stevezapp Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 I've been trying to make my mind up on the Ebow. It seems lke it could be a lot of fun, but I do get bored pretty quick. What's the versatility on these things? Does anyone own one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichCI Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 I bought one some time back in the 80's and screwed around with it a bit but, ultimately, it seemed like a novelty to me. If I were going for endless sustain, I'd go with a Fernandez sustainer guitar or kit a la Type O Negative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevezapp Posted February 21, 2009 Author Share Posted February 21, 2009 If I were going for endless sustain' date=' I'd go with a Fernandez sustainer guitar or kit a la Type O Negative. [/quote'] Would that be how Gary Moore held that note on the live Parisienne Walkways? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichCI Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Would that be how Gary Moore held that note on the live Parisienne Walkways? Not familiar with that but, from the little I know about Gary Moore, he probably used sheer volume. I found the Ebow to be really something that have to devote some time to to get a technique down, more so than I was willing to devote to it to get a bowed effect. Never tried the Fernandez stuff but, being a fan of Type O Negative and knowing that their guitar player uses it, I'd be much more open to something that does the big sustain thing without having to develop an additional playing style which the Fernandez tech does not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynadude Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 I bought one about a year ago, and have found it to be quite entertaining, if not ultra useful for the stage. You can get a wide variety of sounds with it, and I found it to be fairly easy to use, once you understand how it works, and where to place it on the string. I got the one that also generates harmonics, and that's a whole different thing than the older ones. To tell ya the truth, the endless sustain thing is not what I would consider to be the real selling point, it's more of the bowing effects, and the swell effects. I'd recommend trying one out in the store before you buy though. It's just a pricey toy, if you can't get the hang of it. It takes some finesse to get the cooler sounds, and if you are heavy handed, it just won't work right for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deepblue Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Ive had one for about 20 years. You can get some cool sounds from it, but you do get bored of it fast. Love Hurts by Nazereth uses an E-bow pretty well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrosurfer1959 Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Yep got to agree a real fun toy for a couple hours, now it just stays in the bottom of the gig bag and I have not touched it in a few years. I actually have a Kramer with the Fernandez sustainer system built into it same story a cool effect to try but not much practical use Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellion102792 Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Not familiar with that but' date=' from the little I know about Gary Moore, he probably used sheer volume. I found the Ebow to be really something that have to devote some time to to get a technique down, more so than I was willing to devote to it to get a bowed effect. Never tried the Fernandez stuff but, being a fan of Type O Negative and knowing that their guitar player uses it, I'd be much more open to something that does the big sustain thing without having to develop an additional playing style which the Fernandez tech does not. [/quote'] Off topic, but I've always wondered how Kenny Hickey got that endless sustain. I figured it was just something they did in the studio, until I saw Symphony for the Devil and heard him do it live. I think Pete Steele uses it on his bass too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RudyH Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 I've listened to a number of songs done with the Ebow and I can understand why it would have had a niche in the late '70s and early '80s when it added synthesizer sounds to a guitar. Today it's not very compelling because the keyboards have advanced so much that there's really no point in making sounds like that with a guitar. Well, maybe that's too harsh, but I think it's fair to say that the sound you get using an Ebow are somewhat dated sounding, and may only have application in some kinds of "atmospheric" music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenthmed Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 I have one and its pretty good fun. Having said that its a huge amount of money for something that will only get very occasional use (I've only used mine for one song live). Considering its basically only an electromagnet and battery the manufacturers must be making an absolute fortune on these things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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