Owen Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 http://diy-fever.com/misc/diy-sustainer/ I am tech clueless. Would a beefy one of these work for bass? Have I just embarrassed myself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 No, the concept is the same for a guitar or a bass. You take a signal from a pickup, amplify it and feed it back to the string to create an infinite loop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted June 9, 2015 Author Share Posted June 9, 2015 So would a bass just need a bigger amplifier? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 I dont see necessarily it would, as you only need to get the string to keep moving, but i think it would just need experimentation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landwomble Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 I've tried an E Bow on a bass and it didn't have enough power to work so I do think you'd need to turn up the amplification. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoonBassAlpha Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 I made a lash-up for guitar using a small speaker attached to the head of the guitar running from the speaker out on the amp. It worked brilliantly, but the little speaker wasn't up to it power-wise, and eventually fizzled out. Great fun to play though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 (edited) [quote name='MoonBassAlpha' timestamp='1433922979' post='2795021'] I made a lash-up for guitar using a small speaker attached to the head of the guitar running from the speaker out on the amp. It worked brilliantly, but the little speaker wasn't up to it power-wise, and eventually fizzled out. Great fun to play though! [/quote] I've done exactly that trick with some headphones taped around the headstock...great feedback at bedroom levels The circuit from diy fever should work, in theory. I think you'd need to tweak it a bit. Edited June 10, 2015 by ahpook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 Thanks everyone for input so far. I will certainly not be doing this myself as I am tech clueless, but I have a friend who is more than up to the task. As it happens he is using the amp recommended in this project https://www.facebook.com/TheJAMJaramps?pnref=story Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted August 23, 2015 Author Share Posted August 23, 2015 [quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1433940133' post='2795263'] I've done exactly that trick with some headphones taped around the headstock...great feedback at bedroom levels The circuit from diy fever should work, in theory. I think you'd need to tweak it a bit. [/quote] i what way tweak it? Ta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 [quote name='owen' timestamp='1440339447' post='2849912'] i what way tweak it? Ta [/quote] I'd imagine you'd need to fiddle with the gain of the amp to get it to work right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted August 23, 2015 Author Share Posted August 23, 2015 Aha! Even I can manage that! Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 [quote name='owen' timestamp='1440344582' post='2849957'] Aha! Even I can manage that! Thanks. [/quote] Do let me know how you get on - I'd love to see the results Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 It shouldn't need a very big amp to make it work. I have Fernandes Pie-zo bass which IIRC has a 2W amp driving a built-in speaker all powered by a PP3 battery. At full volume the speaker produces enough output to make the strings vibrate and go into infinite sustain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alyctes Posted August 27, 2015 Share Posted August 27, 2015 [quote name='landwomble' timestamp='1433920303' post='2795001'] I've tried an E Bow on a bass and it didn't have enough power to work so I do think you'd need to turn up the amplification. [/quote] When I knew where it was, I had a bass-eBow. That was useless on one setting but worked fine on the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 IME the main reason why the standard eBow won't work on the bass is because of the wider string spacing you can't rest it on the adjacent strings like you can on a guitar and therefore it can't be held steadily enough to get the string vibrating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnbassman Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 After seeing some lovely demos of ebow on fretless basses i have been drawn to the idea. I reckon a variable speed dildo or vibrator in hardened plastic would do just as good job as an ebow. I reckon it would be better actually because of its shape you could play chords with it. I know if i sat down to google whats available on the market, somebody will come in and find me looking at sex toys and its not exactly convincing to be looking at rampant rabbits to help with a musical performance. "yeah john, sure you want a dildo for your bass playing".... Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted September 17, 2015 Author Share Posted September 17, 2015 You are certainly taking the concept in another direction John! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 (edited) [quote name='johnbassman' timestamp='1442528061' post='2867655'] After seeing some lovely demos of ebow on fretless basses i have been drawn to the idea. I reckon a variable speed dildo or vibrator in hardened plastic would do just as good job as an ebow. I reckon it would be better actually because of its shape you could play chords with it. I know if i sat down to google whats available on the market, somebody will come in and find me looking at sex toys and its not exactly convincing to be looking at rampant rabbits to help with a musical performance. "yeah john, sure you want a dildo for your bass playing".... Any thoughts? [/quote] It certainly works on the guitar. I recall seeing one of the post-Robert Smith guitarists in Souxsie & The Banshees using one. However if you want infinite sustain and the ability to play chords you might be better off waiting to see if they manage to solve all the issues with the mark 2 version of the [url="http://www.gizmotron.com"]Gizmotron[/url]. Edited September 18, 2015 by BigRedX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartelby Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 [quote name='johnbassman' timestamp='1442528061' post='2867655'] After seeing some lovely demos of ebow on fretless basses i have been drawn to the idea. I reckon a variable speed dildo or vibrator in hardened plastic would do just as good job as an ebow. I reckon it would be better actually because of its shape you could play chords with it. [/quote] Both Alexander Hacke (bass) and Jochen Arbeit (guitar), of Einsturzende Neubauten, use vibrators on their instruments. You'll find guitar pickups can pickup on the whine of the motors. I think this video has Alex using one: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0KF1FUFnCc[/media] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnbassman Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Ah cheers for your input guys. Somebody told me since my comment that an ebow doesn't actually touch the strings, it somehow sends (i guess) a magnetic field which then causes the string to vibrate. Is this true? or are they cleverly proving that i am a gullable chap? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 It's true. The Gizmotron bows the strings, the EBow picks up the vibration, amplifies it, and drives the string from a second coil. [url="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EBow"]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EBow[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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