Re: E-bows vs Vibrators

[burnett@pobox.com]

On Fri, 12 May 2006, johnsrude@peak.org wrote:

> Ebows are expensive.  Vibrators are cheap.  Can you get the same effect 
>with
> a...ah...NECK massager that you can with an E-bow?

As Kim just explained, you'd be getting the motor EM field interacting 
with the pickup. It'll work, but not sound like an E-Bow. Adrian Belew's 
done this before, I believe with a vibrator. He used an electric drill on 
Tori Amos' cover of "I'm Not In Love" on her _Strange Little Girls_ album 
- check the credits and he's listed as playing "drill guitar" on that 
track.

Now John, if you're not discussing the EM field of the vibrator (or drill, 
or stick blender, or whatever), and you're instead contemplating applying 
the physical movement of the vibrator (drill, Dremel, whatever) to the 
string and not interacting with the EM field of the pickup, then you're 
describing something closer to the physical behavior of the Gizmotron I 
linked to earlier, which used rubber wheels pressed down on the string to 
"bow" the string.

best,
Steve B
Subscape Annex   http://www.subscapeannex.com/