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denied « Yes you’re guitar can be a cello »
Published on 07/31/11 at 18:11Features:
- 9v battery powered (easily changed)
- Blue LED indicator
- Two modes – normal and harmonics
- Comes with velvet carry bag
- Convenient string groves
- Comfortable design
Usability:
To be honest this is a tricky one to figure out. I generally don’t place a whole lot of faith in manuals, but I just didn’t know what to do without reading up. You place the ebow on the strings which will fit right into groves. Move it slowly towards whichever pickup is selected, and the infinite sustain will start rising in volume. You will need to roll off your volume knob once you pull out the ebow, otherwise it is far too loud and will cause ears to bleed. It’s also a pain to use on either the top or bottom E string as there isn’t a string on either side of those to carry the groves, so you have to play a tricky balance game. It is a very nuanced tool that takes some getting used to, especially at higher frets. Adding some vibrato in seems to help it get going. I’m a little disappointed there isn’t a good way to run it vertically. I’ve heard it can just break pretty easily if dropped, so it might be worth picking this one up at the new price and getting the warranty.
Sound:
What can I say, it actually sounds like a bow going over one of your strings. At higher strings or frets you have violin/viola sounds. Lower down it pretty much sounds like a cello. Now, a lot of this has to do with your technique. I’ve seen a lot of people who don’t really put a lot of effort into the way that they are using it, and it doesn’t sound quite as good. The harmonic mode is just what it sounds like, swells of the harmonic and not the note itself. It works really well for adding a strings part to any arrangement, and I’ve taken the volume pedal off my board completely, I like the ebow so much.
Overall:
Definitely one of the most entertaining toys you can pick up to use with a guitar. It just opens up a whole different pallet of tonal options. Mine pretty much just hangs out in my guitar case all the time, on the off chance that I’ll have a use for it. I wouldn’t say it’s a necessity at all, but if you are looking for a fun new sound to add to your arsenal, this is a pretty solid choice.
- 9v battery powered (easily changed)
- Blue LED indicator
- Two modes – normal and harmonics
- Comes with velvet carry bag
- Convenient string groves
- Comfortable design
Usability:
To be honest this is a tricky one to figure out. I generally don’t place a whole lot of faith in manuals, but I just didn’t know what to do without reading up. You place the ebow on the strings which will fit right into groves. Move it slowly towards whichever pickup is selected, and the infinite sustain will start rising in volume. You will need to roll off your volume knob once you pull out the ebow, otherwise it is far too loud and will cause ears to bleed. It’s also a pain to use on either the top or bottom E string as there isn’t a string on either side of those to carry the groves, so you have to play a tricky balance game. It is a very nuanced tool that takes some getting used to, especially at higher frets. Adding some vibrato in seems to help it get going. I’m a little disappointed there isn’t a good way to run it vertically. I’ve heard it can just break pretty easily if dropped, so it might be worth picking this one up at the new price and getting the warranty.
Sound:
What can I say, it actually sounds like a bow going over one of your strings. At higher strings or frets you have violin/viola sounds. Lower down it pretty much sounds like a cello. Now, a lot of this has to do with your technique. I’ve seen a lot of people who don’t really put a lot of effort into the way that they are using it, and it doesn’t sound quite as good. The harmonic mode is just what it sounds like, swells of the harmonic and not the note itself. It works really well for adding a strings part to any arrangement, and I’ve taken the volume pedal off my board completely, I like the ebow so much.
Overall:
Definitely one of the most entertaining toys you can pick up to use with a guitar. It just opens up a whole different pallet of tonal options. Mine pretty much just hangs out in my guitar case all the time, on the off chance that I’ll have a use for it. I wouldn’t say it’s a necessity at all, but if you are looking for a fun new sound to add to your arsenal, this is a pretty solid choice.