2 Questions: 1 about Ebows & 1 about DIs.

[Charm Bracelet]

Ebow Question:
I've been wanting to pick up an eBow to try some Manring style stuff, but I'm not sure about a few things:
a) Do they work well with bass? I've read a few comments saying they're hard to use on bass strings.
b) What price should I be willing to pay for one off eBay to get a good deal? They seem to attract a lot of bids, and I don't want to get caught in a bidding war and end up paying an unreasonable amount.

DI Question:
What's the best way to get a good tone when plugging directly into the PA? Is a DI enough or should I get something like those Behringer Sansamp knockoffs?

[meev992]

the impression that I get is that Ebows are difficult to use on Bass..but beyond that, u can purchase them....

i think, either, perfectbass, musiciansfriend, maybe even GC...so try online, u can get one for about 80 bucks.

what I do is have my pedal effects, running to a floor unit (behringer) and it splits my signal. One of them goes to my setup, and the rest goes to an MXR Noisegate/line driver. I have amp/cab simulation if i really need it but beyond that, sounds pretty good already.

[sonicvi]

I remember trying an ebow on bass when I had one back in the early 90's and I remember that it didn't work well. I think it just didn't have enough energy to get the bigger strings vibrating enough. Maybe it'd work ok with the G string.

[bongomania]

Re: the DI, if your bass sounds good on its own, then all you need is a DI to the PA. If your bass sounds lame on its own, then it will sound lame through a DI to the PA, unless your soundman is clever with processing at the FOH rig. Otherwise you'd need some sort of tone shaping pedal/unit before the DI, or with a DI out like that Behringer/Sansamp.

[D.A.R.K.]

if i'm not mistaken, manring uses extremely light guage strings,
which would help alot with the e-bow....

[343 Salty Beans]

My guitarist has an EBow, I've tried it many a time. Anything lower than the D string it has a REALLY hard time getting to move (I use 105-85-65-45 gauge). It even has some problems with the G-string. One of my future projects is designing a Bass EBow with a little more power to help get those fat strings movin'. I know there's schems/help online, it's just one of those lower priorities...somewhere between getting married and feeding the dog.

[meev992]

I think the best solution would be to take up upright bass or cello

[McHaven]

I've never managed to get my guitarist's ebow to work on my bass

[niftydog]

Originally Posted by 343 Salty Beans

...somewhere between getting married and feeding the dog.

Trust me on this one, don't get those two mixed up, ok!? Sheesh... won't forget that night for a looooooonnnnng time.

[Sir Edward V]

Originally Posted by meev992

Yea, the girlfriend never appreciates it when I'm messing around too much in the bedroom

Sounds like you're doing SOMETHING wrong if she is complaining

I don't remember eBows being difficult to get a sound out of it when held right... I've tried them a few times... some people make "adapters" for them that are basically pieces of plastic that let you rest it on the parallel strings like it does on guitar... this would make it a lot easier!

[Charm Bracelet]

I've been doing some searching and Manring apparently uses a string set of .052, .042, .032, and .020 on his hyperbass ...so maybe that helps with his eBow work. He's also said that it requires practice and technique though

They look like they're going for around US$100 on eBay, so all I need now is to find someone who will ship internationally.

[lemur821]

I've had no luck with my ebow on bass. It just distorts rather than doing anything useful. I haven't tried it with my light strings yet though.

[Jazz Ad]

The eBow is indeed difficult to use on bass but you can get very nice results with practice.
If you "start" the string a bit with hammers you can go decently fast.

[Charm Bracelet]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFQZdliOZ4E

Here's a clip of Manring doing the kind of thing I'd like to achieve with the Ebow.

[Adam Barkley]

I don't care about anyone else's love life and it isn't appropriate for TB. Cease and desist.

[assboglin]

I own the Ebow and it's made for quitar string spacing. It is very difficult to use.

[godspeed68]

if i play mine over my pickups it works beautifully. don't pay more than 100 bucks for one. get a good preamp/di.

[343 Salty Beans]

Originally Posted by Charm Bracelet

DI Question:
What's the best way to get a good tone when plugging directly into the PA? Is a DI enough or should I get something like those Behringer Sansamp knockoffs?

If you have a good soundman who has a decent enough EQ, you can run direct and let him worry about your tone. If you have what I like to call 'church sound guys', you should probably get a BDI21 or a real Sansamp and tell the guy to leave the EQ flat, then go out as far as you can in front of the house system and EQ your tone yourself using the Sansamp.

[Sir Edward V]

Originally Posted by Charm Bracelet

I've been doing some searching and Manring apparently uses a string set of .052, .042, .032, and .020 on his hyperbass ...so maybe that helps with his eBow work. He's also said that it requires practice and technique though

They look like they're going for around US$100 on eBay, so all I need now is to find someone who will ship internationally.

I thought it was $80 new...

[Lowpro]

Time to try an Epilady.

If you're a Tool fan, Adam Jones uses an Epilady over his pups and gets a good hum out of it similar to an ebow. Ive seen bassists do this and it sounds...sustained, what can I tell ya.

Also, there are these things called Jellyfish picks which can be used as a bow but I've never tried em since I've not seen em.