That's awesome. Seems like it'd be easy enough to do a second "string" and get some harmony going. Maybe tune it to an octave.
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Long-string instruments...any body ever build one?
- Thread starter Thunderscreech
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Magnet. Though I would like it with a wheel.
This is from their website.
What are the basic EBow concepts?
[From the Lessons page] The Energy Bow is a handheld electronic bow for guitar. Called the EBow for short, it focuses a sympathetic oscillating magnetic field on a single string and causes it to vibrate. Like a violin bow, it can affect the string in many ways. Bowing, bouncing and wiggling it can shape the tone and character across the harmonic and dynamic range. From muted horns to shrill distorted leads, from flute to harmonica. It also acts like a pick, activating one string at a time for fluid arpeggios, percussive strumming and rapid trills (tremolandos and pedal tones). It takes some practice to learn the moves and discover the variables of this knobless hand-held device.
The wide range of tones and textures come from technique not presets. Where it is positioned along the strings, how it is moved, whether it is tilted to one side or up on one end, how quickly it is slapped into place all contribute to the sound. One key variable is its interplay with your pickup. The closer you bring the EBow to a magnetic pickup that is on, the louder and brighter the sound. This only happens very close to the pickup. This is called the playing area. You can vibrate the string anywhere along its length from the nut to the bridge, but the dramatic volume change occurs only very near a pickup that is on. Staying in this small playing area gives you lots of control over the tone and volume dynamics.
The EBow rides on two strings, straddling the one you're playing which is not touched by the EBow. Push the EBow against these support strings and the drive channel comes closer to the string that you're bowing intensifying the drive field for more string vibration. Less pressure or tilting the EBow away from the string decreases this drive.
Don't be afraid of the EBow. Slide it along the strings, tilt it, slap it into place over the pickup and see what happens. Try it over all your pickups to hear the difference in tone. We mostly play over the neck or rhythm pickup but not always. You'll have to press the EBow pretty hard against the strings when you're back near the bridge or it won't drive the string at all. When you hear something you like, try to repeat it. Then master it as a technique.
Play with your amp and guitar 'tone and volume' settings when using the EBow. Usually, you'll want to cut the highs and lower the volume but not always. Mostly you don't want the string to buzz against the EBow drive channel but sometimes you may even want that effect. You get the most control playing near the pickup but sometimes you might want a very clean natural string sound and you'll stay far from the pickup. You'll have to turn up the volume if you play away from the pickup and changing to another string will then be clanky if you don't muffle the support strings. There are no rules just techniques. You're sure to discover your own.
This is from their website.
What are the basic EBow concepts?
[From the Lessons page] The Energy Bow is a handheld electronic bow for guitar. Called the EBow for short, it focuses a sympathetic oscillating magnetic field on a single string and causes it to vibrate. Like a violin bow, it can affect the string in many ways. Bowing, bouncing and wiggling it can shape the tone and character across the harmonic and dynamic range. From muted horns to shrill distorted leads, from flute to harmonica. It also acts like a pick, activating one string at a time for fluid arpeggios, percussive strumming and rapid trills (tremolandos and pedal tones). It takes some practice to learn the moves and discover the variables of this knobless hand-held device.
The wide range of tones and textures come from technique not presets. Where it is positioned along the strings, how it is moved, whether it is tilted to one side or up on one end, how quickly it is slapped into place all contribute to the sound. One key variable is its interplay with your pickup. The closer you bring the EBow to a magnetic pickup that is on, the louder and brighter the sound. This only happens very close to the pickup. This is called the playing area. You can vibrate the string anywhere along its length from the nut to the bridge, but the dramatic volume change occurs only very near a pickup that is on. Staying in this small playing area gives you lots of control over the tone and volume dynamics.
The EBow rides on two strings, straddling the one you're playing which is not touched by the EBow. Push the EBow against these support strings and the drive channel comes closer to the string that you're bowing intensifying the drive field for more string vibration. Less pressure or tilting the EBow away from the string decreases this drive.
Don't be afraid of the EBow. Slide it along the strings, tilt it, slap it into place over the pickup and see what happens. Try it over all your pickups to hear the difference in tone. We mostly play over the neck or rhythm pickup but not always. You'll have to press the EBow pretty hard against the strings when you're back near the bridge or it won't drive the string at all. When you hear something you like, try to repeat it. Then master it as a technique.
Play with your amp and guitar 'tone and volume' settings when using the EBow. Usually, you'll want to cut the highs and lower the volume but not always. Mostly you don't want the string to buzz against the EBow drive channel but sometimes you may even want that effect. You get the most control playing near the pickup but sometimes you might want a very clean natural string sound and you'll stay far from the pickup. You'll have to turn up the volume if you play away from the pickup and changing to another string will then be clanky if you don't muffle the support strings. There are no rules just techniques. You're sure to discover your own.
I might have time today to go work on it again. I'll bring the Ebow and by electric hair trimmer, that's the closet thing I have to an electric razor.
I've been doing some intensive R & D on this, between work and classes. Sorry I haven't taken any pictures or videos.
Current configuration is single pickup (Seymour Duncan Hot Rails) and I used pulleys for the bridge and nut. I have to put a couple of washers on the pulleys so they won't rattle, but other than that, this thing is getting more and more impressive. I can bang out a "riff" if you will, using one drumstick as a tone bar, and the other to hit the string. This cable is abrasive, and I've heard rumors that it will make your fingers sore and tender after you play it with your hands too much.
Current configuration is single pickup (Seymour Duncan Hot Rails) and I used pulleys for the bridge and nut. I have to put a couple of washers on the pulleys so they won't rattle, but other than that, this thing is getting more and more impressive. I can bang out a "riff" if you will, using one drumstick as a tone bar, and the other to hit the string. This cable is abrasive, and I've heard rumors that it will make your fingers sore and tender after you play it with your hands too much.
So, the one string ladder bass, AKA MX-1, is currently unusable dude to noise in the pickups. What is causing it I have no idea, but it's a nasty, nasty buzz.
Anyhow, I got this in the mail:
This is the second long string instrument. Designed and built by Yuri Landman, it is different from the MX-1 in portability and construction, but the principle is the same. Long string, strange effects from said string. It has 2 output jacks, which I plan on utilizing to the full potential. This means 2 amps and 2 effects chains. Insanity? Well, that's normal for me...
I made a short video, which was short because the end of the wire came off the screw I was using to anchor it in the wall. I used a Rat into a Mooer Lofi (a bit crusher) and then a TC Electronic Flashback X4 Delay. Because it is late I didn't want to hook the bass amp up too, so I just used my Fender Princeton Chorus guitar amp.
I have a show on March 18th where I will debut this monster.
If anyone has any ideas on how to anchor the opposite end of the string I would love to hear them. Currently I'm just wrapping the steel wire (.014" gauge) around a screw, sort of. It's not working out very well. I could try tying it in a square knot. Any ideas?
Anyhow, I got this in the mail:
This is the second long string instrument. Designed and built by Yuri Landman, it is different from the MX-1 in portability and construction, but the principle is the same. Long string, strange effects from said string. It has 2 output jacks, which I plan on utilizing to the full potential. This means 2 amps and 2 effects chains. Insanity? Well, that's normal for me...
I made a short video, which was short because the end of the wire came off the screw I was using to anchor it in the wall. I used a Rat into a Mooer Lofi (a bit crusher) and then a TC Electronic Flashback X4 Delay. Because it is late I didn't want to hook the bass amp up too, so I just used my Fender Princeton Chorus guitar amp.
I have a show on March 18th where I will debut this monster.
If anyone has any ideas on how to anchor the opposite end of the string I would love to hear them. Currently I'm just wrapping the steel wire (.014" gauge) around a screw, sort of. It's not working out very well. I could try tying it in a square knot. Any ideas?
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From what I've seen in your pics I think you need to shield the wires between the p/u(s) and the cable(s). I imagine you're in a warehouse w/florescent lights which don't help things, but you will probably have them in the museum too. Maybe just twisting the leads can cancel the hum, but I doubt it.
Grounding is what was needed, it turns out...I need to ground the ladder as well as the string and stuff. Plus the power lines outside of my house add a buzz to my signal, which goes away when I turn the pickup at certain angles. Does anyone else have that happen?
TS, this is a really cool project! Makes me want to do one of my own.
Audio recordings can only do so much, especially with something like this. I would expect there to be a fair amount of noise that you can feel in the air, rather than hear. Is that the case in your experience?
Audio recordings can only do so much, especially with something like this. I would expect there to be a fair amount of noise that you can feel in the air, rather than hear. Is that the case in your experience?
There is. Especially with extreme amounts of distortion. I can't wait to try it out with my 120 watt amp, instead of just my micro cube.
I didn't do as good of a job as I should have, and I didn't think I would need to, for some reason...
It's the things you do not think about that get you.
I debuted the instrument. It was a blast. I used my MS-20 synth as a backing instrument to make things more interesting. It's only like 5 minutes.
