Hi, I've recently joined a band that plays quite dark-sounding music in the vein of PJ Harvey/Nick Cave and my ebow playing is much liked by the songwriter, so much so that it's becoming a feature of the band's sound. (I'm using an older-model ebow with a red led and a Fender Jaguar bass strung with 105-45 strings).

I'm struggling to get the strings started at times, especially the E string and would like to know how light I can go with string gauge without losing bottom end - will going to say 100-40 help with the ebow?

I'm even seriously considering getting another bass for "regular" playing and setting this one up just for the ebow. Do you think this is necessary and if so, how do I do this? (Am guessing it would entail lowering the action and fitting even lighter strings than 100-40's). Are there any effects that would be useful?

Finally, do you think the newer ebow - the PlusEBow? - works better for bass, or is the model I have ok?

Any other suggestions would be much appreciated,

Many thanks,

Jonny

Sounds like a cool project, Jonny! I hope you’ll let us hear what you’re up to sometime.

I seem to be in the minority on this opinion, but I don’t find that light gauge strings have less low end than heavy ones. In fact, if anything, they seem to me to have more fundamental as they tend to be looser and can vibrate in a wider aperture. As I say though, this isn’t the commonly accepted point-of-view! In any case, going with lighter strings probably will help you get a faster attack with the Ebow, and you might want to experiment with different kinds of strings as well. I assume that strings with more magnetic properties will respond better to the Ebow’s magnetic field.

The current Plus Ebow model seems to me to be the strongest one yet and the most useful for bass, with the possible exception of the “Hot” model that was available around the mid-nineties (it’s black, with a white logo).

Although gear and set-up certainly have an impact on the efficacy of the Ebow, I hope folks won’t underestimate the degree to which technique plays a role. As both Steve and I have said many times, the Ebow isn’t like a stomp box that you just turn off and on; it’s a tool that requires a particular skill developed through practice. I don’t think Ebow technique is especially difficult to develop, but it does require a high degree of sensitivity as the Ebow will react differently if moved only a few millimeters in any direction. This may be frustrating at first, but it’s essential to the expressiveness of the Ebow and once you get the hang of it, the creative options are amazing.

Thanks for the info and advice Michael,

You're right about string gauges: I've always thought the lighter the gauge, the lower the mass, so you get less low end! I'm definitely gonna experiment with lighter gauges - I have a new 5-string on it's way, so my 4-string will become more of an "Ebow bass" that I'll try out string/pickup heights, string gauge etc...

My Ebow was bought about 10 years ago - it has a red light and white logo, so it may well be the "Hot" model: once a string starts, it can really crank if I want it to!

I'm mixing a demo track from my band tonight and I'm playing Ebow on it - I'll post an mp3 when it's done.

Thanks :bassist:

I seem to be in the minority on this opinion, but I don’t find that light gauge strings have less low end than heavy ones.

Agreed. And not just becouse you'r michael manring:smug:

I used to play with the heavies gauges I could find, 'till I couldnt get the 105's for my 4 string, I got a set of 100's and they have the same ammount of bass. Plus, they are far easyer to play.