker plastic wall than the standard Clinesmith bar does. I also have a regular production Clinesmith bar. Love them both. Sometimes I go back to a regular steel bar and the accuracy I get with the texture of the steel bar, especially when doing slants where the top two notes stay on the same fret is pretty remarkable to my ears but I love the smooth feel and the little bit of grip I get when the Clinesmith gets warm in my hand. And it feels more “vintage” than some of the other modern nonmetal bars. Clinesmith really is the modern day Bigsby. Seems like everything he makes is gold

[Twayn Williams]

I'm wondering if maybe I got a heavier bar if it'd help slow me down?

I have the lightest one: 3/4 X 3 - 4.5oz

Maybe I should get the 13/16 X 3 - 5.6oz?

Thoughts?

[Alan Davidson]

Obviously, a heavier bar will slow you down, but probably not in the same way as a stainless steel bar. So there will be a difference in feel. I would suggest going with the weight you're already used to rather than throwing in an additional variable.

Also, I agree with the other poster who said that the polymer bars are slicker than the powder-coated ones.

[Michael Kiese]

I will second and support all the comments about the Clinesmith polymer bars being very slick.

I would say that the Clinesmith polymer bars have the lowest friction out of all the bars I've ever tried. They're even lower friction than Zirconia Ceramic bars.

The Polymer achieves the low friction through its material properties with a trade off of hardness.

Zirconia Ceramic achieves its low friction through its material properties of being very hard (much harder than stainless steel). Generally speaking, the harder something is, the smoother it is. Zirconia Ceramic is harder than steel, but it's also more brittle than steel. There's always a trade off.

So if you value "slickness" (low friction) as the most important property in a bar, definitely go with polymer bars. Just go in with eyes wide open and know that you're trading off hardness.

[Rick Aiello]

Personally I prefer the “grab” metal on metal has for the melody strings … but love the smoothness and subtle tone change on the bass side with a delrin type or powder coated bar.

So for me it was obvious what to do … ha ha

IMG_3203.jpeg

[Mark Evans]

For Clinesmith ‘Bar-too-fast’ owners, wanting to slow it down… I recommend, from Kurt Vonnegut’s ‘Welcome to the Monkey House,’ the story ‘Harrison Bergeron.’

All your questions will be answered

[Mark Evans]

Received Clinesmith bar and put in about an hour+ playing a few different lap steels.
3” x 3/4”
4.5 oz
White

Okay, so I’m sure after a while the buzz will wear off, but at times I looked at the speaker and down at the bar and wondered where the heck the sound was coming from. Warm and clear. I had no problem gripping it and moving it. Very agile bar. I found the ‘slipperyness’ to be an asset, small adjustments, learning new moves. It Really sings. I A/B’ed it with my Hillman tapered bar (3” x 3/4-7/8th”, heavier at 6 + ounces, black). I cut my teeth on the Hillman. The heft definitely makes for a slightly beefier tone… but less agile. A fair trade-off and one that is strictly subjective to what is played - not negative or positive (it’s getting late in life and fussing over a certain ‘right and wrong’ seems like a waste of time. It just is.)
Single note runs are just a sonic and tactile pleasure.

Alright. This will be fun

[Bill Groner]

Personally I prefer the “grab” metal on metal has for the melody strings … but love the smoothness and subtle tone change on the bass side with a delrin type or powder coated bar.

So for me it was obvious what to do … ha ha

IMG_3203.jpeg

Hey Rick, you should have talked to me before I retired, I could have made you a half n half bar! You missed the boat by 3 years!

[Rick Aiello]

I know, story of my life

I think I’d need two bullet bars, one with each material at the tip end … cause I can’t decide which I like better

I’m sayin ‘ , could be the next big thing in bars