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the little e-bow things are cool, but i really can't see myself using one enough to pay $70 for it. has anyone out there ever made one from scratch? from what i understand, it's a pretty simple design. any anecdotes or resources would be cool.

time for faces!!!

Electric toothbrushes make weird noises on guitars, as do electric razors.
If none of those are handy you may wish to try a vibrator.


-Wilson

or, you could try taping a violin bow, a 9V battery, and a couple of magnets together.

i'll warrant, however, that they won't get you much further than this joke.


jet

nothing, by the way, justifies paying $70 for one of these, because you're right--you won't use it enough. if you want one bad enough, try looking for a used one, i've seen them for $40 or so at different places.

the bad thing about an e-bow is exactly the same bad thing about any other easy-to-find or easy-to-replicate effect or noise out there...you start using it, but then you start reminding yourself of all these other bands that you're beginning to sound like.

i'm not trying to ruin your enthusiasm or anything...i'm just advising you to diffuse the cost, if you can. i've never heard any decent substitute, except maybe the sound of a bagpipes being slashed through the bladder by a fisherman's knife, and then run through an echo-loop.

regards, jet.

While vibrators and the like can generate e-bow-ish sounds, the ebow is actually a much more complicated and musical device. If you value your time and were to, say, place a specific value on your time, I bet it'd be cheaper just to buy a damn e-bow than to try and fabricate something similar.

To be contrary, perhaps experimenting with e-bow like devices might have you stumbling on sounds beyond the scope of an e-bow.

So if you want an e-bow, suck it up and buy one new or used. If you want something like an ebow and would rather experiment than be efficient, then start playing with devices with electric motors and violin bows.

Have fun,

ben adrian

If you're going to try and reproduce a non-guitar-pick string activating device, please make an attempt at replicating the Gizmotron.
I'll buy one from you. I don't have the time to putter around in such a manner.

I saw a great band whose guitarist used a hand held kitchen mixer as to continually 'strum' the strings like that of a hurdy gurdy. Also, TV remotes do some funky things to your pickups. Now can't you hurt you pickups with a strong magnet? Why do I think you can demagnatize them if you are not careful?

I saw a great band whose guitarist used a hand held kitchen mixer as to continually 'strum' the strings like that of a hurdy gurdy. Also, TV remotes do some funky things to your pickups. Now can't you hurt you pickups with a strong magnet? Why do I think you can demagnatize them if you are not careful?