Anyone use an E-Bow. After a 30 year break, decided to do some new stuff and add an E-Bow.
What a nightmare...
The thing is brilliant but about impossible to control. Starting a note is my main issue. Strings not equally responsive. You can slam the E and B strings and maybe get a response. Must depend also on the guitar. Single coils deliver too much garbage artifacts.
They went thru several upgrades and I got the latest as well as the vintage when they shipped the thing in a thick leather holster..
Problem was going broke replacing 9v transistor batteries, so have a bastardized older version on a home made 9v wall supply. Filtered it out as much as possible to get rid of 60hz hum.
Coolest invention since the pick, just hard to get it to play right.
 
John

When I was a kid we used to play with them in the music stores along with all the rest of the gear. Swore when I grew up I'd get one for myself. Never did though.
If I had one I'd find some use somewhere on a song sometime for sure.

I like to play with one occasionally. Here's what I like to do - play around and see if it isn't fun...
 
1. Use high-gain. I like a Tube Driver - more singing distortion than piercing or crunchy distortion. High flying notes baby!
2. Delay. I love to play with delays and create Rhythmic Rhythms (note, good album name). I played around with delay like this with the ebow on and  the high gain. If it's a bit longer of a delay you get some fun "follow" as you move up an down the fretboard.
3. Use vibrato of your picking hand when holding a single note with the ebow
4. slide a bunch - with the longer delays it is fun. :)
5. to start it, hammer on a note. This should be #1 but I'm too lazy (or too high) to renumber. ;)
6. Use the little switch on the ebow - the two settings sound different and never assume one is going to sound better than the other.
7. Try different pickup selections, and for each position move the ebow closer and farther from the active pickup. You are looking for two things. A) the sweet spot to move your fret hand around and B) you can create interesting rythms with the delay by moving the ebow closer and farther from the pickup in time with the delay. This can be loads of fun.
 
My ride is here, peace out.
 
 

Loves my EBow. I find it works best on the 3rd & 4th strings.

Use the neck pick up and hold the e-Bow behind it. B, G, D i find to be the easiest. Hammering on with the left hand starts it off.

Have fun, its a great tool.

Jerry

Appreciate the advice guys.
 
Getting it a bit more managed, but still using the old version (only one mode) and using the wall power which doesn't burn out batteries, but not the cleanest sound.
 
They claim that the new models have stronger drive but I can't tell much difference.
My first one went dead in the late 70's and I thought, now I can take the thing apart and see how it works. The inside was a solid block of black epoxy. You could barely see the top of a computer chip. Since then there are schematics on the web, but too much of a project for me. Had the idea of making one that covered two strings.

Just to inspire annoy you...
 

WOW that guy is amazing!

Ironic...
That was the video I watched a couple months ago that inspired me to shake the dust off the E-Bow. Just thought I could bounce back quicker.
Funny as an aside how little info was available before YouTube and the internet. Not knowing who played what in a band by the pictures on an LP cover. Arguing with band mates over what the garbled lyrics were because there were no lyric sites..
 
One thing the video brought me up to date on was Phil's missing finger. Was a big fan of Glass Harp and was said how he could accomplish his great riffs missing a finger. I always assumed as did most that it was on his left fretting hand. Looks like it is actually absent on his picking hand. Makes it not so much a challenge, but still a great guitarist.
 
John

Hi John - been using one for many years now - I find it works best with certain guitars - good neck pickup, high Gain and I like high strings (like a slide guitar) - then it's just a lot of practice!!!!
Hope all goes well
Nigel