E-bow on acoustic guitar??

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lhansen
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2008/06/22 15:18:32 (permalink)

E-bow on acoustic guitar??

Will it work? Has anybody tried this? If so, do you have snippets that I can hear?? Why is the grass green and the sky blue??


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    ToneCarver
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    RE: E-bow on acoustic guitar?? 2008/06/22 15:35:37 (permalink)
    Yes, it absolutely works, as long as you have magnetic metal in the strings it will get them vibrating (i.e. it won't work on classical guitars with nylon strings). Just like on electric guitar it can get very loud very quickly so you have to do all the ebow techniques to keep everything under control, but it definitely works. I don't have any clips handy but I'll post something if I get a few minutes to capture one.
    #2
    bitflipper
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    RE: E-bow on acoustic guitar?? 2008/06/22 15:38:07 (permalink)
    I work with an acoustic 12-string player who uses an e-bow to great effect. It's very cool.


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    mr.mudd
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    RE: E-bow on acoustic guitar?? 2008/06/22 15:53:28 (permalink)

    ORIGINAL: lhansen

    Why is the grass green and the sky blue??


    The sky is blue cuz if it was green we wouldn't know where to stop mowing.

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    lhansen
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    RE: E-bow on acoustic guitar?? 2008/06/22 16:04:31 (permalink)
    Bill - Cool!! It certainly would be much appreciated if you can toss me some samples man!!

    Dave - Wow! 12 string?? You have any bytes you can share??

    Eric - I totally agree with you on that point!! Now that's thinkin' outside the box friend!!
    post edited by lhansen - 2008/06/22 16:27:23


    Slow Marching Band


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    ToneCarver
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    RE: E-bow on acoustic guitar?? 2008/06/22 16:51:07 (permalink)
    Larry,

    I put a quick demo up on my Collaboratory soundclick site:

    Acoustic Ebow Demo

    The first part is acoustic strumming/picking so you hear what my raw unprocessed guitar sounds like (recording direct). After that is some some ebow noodling, no processing, no compression, no reverb, totally dry. Towards the end is a little 3-track noodle over some jamstix drums to give a hint of how things might sound with some processing. It has reverb, conmpression, some delay, chorus.

    One thing I noticed while doing this is that the strings on my acoustic are much stiffer than those on the electric and take a little longer to get going with the ebow. B String was the easiest, low E was very difficult. Also, higher up the neck was much more difficult on acoustic than electric. My ebow battery may have been a little low though and may have contributed to some of the lag.

    With ebow it's all about playing technique so different folks and different instruments may get different results and nuances. I think the effect is more pronounced on the electric guitar due to the slinkier strings and the sensitive pickups being so close to the strings. On the electric I can sweep the ebow very close to the strings, almost but not quite touching them, and it makes a kind of violin-like raking sound. Couldn't get anywhere close to that on the acoustic. Still fun though with lots of creative possibilities.


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    lhansen
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    RE: E-bow on acoustic guitar?? 2008/06/22 17:12:39 (permalink)
    Bill - Wow!! I am sooo sold on this after listening to your demo man!! I'll have one in my hand by the week's end... Yes indeedy!! Really, really appreciate you taking the time to record and post this Mr. Davies!! BTW -Pretty darn good for a 'demo"! I gave you a '5' on SC.. LOL. just had a thought..I'm gonna see how it sounds on my mandolin too!! I haven't bought anything in a while, so I think the ebow is a small, but very useful investment. Thanks again!

    Update Bill....I just ordered one ($99) it should be in my hands come Wednesday... I'm stoked about this..sometimes the little things can make a world of difference, like when I purchased my partial capo (covers only the A-D-G strings) for $14..world of voicings and tonal possibilities.. When I get a little proficient at using the ebow, we should do an 'E' collab..
    post edited by lhansen - 2008/06/22 18:07:40


    Slow Marching Band


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    foxwolfen
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    RE: E-bow on acoustic guitar?? 2008/06/22 17:20:18 (permalink)

    ORIGINAL: mr.mudd


    ORIGINAL: lhansen

    Why is the grass green and the sky blue??


    The sky is blue cuz if it was green we wouldn't know where to stop mowing.


    LOL

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    ToneCarver
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    RE: E-bow on acoustic guitar?? 2008/06/22 20:05:56 (permalink)

    ORIGINAL: lhansen
    Update Bill....I just ordered one ($99) it should be in my hands come Wednesday... I'm stoked about this..sometimes the little things can make a world of difference, like when I purchased my partial capo (covers only the A-D-G strings) for $14..world of voicings and tonal possibilities.. When I get a little proficient at using the ebow, we should do an 'E' collab..


    Sure, collab would be great .. also, forgot to mention, ebow and slide can be a pretty interesting combination. Have fun.
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    Roflcopter
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    RE: E-bow on acoustic guitar?? 2008/06/23 14:41:31 (permalink)
    +1 for the ebow and slide - also great for doing those police siren wails.

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    mlockett
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    RE: E-bow on acoustic guitar?? 2008/06/23 14:53:42 (permalink)
    Phil Keaggy uses e-bow on acoustic quite a bit. In my experiance, it takes a little more to get the strings "started" with acoustic, so using the left hand to help it along goes a long way.
    #11
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