E Bow

Ah the famous Ebow. I’ve seen quite a few players with this and seen them doing interesting things with it. It’s basically a hand held sustainer. It’s got two modes now as well on this plus model, that allows you to just sustain the harmonic note which is also quite cool. I personally haven’t found a use for the ebow myself yet other than copy somebody else or some other U2 songs I’ve heard. But the usage and concept is quite simple. If one wants to sustain a note for a long period of time, use the Ebow. That’s the main and only purpose of this device. How often would one use it versus another effect, say, distortion? VERY sparingly or rarely obviously. The sound itself is the original guitar’s signal so there is nothing like true bypass whatever etc to be counted into this review. For beginners you may have trouble getting this thing to work properly it does work easier and better on electric guitar because of the magnets of the pickups, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use it on acoustics as I’ve heard and seen it being used on acoustics quite often. Of course it’s a magnetic-type of effect and that’s why it’s way easier to use on electrics. Also if you have distortion on you can get a very nice searing sustaining note, sounds great to boot depending on the context of the song I’d say! Overall, the Ebow is a very cool tool to get some atmospheric-type sounds and contexts to add texture to your song. If you have one it’s worth using every so often, if you don’t have one, it’s worth trying out and borrowing it from your friend and never giving it back. Give it a try if you get the chance to but I wouldn’t go out of my way to get one either!

The E bow Plus is one of the coolest devices I've used on a guitar. You place the device on top of the string you want to sustain, and hold the E Bow over the string close to the pickup you have selected. The E Bow automatically sustains the string infinitely, or until you remove the E Bow. Move closer or farther from the selected pickup to adjust dynamics. There are two settings, Normal and Feedback. The normal setting just sustains the note you are fretting, and the feedback setting makes it LOUD and feeds back a lot, highlighting the loud overtones. Both settings are great in certain situations. While it takes some time to get used to, it's a really easy device to use. Eventually it's a piece of cake. There's not much in the way of explanation or manual reading. As with all new playing techniques, it takes some practice. It also is difficult to switch between the E Bow and a pick, but it can be done if preparations are made and one puts some practice into it. The effect is like no other I've encountered. No sustain pedal can achieve this sound. I use it with guitar, which as far as I know is the only instrument it's used on. I like the normal setting better than the feedback one generally, although if you're into Liars or Sonic Youth and love drones, you'll be all about the feedback setting. They both have their time and place. At first the tendency for most players is to lean on it a lot, and put it really close to the pickups. This makes it really loud and can damage the amplifier you are using if done improperly. Make sure you ease into it when you use it and you should not have a problem. This is a useful item that I personally didn't think I would ever need until I got one, and I've used it in many of the bands I've played in since. There's nothing else like it and it's definitely a cool ambient effect that's otherwise difficult to achieve on the guitar. I don't think there are any other models out there so there's no real opportunity to purchase a cheap knockoff. It seems pricey but it's worth it. I'd definitely recommend it to anybody.