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Re: Anyone ever try bowing a guitar?

Posted: Tue Jan 14, 2014 1:52 am
by KaosCill8r
Maybe this is slightly off topic. but using a vibrating sex toy on your strings can get some interesting sounds. Awesome sounds!! And it doesn't leave rosin all over your guitar and strings.

Re: Anyone ever try bowing a guitar?

Posted: Tue Jan 14, 2014 1:58 am
by Uncle Grandfather
KaosCill8r wrote:Maybe this is slightly off topic. but using a vibrating sex toy on your strings can get some interesting sounds. Awesome sounds!! And it doesn't leave rosin all over your guitar and strings.
EELS with strings, the string players used vibrators on their violins etc. sounded good.

Re: Anyone ever try bowing a guitar?

Posted: Tue Jan 14, 2014 4:11 am
by D.o.S.
KaosCill8r wrote:Maybe this is slightly off topic. but using a vibrating sex toy on your strings can get some interesting sounds. Awesome sounds!! And it doesn't leave rosin all over your guitar and strings.
The guitar track for System of a Down's Psycho, from their toxicity album, was played with a vibrator.

Word is it was BNIB and unused for its primary function, in case there's any serious tone purists reading.

Re: Anyone ever try bowing a guitar?

Posted: Tue Jan 14, 2014 4:36 am
by KaosCill8r
D.o.S. wrote:
KaosCill8r wrote:Maybe this is slightly off topic. but using a vibrating sex toy on your strings can get some interesting sounds. Awesome sounds!! And it doesn't leave rosin all over your guitar and strings.
The guitar track for System of a Down's Psycho, from their toxicity album, was played with a vibrator.

Word is it was BNIB and unused for its primary function, in case there's any serious tone purists reading.
BNIB!! But where is the fun in that. I like things to multi-task. Not to mention the awesome aroma's while playing :thumb:

Re: Anyone ever try bowing a guitar?

Posted: Tue Jan 14, 2014 4:47 am
by BitchPudding
KaosCill8r wrote:Maybe this is slightly off topic. but using a vibrating sex toy on your strings can get some interesting sounds. Awesome sounds!! And it doesn't leave rosin all over your guitar and strings.
Soooo, Anvil?
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Re: Anyone ever try bowing a guitar?

Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 5:31 am
by julius_deane
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Key Grip at Mangia-8 by theottomodest, on Flickr
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IMG_5261_1 by theottomodest, on Flickr

I left it in St. Louis and I is mad about it.

Re: Anyone ever try bowing a guitar?

Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 8:48 am
by BitchPudding
Nice! :thumb:

Wait, left the bow? Aren't they pretty cheap to replace?

Re: Anyone ever try bowing a guitar?

Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 11:45 am
by Achtane
I got my bow for $5 from a Chinese hair salon's eBay store.
I've never been sure what to make of that.

Re: Anyone ever try bowing a guitar?

Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 10:55 pm
by Bartimaeus
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Jonny G uses a bow for live performances of Pyramid song. I'm not sure how he deals with the rosin, though I guess he doesn't use it enough for it to get all over the guitar (unlike Jonsi).
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He also used a "finger massager" in the 90's, for Anyone Can Play Guitar. Scary looking thing.

Screwdrivers can be great too as mentioned.

I've tried the bow a few times, but I never liked what the rosin does to the strings. After reading this thread I might give it another shot, though. Someone mentioned using flatwounds, do those make it easier to play?

I really like playing with a coin, specifically sort of tremolo rubbing with the serrated edge. Sounds sort of like an EBow and very cool. Plus it's small and simple.

Re: Anyone ever try bowing a guitar?

Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 11:46 pm
by Achtane
Flatwounds are less screechy and they don't shred the bow. You can still get the fugly harmonics by bowing right next to the bridge, but with flats you can also get a muuuuuuch better clean sound than with the KKHHRHHSHSHSHSHSH of rounds. For me. This is with bass strings, though, never tried it on teeny tiny guitar strings.

Re: Anyone ever try bowing a guitar?

Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 11:58 pm
by MrNovember
Well then, now I want a bow
And a cheap Squier to do this...
trace wrote:I'm in the process of setting up a cheap bass just for bowing, put a massive shim under the neck and raised the bridge so that you can adjust the string heights to a very round radius and not hit the body with the bow. Of course this makes the action really high on the two middle strings but it works ok. Also using flatwounds and tied the strap to the headstock so I can hang it almost vertically which really helps with the fretting/bowing ergonomics. Now I just need to get the hang of using the bow properly.
And I'm very interested in this book.....
Tristan wrote:Yuri Landman has made a great book called Nice Noise which contains all types of alternate ways of playing and preparing the guitar, including bowing.




This site man, the wants just keep coming :facepalm: :grumpy:

Re: Anyone ever try bowing a guitar?

Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2014 2:30 am
by julius_deane
Maybe my friends and I weren't doing as precise bowing as some people do, but I don't get the need for mods, holding the guitar weird, etc. We bowed Jags, Les Pauls, Teles, P-shape basses just fine.
What's more important is the dirt/reverb/delay combinations. :)

Re: Anyone ever try bowing a guitar?

Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2014 2:33 am
by MrNovember
julius_deane wrote:Maybe my friends and I weren't doing as precise bowing as some people do, but I don't get the need for mods, holding the guitar weird, etc. We bowed Jags, Les Pauls, Teles, P-shape basses just fine.
What's more important is the dirt/reverb/delay combinations. :)
I have no idea if I'd *need* to mod anything considering I've never tried bowing.
I just like messing with guitars and the idea of building a weird bow-able bass or guitar is really intriguing me.

Re: Anyone ever try bowing a guitar?

Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2014 7:40 am
by BitchPudding
Hmm....think when I get home ill try and set up the les Paul for bowing exclusively...

Re: Anyone ever try bowing a guitar?

Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2014 8:22 am
by Tristan
MrNovember wrote:And I'm very interested in this book.....
Tristan wrote:Yuri Landman has made a great book called Nice Noise which contains all types of alternate ways of playing and preparing the guitar, including bowing.
Here's the soundcloud that goes with the book, to get an idea of the sounds presented:
https://soundcloud.com/nicenoisehopkinl ... nice-noise