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Ebow

C

Clef_de_fa

Guest
Dec 25, 2011
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2,585
#1
Well I don't know if it is the right place but if not, feel free to move it to the right place.

Well I just bought a Ebow and at first I thought it was broken because it didn't even make a sound, nothing ! I was ready to bring it back at my music store to get a refund or a new one when the clerk made it work easily. I returned home quite puzzled ... was I that bad at it that I couldn't make a sound ? I retried it on all my basses : 3 are Carvins and they all have single coil or humbucker without any pole pieces and one is an old crappy Ibanez with the neck a little twisted but it is P pickup with pole pieces.

And guess what ?

it only works on the crappy old Ibanez

is it me or that thing really only works with pick up with visible pole pieces ? if so I will get a refund as fast as I can.
 
#4
It does play with pickups too, though place along the string is just as important. My experience is that they work best hovering over a neck humbucker. It can also be extra difficult to use with bass since the resting grooves are designed for guitars With heavier bass strings you might have to pluck the string lightly first to start it vibrating before the ebow can take over.
 
#5
Just like real estate: Location, location, location. It really matters where you place it. It'll work fine on bass, it just takes a bit more work. The E-bow vibrates the string, and you get max vibration with the string centered under it. As has been said, the grooves are designed for guitar, so it's easier to center it with guitar string spacing. But it'll work on any bass (assuming metal strings); the quality and thickness of strings will affect results, of course. Also, IME, it gets louder over a pickup.
 
#7
gregmon79 said:
PM TB member Sillyfabe. He has one and uses it often I believe. He should be able to help you out.
Click to expand...

It takes A LOT of practice and patience! It took me a couple months to get it down just right. I've even use it on my P-Bass with .55-.110 Flatwounds tuned DAEA. Different parts of the neck will vary the strength,tonality and overall approach. I position it between the meaty part of my lower thumb and my 4 other fingers for the most part. Played over a pickup creates an awesome harmonic-natural overdrive, between the pups makes it smooth and played over the neck greats a very smooth hum. Both of my basses (jazz and p-bass) have single-coils. Here is a video of me using one (towards the end)



Around 7:05 (fun HOG whammy action beforhand!)

I'm using a Fender Geddy Lee Jazz with DR Green Neons (.45-.95)
 
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#8
Dude fabe, I've always wanted an ebow. I went and tried one out at a local GC once and I got much of the same thing that the OP got. Nothing. I knew I was doing it wrong but didn't have the drive to learn it. After hearing the ending of that vid, it's going back on my GAS list for this year. I absolutely love the things that are possible with an ebow. Especially with all the other cool stuff i can do with all my effects. Especially delay, fuzz and octave. Yeah buddy. Thanks for the inspiration bro.


Killing gods
 
#10
Thanks all and as I said, I can make it work on my crappy old Ibanez fine which happen to have Ppickup with pole pieces and strung with flat while my Carvins don't have pole pieces and I just can't make a sound with it.

Even after gently plucking the strings, put fresh batteries etc
 
#11
I have been experimenting with an eBow as well. My parts fretless p-bass with Steve Harris flats and SPB-3 quarter-pounder pickups works great, my cheapo acoustic with tapewounds works, and my Schecter 5-er with flats works.

Patience. Took me a good 1-2 hours to consistently gets the "buzz"/vibration going. Now I am focused on making music
 
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#12
Ebows are made for guitars. The spacing is designed for 6 strings. It take a lot more finesse to use them on bass. Have to have a steady hand and line it up on the strings just right. I wish they just made one designed for bass it would be a lot easier.
 
#14
Seeing with what ease Sillyfabe used his in his video, Im confident that I can master the ebow as well. I know its going to take time, patience and a lot of practice and finesse. But Im so game. Considering hearing the most beautiful sounds that come out of an amp with some effects and an ebow.
 
#16
I wonder about ebows sometimes. Ebow plus fuzz, filter, octave, chorus - big sustained synth sounds. But it sounds like it might not be workable. I am not sure I want to use an electric DB and learn to use a real bow...
 
#17
Ebow is perfect for sustained synth sounds. The problem with using it is that basses vary so much in factors that are critical to make it work well that knowing if it will work well on your bass. String spacing, active vs passive, pickup type, pickup placement, fretted vs fretless are all things that affect how well it works. My passive Warwick corvette fretless handles the Ebow very well and i can get a wide variety of usable tones and tricks with the Ebow. My Ibanez GWB35 is tricky because of it's narrow string spacing and it also has a single pickup with active electronics so it reacts much differently. Fretted basses can be a challenge to not get fret noise when you really get the string going.
 
#18
i was quite decent with this actually. i just never found a use for it with the music i made, so i sold it ...

it took me a few days to get sounds off it. i just put it over the neck pick up, while resting my elbow on the bass' body or the palm of my hand on the strings i wasnt playing.

i just never had the imagination to make real music out of it like michael manring does
 
#19
sillyfabe said:
It takes A LOT of practice and patience! It took me a couple months to get it down just right. I've even use it on my P-Bass with .55-.110 Flatwounds tuned DAEA. Different parts of the neck will vary the strength,tonality and overall approach. I position it between the meaty part of my lower thumb and my 4 other fingers for the most part. Played over a pickup creates an awesome harmonic-natural overdrive, between the pups makes it smooth and played over the neck greats a very smooth hum. Both of my basses (jazz and p-bass) have single-coils. Here is a video of me using one (towards the end)



Around 7:05 (fun HOG whammy action beforhand!)

I'm using a Fender Geddy Lee Jazz with DR Green Neons (.45-.95)
Click to expand...


Nice!
I hold mine the same way, that grip gives you a lot more control over the thing then how most hold them. Personally I like to use ebow with a slide.
only example I has on hand….

It's the lead track: Ibanez SR505 with flats and a reallyyyyyy a old ebow [no harmonic setting or nothing], dunlop mudslide, H&K tubeman and some kind of phase and reverb.
 
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