EBow PlusEBow Electronic Bow for Guitar  

It's a roughly matchbox sized device with a single switch you hold over a string and drive it to infinite sustain. Works on any stringed instrument with metal strings. It's a monophonic device, you can skip to string to string, but you can only drive one string at a time.

The switch has three positions, regular drive (the note you're fretting), off, and harmonic mode which emphasizes the higher partials in your note.

Folks associate it with electric guitar playing, but it'll work on acoustic as well.

I had an original generation ebow back in the 80s and the newer one I have recently purchased seems flimsier the original I had, and the switch in particular seems like it might be prone to failure. So far, so good, but if I gigged with this I'd start to think about carrying a spare.

Another thing I don't like about the current design is that "off" is the middle positon. Hard to be sure while playing what position you are in. The small LED is a help, but you can't always see it it and it doesn't change color otherwise indicate if you are in "normal" or "harmonic" mode.

This is a hard one to just with a single rating. This does one thing, but it the thing is does is unique, musical, and impossible to fully replicate with anything else.

High gain settings and a compressor can get you the infinite sustain, but the way the Ebow can voice the envelope of the note by moving it into the string and then moving away and toward the pickup isn't available with just gain alone. One sound available is dancing right on the edge of squealing feedback and then pulling back and forth between that edge and a mellower sound--or over the edge to total howling mayhem. Sweet sounds take some practice with the device. You won't be able to tame it until you put in some time playing with it.

I have a Fenandez Sustainer guitar. Musically it's similar, but not the same. The Sustainer can do multiple strings at once, but it means you need to pay attention to muting strings you don't want to sustain. And you can't "bow" the note's attack voice  like you can with the Ebow.

Having used an original Ebow with out the harmonic mode, I'm more drawn to the normal setting which I feel is the classic Ebow sound. Interestingly, on the Fernandez Sustainer, I usually use the harmonic mode.

The Ebow works at any volume level. You can get "guitar pressed up against a speaker stack with the amps at 11" sustain and howls at acoustic guitar volume levels.

I wish it was a more robust design, particularly the switch. I'd pay more for one that felt like it was solid and bullet proof. But if you want to make the sounds that only an Ebow can make, it's the only device that can do exactly that, and the price isn't any different from a stomp box.

This is a tool for someone who wants to explore the different sounds you can get from an guitar. As the name suggests, you can get articulartions that very close to the ones that a bow gives, sweet sustaining notes, and you can also use it as tool to get controllable howling feedback at any volume level

The two modes are great. I like to work with the normal setting for most of the song, then switch to harmonics for lead or bridge - to change things up.

Seems a little cheaply made. I'm treating it like a baby, as a result of reading warnings about how easily they break.

I really think they could charge a lot more for these... it's "the" ebow sound... no other way to get it.

It took me a while to get used to playing with this. At first, I was sure the battery was dead. And then after a while, I got it to work most of the time, and now I can pick it up and be making beautiful music in a split second. It's very easy to work it for the tone you want... distance from string, or distance from pickups. I pile on the delay and some reverb, and it sings. You can not sound band with this thing, once you've gotten used to how to hold it just right.

Not many features, an on/off switch and a 9v battery holder. It only has 2 settings, I like the harmonic setting, cool sounds.

Very delicate, DO NOT DROP !

VERY pricey for ju$t a toy.

The mini CD that comes with this has someone using an Ebow that must be from out of this world cuz I cannot get any of the sounds he was getting from this device. You have to hold it just right over 1 string to make it work, I get lots of noises from repostioning it correctly so using this in a live situation would be almost impossible. To me it's only a gimmicky toy to mess around with and maybe record some long sustaining notes with it, other than that I don't see me using it too much. If you can pick one up for 1/2 price grab it but be sure you NEVER drop it or its a goner. If you're looking for infinant sustain on all strings try a Fernandes Sustainer I guess, that way BOTH hands are free. Just my opinion.

Very cool.

Creative and alternative sounds and effects. Normal and feedback modes add to the versatility.

The overall feel of the eBow is good but the plastic casing makes the durability a bit questionable. I would fear to drop it. I only use it for studio recording work, but someone who gigs alot with it might have to consider being extra careful.

I personally feel that it is a bit expensive for what it is and what it does. Taking the time to learn how to use it, master the technique, and incorporate it into your guitar style can make it worth-while, but for some people, using it might be more of an occasional novelty than a major part of your sound. 

It does take quite a bit of time, effort, and practice to develope a technique that will give nice results, but it can be well worth it. The eBow can make the guitar sound amazing and add unique options to your sound.

I highly recommend watching and studying all of the videos, manuals, and additional materials you can find on using the eBow.

After owning my Ebow for nearly a year now, I can honestly say it's one of the coolest effects I own. I don't know of any other effect that can bring these kinds of sounds out of a guitar or bass, the Ebow allows cello-like and feedback-like sounds, but with their own uniqueness. I do not feel that this is a toy, but rather a useful and diverse new way to look at the neck.

The only real downside, in my opinion, would have to be the durability of the unit. It feels constructed of cheap plastic, and it seems like dropping it from standing height onto a hard floor might cause your Ebow to meet it's doom.

Aside from durability, I highly recommend this product, as it opens up many doors and allows the guitar to be played in an entirely different manner.