Shubb GS1 Guitar Steel Slide with Wooden Handle

I roughen the wood grip slightly with 40 grit sandpaper - then it's really ready to go. The grip is really secure and the light weight is a real advantage when playing bluegrass fiddle tunes loaded with hammer-ons and pulloffs.I own 2 - one in my gas (along with fingerpicks) if something comes up and I don't have my gear; the other at home.These Shubb bars are HIGHLY recommended!

I've tried a lot of steels in the past, but this is by far my favorite. Good weight and balance, fits in my hand perfectly with no sharp edges.

My musical tastes have gone through quite an evolution since I started playing guitar 30+ years ago. As such, I've grown more and more interested in the tones that can only be achieved through older, vintage folk type instruments. I picked an old Supro lapsteel guitar a few years ago, and up until now have only been capable of extracting the musical equivalent of a screeching cat from it.Fast forward to my having ordered a Shubb slide. As soon as I took it out of the package, I knew that what I was holding was a game changer. The slide has amazing balance, and seems to naturally fit into your hand in a way that provides a level of control that no other slide that I've tried previously had been able to achieve.Thus far, I've tried a spare socket, a glass bottleneck slide, a Stevens contoured slide, and a few sizes of bullet slides. The Shubb GS (Gary Swallows) slide beats them all. I'm now afforded a great deal more control, and in turn, have been able to dramatically improve my technique. Even the subtle angled ends allow you to contact only a few strings at a time, that opens up new possibilities. The stainless steel bar is a generous 3 1/16 inch from end to end. The wooden grip is contoured to allow your fingers and thumb to naturally grip the slide in a way that provides for optimal contol, and reduces slippage. The wood seems to have a very very light satin finish (if at all) and seems like it will age gracefully to an even more optimal smoothness.When you place the slide on a table or flat surface, it natually lands in the correct playing position, which is evidence of the fact that the perfect amount of balance has gone into the design of the slide.While at first glance, this may seem a very simple device, and may even visually seem to be only a gimmick in its appearance, don't be fooled. This is one of those rare accessories that truly has the capability of taking your playing to the next level. If you're like me, and have been frustrated with learning to play a lapsteel or dobro, give one of these slides a chance before you give up on the instrument. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

Being a newbie to dobro slide guitar, I purchased the cheapest bar possible, around 9.50- 10 bucks.I quickly realized as I played for long periods ( which always happens) that my index finger on my left hand would "lock up" after playing ! It is uncomfortable. When I saw the curved bar and read some reviews about it being kind to arthritic fingers, I decided to give it a try. I am very pleased with my purchase. my reasoning for giving 4 stars instead of 5 is a price issue...UPDATE: one year later... I love this Dobro Bar... I only have one complaint- The WOOD chips / splits if dropped, and I happen to be the queen of butterfingers... This evening I dropped it again and the wood split. I pulled out the super glue and duct tape in hopes to fix.WHY CAN'T SHUBBS company improve this issue?

When I first started playing dobro, this steel was WAY more comfortable to my hand than the Lap Dawg. It's considerably taller, and the wood both feels nice and helps me keep a decent grip on the bar. The Lap Dawg made my hand cramp initially, so the extra height really seemed to help me get used to playing a square neck.I did eventually switch over to the Lap Dawg as my primary steel, but I've recently started switching back and forth. Some of the differences between this and the Lap Dawg (which is currently my only other steel):* This is a bit longer.* This one significantly more angled edges. That makes it hard to switch back and forth.* This is stainless steel, and seems like it might be holding up better. My Lap Dawg's got a few dings and scratches. This has some tiny scratches but nothing I can feel on the strings.* As mentioned, this one's much easier to hold onto during a long jam because the wood doesn't get slippery like an all metal steel.UPDATE: A few years on, this has become my primary bar. Updating to a 5 star rating because it's held up beautifully. (Ordering a 2nd because I misplaced my other, and my Lap Dawg just … isn't what I want anymore.)One tip I didn't mention before is that you can rub a little bit of Gorilla Snot on the wood to make it easier to hold. A little goes a LONG way, but once the initial stickiness of it dissipates, it stays grippy (but not sticky) for a year or two before needing to reapply.Overall, just a MUCH more comfortable tone bar than anything else I've used.

The Schubb GS-1 tone bar is about the right weight for me. It has a more mellow tone and sustain compared to my other metal bars, probably because of the added wood (and being stainless steel and not chromed brass.) My arthritic hands appreciate this wooden handle. Two iffys for me: 1. The height takes some getting used to (lots of rolling.) 2. A bigger concern is that the reverse-cut/reverse-angled ends give me a sudden drop off the strings that I don't get with my Schubb SP-1. Maybe I'll get used to it. A tip to Schubb: Build a bar the same length, contour, weight (subbing out some for the wood), height, width, metal, and protruding nose (a great feature) as the SP-1 but with the shaped wood handle. I like the GS-1 overall. I may "goop" a shaped dowel to my SP-1 and see how it works. Meanwhile, most people will love this bar. The sound alone is worth it.

best tone bar on the market

It gives a person more control over the bar placement on the lapsteel strings that said I have large hands and couldn’t get a comfortable fit . Hence the 4 star rating

This is lovely to hold and a little lighter with a fairly good tone, but it’s somewhat short. This is probably fine on a narrower neck like some vintage models, but if you have a widish lap steel like my Duesenberg I wouldn’t bother, as it it's easy for it to snag on the top string when you move across the strings.

Great product. I have a couple other Shubbs and this now my favourite tone bar with the SP1 a close second.

Très bon slide. Je joue principalement de la guitare et j'ai opté pour un slide plutôt léger (ici 120g environ). son poids réduit permet de passer du dobro à la guitare sans ressentir de gêne à la main gauche (le shubb sp2, environ 168g me donnait des crampes).

I've tried several, this is by far the most comfertable, no cramps.

disappointed, only took a few slides on the strings and it started to show the beginnings of scratch marks on what is advertised as a hard playing surface!