I have recently purchased a new and amazing guitar effect product called the Ebow. I really didn't know what to think when I first saw this little gadget that looked very alien and fit in the palm of my hand. I was instantly blown away when I saw this mysterious handheld device in action as it hovered over my friends guitar and produced some of the most rich fully sustained guitar tones that beautifully mimicked a cello or violin—this sound was popularized by many artists notably Frank Zappa and Metallica. I was especially impressed at how the Ebow could sweep all six strings in one solid motion and unleash super fast arpeggios that sound like Jimmy Page gone mad splintering one of his massive cello bows.
I used this device on one of the guitar solos on my bands new record keeping it low in the mix and soaked with lush delays to create a sort of ethereal texture in the background of a guitar solo. The Ebow is a great tool for create complexities in this way: it does wondrous things to a mix when it is used as a guitar re enforcement tool. I highly recommend playing around with this unit to see if this tool suits your sound!
There are three stylistic ways to use the EBow as a tool for guitar expression:
1.) Arpeggio bowing - Run through arpeggio shapes as the Ebow is swept across the strings the ascend and descne the arpeggio notes.
2.) Spiccato bowing - Touch the Ebow to the guitar string in quick motions to target individual notes. Let the note sustain as you see fit. This sounds great with reverb and delay.
3.) Bowing - Move the Ebow back and forth to gently "massage" the string and let the guitar sing like a cello or violin.
All these styles can be incorporated together to create the most dynamic and crowd-stunning riff runs. A 9v battery fits into the top of the unit and weighs it out beautifully for great playability.
Happy bow'in!
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