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New Sounds Courtesy of the E-Bow Plus
05/23/2008

The E-Bow has been around for a rather long time (it was originally invented by a Turkish musician in the mid-1970s), but because its operation requires more than a bit of practice to master, its use is not widespread. Rather than using a pick or a finger to pluck a guitar string, the E-Bow uses an electromagnetic field to stimulate the string into vibration. Finding the right place on the string to place the E-Bow is key to its successful use. The newest version, dubbed the E-Bow Plus, gives you two switch positions: One of which sounds the string at its fundamental (or primary) frequency and the second of which causes the string to produce a higher harmonic.

Typically, you'll have more success with the E-Bow when using your guitar's neck pickup, so start there. With the E-Bow switch set to the fundamental or primary position, locate the place on the string where it begins to vibrate the fastest. In most cases, this will be right over the pickup or just slightly in front or in back of it. Practice on just one string until you have a good feel for how the E-Bow causes the string to vibrate. In some cases, you may wish to have a slower attack, in which case you can start with the E-Bow in front or in back of the optimal point in which it creates the fastest attack, then slowly move it towards the "hot spot." Because the E-Bow has guides on the bottom to help you position it correctly (for example, the guides would sit on the A and G strings if you are playing on the D string), you'll want to start by working with the "inner" four strings. Through the creative use of equalization and other effects (a wah, for instance), you can create a wide range of tones. A bit of reverb helps add some additional "magic" to your E-Bow solos. You can combine picking with E-Bow techniques for an even broader array of sounds.





Other Techtips from May 2008:
May 30 - BOSS DS-1 Distortion Pedal Mods
May 29 - Reverb Blues
May 28 - VSL Library and Kontakt 3
May 27 - The Fabled PAF Pickup Revealed
May 23 - New Sounds Courtesy of the E-Bow Plus
May 22 - Stripping Off a Guitar's Neck Finish
May 21 - Repairing Digital (and Analog) Clipping Using iZotope RX
May 20 - Quick Tonal Changes in Guitar Rig 3
May 19 - "Humanizing" Percussion Tracks in Battery 3
May 16 - Sending Huge Attachments
May 15 - Changing a Drum Kit's Tone or Sonic Characteristics in Battery 3
May 14 - Extra Fine Control When Editing Pro-53 Patches
May 13 - Editing Hidden Zones in NI KONTAKT 3
May 12 - An Analog-style Multimode Filter in NI's FM8
May 09 - Using Boss' Micro BR as an Effects Processor
May 08 - Burning Dual-layer DVDs in Toast 9
May 07 - Optimizing Settings for Longer iPhone Battery Life
May 06 - Maple Neck Colors on Fender Guitars
May 05 - Thicken Up Emulated Tones!
May 02 - Confirming Your Noise Reduction Settings in SoundSoap Pro
May 01 - Mic Placement When Recording a Guitar Amp


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