David Lock

I weant to get my boy (18) a birthday pressie. He plays electric and acoustic guitars. Old band cover stuff and modern funk rock. His mate has suggested an ebow (?) and a subscription to a guitar magazine.

So please:

1) Anyone use an ebow and what does it do? Where do I get one from and are there different types e.g. for electric and acoustic?

2) What is a decent guitar mag? Not one with boy bands and their 13 year old girlfriends on the front but a semi serious mag with articles on older groups and players and modern stuff mixed in with the odd freebie CD? Monthly preferred.

TIA, dl

SiPie

David

An ebow is effectively an effects tool that you hold like a plectrum and it resonates against the strings...see below. I don't use one so can't really comment I'm afraid (sorry)

Nevada Ebow Ebow

As for magazines:

Total Guitar

Total guitar is a fair bet but leans slightly towards the heavy rock side of things, but good on the tuition front

Guitarist - UK Magazines :: iSUBSCRiBE - magazine subscriptions online

Guitarist would be my choice but I'm a touch older than than your son

Good luck

Harty2000

The best example of hearing what a ebow does is to listen to with or without you by U2, and the main guitar part is with a ebow.
And as above, total guitar and guitarist are good mags

David Lock

Thanks a lot guys - most helpful. I'll have a look at the mags and get onto youtube Much appreciated. david

========

www.myspace.com/thesoundtheory

Flaps

iTrader: (1)

Never heard of an ebow before! They look quite interesting!

Have you thought about getting him something like this:
eBay.co.uk: M-AUDIO FAST TRACK WITH USB RECORD GUITAR STRINGS MP3 (item 330052576837 end time 01-Dec-06 13:54:23 GMT)
It's for recording your own tracks onto your computer. It looks to come with software too. He might like that? The Mrs is getting me one for Christmas so i'm hoping it's ok!

Magazine wise I also have occasionally bought Total Guitar, but I wouldn't subscribe. It's rare that they actually have any songs in that I want to play, plus it's £5/6. Instead of a subscription i'd get him 2/3 tab books of albums he likes.

David Lock

Thanks Flaps. yeah the ebow looks like fun and I have already spoken to the guy in SiPie's link.

I'll stay clear of software/hardware as that's really up to him and they have spent the summer building a recording studio (that's a garage with egg boxes on the walls and lots of wires )

Have a noisy Christmas

Flaps

iTrader: (1)

Bet you're sick of eating omelettes then!

Incase he hasn't already found it you might want to direct him to TabCrawler.Com - 255,000+ Guitar Tabs, Bass Tabs, Lyrics, Keyboard and Drum Tabs Archive They have quite a good selection of songs on there. (I only found the site a couple of weeks back).

Keep rockin'

Bonehead

No he didn't use one, on the original recording he used a guitar with a built in sustain system called the infinate guitar. I believe he may use an ebow to perform it live.
Like an early version of the Floyd Rose Sustainor
They all do the same thing. They vibrate the string so you can get long sustaining notes - imagine long violin type stuff

An EBow is basicaly a couple of magnets and a battery.
I've got one sat on my desk in front of me.

Bill Nelson's really the best guy to listen to if you really want to hear it being used

It's a good piece of kit but it's quite limited as to what you can do with it.
What sort of guitarists is he into?

Regards
Tony

David Lock

Hi Tony, I suppose his first heroes were RHC Peppers, then they play some Rage Against the Machine stuff and Guns n Roses. And Hendrix of course. There are some songs of his band's on the MySpace link www.myspace.com/thesoundtheory

James does a decent riff about 3/4 of the way through the first song (Come of Age) although the mix isn't great IMHO. d

GaryCat

Egg boxes don't do anything except look silly. If he wants an acoustically dead room he should hang heavy full-length curtains round the walls.

Get him a decent wah pedal if you want to buy him something useful.

David Lock

I'll mention the egg boxes but better leave it for a while as they have just finished them

He uses a wah pedal - Cry Baby (?). Thanks GC

Flaps

iTrader: (1)

Did he like it?

I've just got a Boss Micro BR digital recorder, he might like one of those too

David Lock

Hi Flaps

Yep the e-bow went down really well. Great fun and more than just a gimmick I think as you can get some interesting effects from it. Takes some getting used to and not easy to switch back and forth from plectrum.

He had an interesting music day today as he has been asked to write a couple of songs for this gal and went over to meet and try out some ideas. Went well I hear. YouTube - roxanne 14yrs old sings fix you

Not Leona I know but a nice voice and can only mature and develop.

Decided on Total Guitar mag in the end btw (oh and some Ray-Ban Aviator shades )

d