Ebow

[univalve]

it is fun. bit of experience but nothing challenging.
What do you mean with different notes? Basicly you have to decide which string you use. That is due to the design and the magnet field on the bottom.
btw, that thing boost your signal really up. So you do not really need anything booster-like afterwards... i do not see this as a downside.

[Adoom]

I really love it, some great sounds to be had, especially with delays and stuff. Using it, a slide, some reverb and delay and you have some of my favourite sounds ever. I've used it on a lot of things. On a banjo is a very satisfying sound altogether.

[colin]

This is kind of sad, but I've wanted an Ebow for at least fifteen years and I've never actually used one.

[hiorgos]

...

[rfurtkamp]

Thing is the ebow will make all your other toys more fun; I'm using an early 90s one that's been rebuilt several times due to my stupidity; the company has rebuilt it for free over and over.

There's nothing else quite like it once you get it down, and it does unholy, unholy things to guitar synth to boot.

[adrianlee]

i own one. been a huge part of my playing for nearly 5 years now.

So much fun. As mentioned, tons of cool sounds. Not so much different notes of any sort, but, you'll get some really cool harmonic content coming off of the notes you're playing.

[DarkAxel]

A great toy indeed my flatmate has one and i can use it whenever i want

[_r_]

I've had one for years and I really don't use it enough. It's great used with a looper to set up pad-like drones underneath songs, and the harmonic mode is nails.

[rfurtkamp]

Also can be useful for prepared guitar/capo, lay the guitar down, and set the ebow to the desired drone spot.

In the days before cheapo loopers, I was known to plug a second guitar into my Space Echo, keep the input volume low, and just let it drone on whatever the desired note was. Still works today, but I recommend a volume pedal in the chain to have a semblance of control if you don't want to hover over an input knob.

[Fuzz_Pi]

Anyone have any experience with the ebow on bass? Ive heard mixed things

[DarkAxel]

yep, used it for recording... it doesn't take strings that thick too well - the main problem is that it's super hard to hit the right spot with the strings being that far away... it's more troublesome than on the guitar

[Toonster]

Couldn't really get it working on bass personally...

edit:
Found this on the faq page of the ebow site:

The EBow was designed for guitar string spacing. It gets its necessary alignment by resting on the strings adjacent to the one you're playing. To play the EBow on bass, you must accomplish this critical alignment in challenging ways. You can rest the EBow between the strings and tilt it sideways to get the string you want to play to run down the drive channel. You can use your forefinger and thumb off the edges of the EBow to create "grooves" that catch the adjacent strings. Or, you can just hold the EBow in the proper position through sheer will and determination. Light gauge strings and a touch of distortion can prove useful, especially in the harmonic mode.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A46l07QV3UM[/youtube]

[spacelordmother]

Anyone have any experience with the ebow on bass? Ive heard mixed things

It sounds great!

yep, used it for recording... it doesn't take strings that thick too well - the main problem is that it's super hard to hit the right spot with the strings being that far away... it's more troublesome than on the guitar

Very true about the heavier strings, but it makes it sort of volume swell in the best way. It took a bit of practice to find out how to hold it in order to align the string (the tracks on the bottom are set to guitar spacing) but in my experience it's a lot easier to work with on bass than on guitar once you have it figured. I prefer to float it (like you have to on bass) rather than push in against the strings. YMMV.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRHGKDoKIZs[/youtube]

[Chumley]

my band had a couple of tunes with two ebows going. that stuff was great.

[dubkitty]

i tried to master the Ebow, but couldn't work it out, so i went back to my pre-Ebow practice of using big compressed fuzz and a volume pedal. i got way too much line noise when trying to get the Ebow lined up with the string and PU.