Basic Truths: It is erroneous to refer to a tone bar as an 8-string bar, or a 10-string bar, or a 12-string bar. A tone bar should be selected to fit the size of your hand and in a weight that is right for your style of playing. Any other stated reason is typically a marketing ploy.

Another Two Cents: There are chrome-plated bars, stainless steel bars, cryogenic-manufactured bars and plastic bars. Some say a chrome bar provides a better sound. Frankly, I can’t tell the difference, and I’ll bet if I did a blind test of all who make these claims, I’d win the argument. I do know that chrome will chip and eventually wear off. Dropping any bar on a hard surface will dent it (and can shatter a plastic bar). If a chrome bar is dented, you cannot smooth it out without destroying the chrome. The cost of machining a dented bar is usually more than the cost of replacing it. In conclusion, I sell only stainless steel bars.

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Model 920 (7.5 oz., 7/8” diameter, 3” long, stainless steel)
Price: $28.00 including shipping
This is the most popular bar I sell.

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Dunlop Heavy Bar - Model 921 (11.5 oz., 1” diameter, 3 3/4” long, stainless steel)
Price: $28.00 including shipping
This is a good bar for practicing. It strengthens your hand muscles and after using it for awhile, it makes the Model 920 bar feel like a feather. Tip: If you filed a _” flat edge on the full length of this bar, it turns it into a great bar for mimicking the sitar sound! Dunlop used to supply such a bar but the lack of demand prompted them to stop.

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Dunlop “Jerry Byrd” Bar - Model 918 (5.5 oz., 3/4” diameter, 2 7/8” long, stainless steel)
Price: $18.00 including shipping
Jerry Byrd asked the Dunlop Company to make him this size of bar. They did, then made it available to everyone else. I know Jerry's hands were big enough to hold a much larger bar, but he preferred this bar size throughout his playing career. Maybe he knew something the rest of us didn’t know. That bar hand of his certainly proved it.

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Dunlop Small Bar - Model: 919 (4.5 oz., 3/4" diameter, 2 3/4" long, stainless steel)
Price: $18.00 including shipping
This is probably the right bar for a child or someone with very small hands. But then, I giant might conclude that it is a perfect fit.