Re: dtorn/E-Bow

["Gerry P" <gerryp@air.on.ca>]

How does the Ebow compare to the Sustainiac - a new and improved version of
the Sustainiac is about to be released for about $200 (plus installation) -
I have the EBow Plus and find it good to touch up notes for sustain in
recording - not too practical for a complete solo.

Gerry P
gerryp@air.on.ca
-----Original Message-----
From: Tim Nelson <tcn62@ici.net>
To: Loopers-Delight@annihilist.com <Loopers-Delight@annihilist.com>
Date: Sunday, February 07, 1999 1:21 AM
Subject: Re: dtorn/E-Bow


>>Also - could someone explain to me what kinds of things an E-bow does, 
>and
is
>>it worth the purchase.
>
>An E-Bow generates a small electromagnetic field which you can focus on a
>guitar string to keep it vibrating without picking. It's useful for 
>legato,
>single-string playing. The lack of a sharp, percussive attack, and the
>infinite sustain are well suited to slide, and work particularly well with
>a lot of delay. The manufacturer claims that one can use the E-Bow to 
>mimic
>conventional instruments like horns and synths, but I've never really 
>found
>this to be true. It is only suited for monophonic playing, one string at a
>time, although many players have developed proficiency at jumping the
>device from string to string to arpeggiate. (I've not found this technique
>all that useful, since with the amount of delay I like to use with the
>E-Bow, any squawks, clicks or other unintentional noises which happen to
>occur when jumping strings come back to haunt me, and this is even more
>true when looping!) You CAN get a deep, throaty squeal out of your low E
>using an E-Bow that's pretty cool, kind of like a rhinoceros on steroids,
>but not every player would find a use for the sounds of large, angry,
>chemically-enhanced African wildlife! The newest version of the E-Bow
>features a switch that is said to emphasize higher harmonics, but mine is
>the older model, so I can't tell you how well the switch works. The E-Bow
>IS a neat effect, but it's really not all that versatile (despite
>exaggerated claims of the E-Bow's usefulness on bass and acoustic guitars
>which I've found to be rather a stretch). You can get pretty much the same
>sound with distortion and controlled feedback, although in low-volume
>situations and when using an amp emulator, the E-Bow can be useful. It
>might be a good idea to see if you can borrow one from someone to try it
>out before spending $70-100 for one... You'll know fairly soon if it's
>something you'll use a lot, in which case it's probably worth it. I know a
>lot of people who've bought them and hardly ever take 'em out of their
>guitar cases, though... I sort of fall in the middle of the road on that
>one; I like my E-Bow well enough, but I really don't use it all that 
>often.
>You might be better off filling in any vacant spots in your pedalboard
>first with stuff you're more certain you'll use often.
>
>Tim
>