EBow - Anyone use it . . . tried it ?

[Krystof01]

Your wasting your time thinking about it. The EBow adds a whole new dimension to your playing. They take a bit of getting used to but once you are then you will not regret it. I think the original EBow may have been discontinued-I have the new EBow plus.

By the way how much have you seem them for?-out of interest.

 

[Mountaineer]

I was thinking about trying one of these. Are they hard to learn to use or am I wasting my time ?

Regards,
PAPicker

 

[Mountaineer]

Yeah, the one I'm looking at is $80, the PlusEBow at Musician's Friend. Why do you say I'm wasting my time if when I learn to use it I won't regret it . . . ??

I guess I meant . . does it sound like shit or is it worth the $$ ?

PAPicker

 

[windowman]

Get a hold of Phil Keaggy's "The Master and the Musician" if you want to really here what one of these gadgets can do. You really need rather ecclectic tastes to make use of it though. It's very dreamy sounding and sounds best with a good long delay and chorus and also with the tone rolled way back to smooth it out. Oh, and you really need to use it with a humbucker Gibson style guitar. They sound like crap on a Fender.

 

[windowman]

Sheesh, I'm such a dope! I don't know what I was thinking. I hate to give you this url but I've got a page at MP3.COM and it has some ebow on a couple of the tracks. I should have never put that page up though because it's all recordings I made in the early to mid 80's with a fusion band that I never particularly liked very much. I'm going to be headed into the studio in the fall to cut the first tracks I've laid in many years and I just wanted to have something to show people of my past accomplishments (?) before the new record comes out. It was probably a mistake though. We had a terrible vocalist who really blew the records I thought. Anyway, my solo's weren't too bad on it and the E-BOW sounds pretty good. You'll need to either download one of 2 songs: "People of the World" or "Destined" (not the reprise).

On "Destined" the you'll hear the e-bow right off as a backing pad...sort of like a synth would do. I'm using 2 ebows in stereo on that. There's not much to it though. The best one is "People" but unfortunately it's a 3.9Mg download! You can try the low-fi play but it sounds like crap. If you choose to download it, the ebow comes in at 2:36 and then fades out after a while only to come back in again at 3:50 and this time there's some distortion on it. Normally, you wouldn't want to distort an e-bow but in this case, it seemed to be what the song was calling for.

Anyway, it's there if you want to kill some time. http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/99/bill_seper.html


[This message has been edited by windowman (edited 07-16-2000).]

[This message has been edited by windowman (edited 07-16-2000).]

 

[Krystof01]

Well the EBow is an instrument within an instrument almost. The sounds produced will enjance your playing and add a different colour to your sound.

It really depends upon your playing style, what it adds is sustain ultimately. Bands like U2, REM, Big country etc use the EBow.

It is not possible to say that it sounds like shit-that depends on you. As far as I am aware the EBow kit comes, as in my kit with a tape of its capabilities. If you could borrow one of these from a shop or listen to it there you could then adjourn wheather it would complement your style. You may or may not like it-that doesn't necassarily mean it sounds shit; I mean do you like jazz-I don't, but Jazz players do.

 

[reco]

I got a ebow... I love it.
And it sounds great on my strat btw.
there so easy and fun to play with.
get it and enjoy.

 

[windowman]

Recco;

How'd you manage to get a descent e-bow sound on a strat? No one else ever did. They always sound incredibly raspy and nasal toned. Just listen to any of the bands that Krystof01 mentioned. Keaggy is still the only guy I've ever heard who got a good ebow sound on record.

BTW; the e-bow was made to be used with Gibson string spacing. Its grooves won't fit the strings right on a strat. The newer ones may however. Personally, I wouldn't waste my money on trying to use one with a strat. Not unless you want to end up sounding like Big Country.

Also, they give an incredible boost to the volume so you by necessity must use a volume pedal and a compressor.

 

[rjbriggs]

dudes...
the e-bow is a necessity if you like the alternative, smooth ambiance. I have been playing mine for two years and love it to death. (On a strat, by the way) The grooves fit the string spacing perfectly and it sounds smooth! I have always been a fan of the bands mentioned earlier in these postings and that obviously influenced by playing tastes. Get one whether you have a strat or LP. They are worth it!!

Rob

 

[Mountaineer]

OK, thanks for the input. I might give it a try. Wonder how it will work with the POD ?

PAPicker

 

[James HE]

I've had mine for five years- I don't really use it much cuz I never know where it is. It just suddenly appears somwhere and I use it I never really got a handle on the thing until I got a volume pedal- man with the E-bow and a volume padal (Ernie ball of course) you have an infinite amount of expresion to play with- ohhh and with a nice delay (Memory MAn of course) after the volume (Sometimes I have one before and after the delay ) you are in ambient-psyco-heaven!!!!

-jhe

 

[windowman]

James;

I like my pedal before the delay to for those Holdsworthian otherworld swells! Is that where you got the idea? I love the way Keaggy uses his pinky around the volume knob but it's hard to do chord swells like that. I started using a V pedal when I first heard Larry Carlton with one around 1980 but it wasn't until I heard Holdsworth put a delay after his that I realized what it was capable of. I've got an old DeArmond that works off a photo-electric (light) circuit. It seems a lot smoother than any of the newer ones I've tried. I've heard good things about that Ernie Ball too. When my old DeArmond gives up the ghost I'm gonna give one a whirl.

 

[Mountaineer]

Wonder how it'd sound with the POD set to Volume swell ? Anybody tried that ?

PAPicker

 

[Nikki7]

I've used E-Bow on strats for years! I always use the neck pickup (on a 3 pickup Strat) and sometimes tons of delay for that post-moderney, Big Country sound. Also, try E-Bow, delay and volume pedal or cry-baby.

I think I remember E-Bows first being marketed for steel-guitar players. Anyone else remember those ads? I think it was something like "Steel Players!! Make yer axe sound like a synth!!" (haha) And some nonsense about how that would get you all kinds of work!!

 

[windowman]

Nikki7;

I'm not sure if they were first marketed for the pedal steel or not but I know it was the pedal steel guys who first made it popular, particularly Buddy Emmons. In fact, they used to make a double-ebow that would bow 2 strings at once. That one was obviously geared to the steel guitar guys. I've never seen one but I know they existed. There were 2 models supposedly: one was a little fancier and hand some kind of engraving on it. I bet it would be a real collectors item now.

Sorry I can't go along with you guys who like what Big Country does with them. To me, they're a little too close to alternative rock. I tend to prefer music by guys who actually bother to learn how to play their instruments before they go out and make an album!

 

[Nikki7]

Actually, I don't like Big Country very much at all. I do like their guitar sound for some things. Their drummer, however did learn to play pretty well. His name was Mark Brzeziki and he played on The Cult's "Love" not to mention tons of Brit session work. Pretty legendary guy.

 

[windowman]

Nikki;

As a matter of fact my old drummer, Bret, from years gone by, used to love Big Country's drummer too. He also used to rave about this guy that played from an absolutley hiddeous band called Haircut 100. I don't remember his name but I think he went on to play with Paul McCartney.

You gotta wonder how these great drummers sometimes end up in such rotten bands.

 

[Nikki7]

Yah, Window...there's some weird player credits out there. The amazing Pino Palladino played bass on the solo album by the singer from Haircut 100. Or Thomas Dolby on Foreigner's "Urgent". Will and Anton from Late Night on Ace Frehley's solo album (remember "New York Groove"?) Trevor Horn from the Buggles ("Video Killed the Radio Star") singing for Yes.

also...

****BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR GIZMOTRONS****
If anyone sees one of these things let me know! It was a device that fit over the bridge of yer guitar..it had six keys on it that you would hold down independently and it produced an E-Bow type effect, except that you could play any number of strings at one time. I think it was made around '79 or '80. I borrowed one to record with one time and it was pretty cool.