In search of infinite sustain? Consider exploring the EBow.
Photo 1. Photo courtesy of basslab.de.
When the electric bass dethroned the upright bass as king of the low end, it also ousted the classical bow. This happened because the electric’s body shape, larger-radius fretboard, and strapped-on playing position made it hard or even impossible to seriously use a bow to excite the strings. Fortunately, we don’t have to completely forgo the bow’s singing tone because at least some of its attributes live on with its electric successor, the EBow (Photo 1).
The small, hand-held device was invented by Greg Heet in 1969, but not marketed until some seven years later. The battery-powered tool was initially aimed at guitarists and designed to produce a sustaining note or droning tone without actually touching the string. Its flute-like tones—which can easily be mistaken for a synth—often go unnoticed in a mix, which may explain why the EBow remains a niche product. But this little device has an impressive list of users and has appeared on epic hits.
How it works. There are many differences between the EBow and its ancient predecessor. The classic bow slides over the string, gripping it and pulling it to one side or the other until the tension gets too high and the string snaps back into its normal position. This results in an essentially triangular waveform.
By contrast, the EBow creates a continuous magnetic feedback loop on an underlying string. The EBow’s fundamental parts are an input or pickup coil, an amplifier, and an output coil that magnetically stimulates the string. The resulting sinusoidal waveform is then sensed by the instrument’s pickups. The EBow works with any steel string, but because it’s easier to magnetically excite lighter strings, the device is more popular with guitarists than bassists.
The Fernandes Sustainer and Moog Guitar are other guitar-only devices that use similar principles at different technical levels. While the former two are polyphonic, the EBow is strictly monophonic—it only works on one string at a time.
The EBow’s design hasn’t changed much since it came out, the only addition being the “harmonic mode” on the EBow Plus, which triggers higher harmonics. The sonogram—the plot of the intensity of frequencies over time—in Photo 2 shows the rise of upper harmonics as they turn from red to yellow over time. To hear the audio I used to generate this image, read the online version of this column at premierguitar.com. Click on “E4 harmonic with EBow” to hear the audio I used to generate this image.
Photo 2. Photo courtesy of basslab.de.
Using an EBow. The magnetic forces at work here are highly dependant on distance. So while the EBow is an incredibly versatile tool, it can be extremely sensitive. Thus the line between utter frustration and creative joy is rather small. The manual lists several ways to hold the EBow to generate a specific tone or effect, but at first you’ll be glad if it does anything at all. The EBow’s body has two grooves that allow the adjacent strings to act as rails to support the EBow at the correct distance from the string. This seems like it should work without any problems, but often that’s not the case.
In addition to having a high sensitivity for proper distance, the EBow presents two other crucial considerations: position and nodes. As I described in my April 2015 column “Shaping Your Tones by Hand,” a string’s reaction to magnetic forces depends on whether it’s attacked above a nodal point, or the bulge of the fundamental, or one of its harmonics. Just like it gets harder to pluck a string as you move closer to the bridge, such movement also change tone and reduce the EBow’s effect on the string. And while the EBow works quickly to excite light-gauge guitar strings, moving from one fret to another on a bass can result in silence. If you want to play lines, it’s a safer bet to slide between notes on a fretless.
If you plan to get an EBow, also budget time to get used to it. Even such an experienced and long-time user as Porcupine Tree’s bassist Colin Edwin has his surprising moments of total silence onstage. “I’ve found the EBow to be really useful for making textural, atmospheric, and drone sounds, especially with a fretless,” he says. “My usual preference is to use a touch of modulation with just enough delay to fill gaps between notes. Because the EBow can sustain a note indefinitely, you can use it to unobtrusively enhance quieter moments where the attack of plucked notes might be too much. It’s also useful for playing melodies, especially with some added distortion for a more upfront sound. Aligning the EBow against the string can be a challenge, however, as positioning is super critical. More than once I’ve found myself standing onstage in silence, minutely adjusting my hand position in an effort to make a sound.”
Jack White's 2025 No Name Tour features live tracks from his album No Name, with shows across North America, Europe, the UK, and Japan.
The EP is a 5-song collection of live tracks taken from White’s 2024 edition of the tour, which was characterized by surprise shows in historic clubs around the world to support the 2024 album No Name.
No Name is available now via Third Man Records. The acclaimed collection was recently honored with a 2025 GRAMMY® Award nomination for “Best Rock Album” – White’s 34th solo career nomination and 46th overall along with 16 total GRAMMY® Award wins. The No Name Tour began, February 6, with a sold-out show at Toronto, ON’s HISTORY and then travels North America, Europe, the United Kingdom, and Japan through late May. For complete details and remaining ticket availability, please visit jackwhiteiii.com/tour-dates.
White’s sixth studio album, No Name officially arrived on Friday, August 2 following its clandestine white-label appearance at Third Man Records locations that saw customers slipped, guerilla-style, free unmarked vinyl copies in their shopping bags. True to his DIY roots, the record was recorded at White’s Third Man Studio throughout 2023 and 2024, pressed to vinyl at Third Man Pressing, and released by Third Man Records.
For more information, please visit jackwhiteiii.com.
JACK WHITE - NO NAME TOUR 2025
FEBRUARY
11 – Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre
12 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount
17 – Boston, MA – Roadrunner
18 – Boston, MA – Roadrunner
21 – Paris, France – La Cigale
22 – Paris, France – La Trianon
23 – Paris, France – La Trianon
25 – Utrecht, Netherlands – TivoliVredenburg (Ronda)
26 – Utrecht, Netherlands – TivoliVredenburg (Ronda)
28 – London, UK – Troxy
MARCH
1 – London, UK – Troxy
2 – Birmingham, UK – O2 Academy Birmingham
3 – Glasgow, UK – Barrowland Ballroom
10 – Hiroshima, Japan – Blue Live Hiroshima
12 – Osaka, Japan – Gorilla Hall
13 – Nagoya, Japan – Diamond Hall
15 – Tokyo, Japan – Toyosu PIT
17 – Tokyo, Japan – Toyosu PIT
APRIL
3 – St. Louis, MO – The Factory
4 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater
5 – Omaha, NE – Steelhouse Omaha
7 – Saint Paul, MN – Palace Theatre
8 – Saint Paul, MN – Palace Theatre
10 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed (Indoors)
11 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed (Indoors)
12 – Detroit, MI – Masonic Temple Theatre
13 – Detroit, MI – Masonic Temple Theatre
15 – Grand Rapids, MI – GLC Live at 20 Monroe
16 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Theatre
18 – Nashville, TN – The Pinnacle
19 – Nashville, TN – The Pinnacle
MAY
4 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at the Moody Theater
5 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at the Moody Theater
6 – Dallas, TX – South Side Ballroom
8 – Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom
9 – Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom
10 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Union Event Center
12 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium
13 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium
15 – Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl
16 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
17 – San Francisco, CA – The Masonic
19 – Seattle, WA – The Paramount Theatre
20 – Seattle, WA – The Paramount Theatre
22 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
23 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
24 – Troutdale, OR – Edgefield Concerts on the Lawn
A dose of magic gain potion.
Works like a little vial of magic gain potion. Fattens without obscuring individual frequency bands.
None.
$129
Solodallas SVDS Boost
solodallas.com
The Schaeffer-Vega Diversity System—an early and very successful wireless system—excelled at the tasks it was designed for. But there was more magic than met the eye. Though designed to sound as transparent as possible, it nonetheless colored the signal in a way that people like Angus Young and Eddie Van Halen found essential.
SoloDallas explored the possibilities of this circuit before in pedals like theSchaeffer Replica, but the new SVDS Boost strips the formula to essentials. Minimalist controls—one knob, that’s it—make this boost no less delicious. I’m not surprised Angus Young was smitten with the original SVDS. An SG and Marshall 18-watt amp sound fantastic naked, but the SVDS Boost has the rare talent for fattening everything without seeming to favor or obscure any frequency band too much. And as zest to the PAF/Marshall style formula, it makes the kind of rowdy, organic, airy, large, and punch-packing Marshall sound you would dream of getting in a studio or hearing on the radio. There are many shades of this basic awesome color in spite of the single knob. Unity gain lives in the earliest third of its range. From there you certainly get more volume, but mostly you bathe in various hues of compressed, saturated, thick, and dynamite growl. You don’t need a Gibson and a Marshall to use it to devastating effect, either. A Telecaster and Vibrolux snap with attitude and whip-crack energy with the SVDS in the line. And with both guitar/amp combos, the SVDS’ wide dynamic responsiveness to volume and tone attenuation assures that things stay cracking when you need more control.
Learn about this iconic guitar's journey, its mods done by Frank, and hear how it sounds in the hands of his son Dweezil.
Neil Young’s ’70s hits are some of the most recognizable radio rock jams of all time. But Neil’s guitar playing continued to grow over the ensuing decades, as he traversed styles from blues to country to electronic to rockabilly and beyond, eventually developing one of the most tonally decadent, fully formed improvisational voices in the entire guitar universe.
Neil Young’s ’70s hits are some of the most recognizable radio rock jams of all time. But Neil’s guitar playing continued to grow over the ensuing decades, as he traversed styles from blues to country to electronic to rockabilly and beyond, eventually developing one of the most tonally decadent, fully formed improvisational voices in the entire guitar universe.
Like any discography that’s been growing over the course of more than half a century, it can be hard to decode Young’s work. And with such an adventurous spirit, it could be easy to make some missteps and miss out on his best guitar works. In this episode, Nick guides Jason through some of his hero’s finest moments.
More news from Neil always seems to be on the horizon, so here’s your chance to catch up.