hi, i was wondering if its possible to get a nice bowing sound from a bass guitar, close to what a double bass bwoing sound is. I¡ve got a 5 string warwick nad a 4 string yamaha. i guess i could modify the yamaha bridge to make it more curved so i could bow all string but i don't anything about bowing , if its possible, which bow should i use, are bows expensive?...thanks! so many questions:S
aside from the lack of 'arch' in the string set up, your other biggest problem using a bow on electric bass is going to be the strings - electric bass strings just aren't designed for it... You might end up with some interesting effects, but just for safety's sake, I'd get the cheapest bow you can find, as you may well ruin it attempting it... Might be better off getting an E-Bow and experimenting with the options that that opens up for your playing... cheers! Steve www.stevelawson.net
step 1, go to http://www.ebow.com/ step 2, have a listen to Adhan from Michael Manring's Thonk CD... Steve www.stevelawson.net
jón þor birgisson (guitar player) of Sigur Rós, plays guitar with a cello bow. It sounds very nice, but it does not sound like most classical bowed instruments; sort of between a thin sounding string section and a Sitar. The bassist for Sigur Rós, Georg Holm (one of my favorite bassists), originally came up with the idea to play his bass with a bow. He said it sounded horrible, so the bow was given to Jón to try on his guitar, which sounded better. You could try it, you have nothing to lose (except money). If it does not work on rounds, try flatwounds. If that does not work, try NS design electric upright strings. The NS upright can accomodate a bow, but the strings might not fit. Or you could try other brands of electric upright and upright strings; The sky (and wallet) is the limit! (p.s If you want to hear a bowed guitar, buy ágætis byrjun by Sigur Ros, which can be found in any larger CD store (like Barnes and Noble's music section). Listen to the first full track, svefn-g-englar, and you will know when you hear it.)
Georg uses an EBow on track 6 of ( ), btw. There were two threads on the topic of bowing a bass in the effects and Luthier's Corner forums. I think the consensus is that it's not feasible. I agree. I use an EBow, as do many bassists and guitarists, to great effect, Steve and Michael among them.
The Sigur Ros stuff is amazing - I've copped a couple of new sounds from listening to their records, though the essence of the sound seems to be more about distortion delay and reverb than about the bowing technique. With the patch I've set up, it doesn't matter how I strike the strings, I still get this huge wall of glorious noise! Steve www.stevelawson.net
Hey steve! I was reading an article about you last night in Bass Player, I didnt even know it was you (bad remembering and recalling names) until I looked at your website and saw your picture.
there you go! Glad you saw the feature - I'm rather pleased with how it came out. If you liked it, please email BP and tell them... Steve www.stevelawson.net
A case of striking while the iron is cold, perhaps, but you might want to check out Jiraud basses. Pretty innovative design; I might have picked one up, but an NS Design CR4M got the best of my checkbook. http://www.jiraud.com/
I thought I'd put in a good word for Jonathan Wilson who plays an instrument he calls a "guitar-viol" which is designed to be used with a bow. Interesting stuff!
for the bowing curious... there are bows used by hammered dulcimer players that may work well for a bass. it's really hard to explain this device, but i think it might do the trick. yet again, it requires rosin and you'll rot your strings. it's a really cheap toy though, maybe five or ten bucks.
at a point in my bands set, i open a song by playing the bass guitar with a double bass bow,i only really play the melody on the g string tho.... .... thought someone might like to know
